Public lands are lands which are set aside for public use. Public lands can range from large areas of undeveloped, rural lands—national parks, wilderness areas—to small urban areas. In general, wealthy people and aristocrats dislike the idea of public lands since these lands are not generating more wealth for them. For other people, however, public lands provide them with space, with a sense of community, and a refuge from the daily world.
One example of a small urban park is the C.W. Moore Park in Boise, Idaho. It provides a nice, quiet place to sit, to visit, and to view pieces of Boise’s history.
According to the information sign at the park:
“Christopher W. Moore arrived in Boise in 1863, the year of the city’s founding.”
The two lots which form the park were deeded to the city at Moore’s death in 1916. It was intended to be a children’s playground, but the playground wasn’t built until the 1930s. In 1956, a World War II barracks was moved to the site and served as the home for the Idaho Society of Crippled Children and Adults. The Society left the site in 1975 and the park was re-established in 1983.
According to the information sign at the park:
“This park lies in an historic area. One half block to the north on Main Street, covered wagons headed west along the Oregon Trail. The canal that runs through the park, the Grove Street Ditch, was constructed in 1866. Large water wheels every fifty to one hundred yards along the canal lifted water to flumes which carried it to many gardens along Main Street.”
According to the information sign at the park:
“Major elements of the park design are the architectural artifacts saved from Boise buildings that were demolished by Urban Renewal in the 1970s.”