After our great lunch yesterday, we hiked through parts of Lithia Park. The trees and flowers were beautiful to experience. It also left me wanting to learn more about the park so here is some of its history.Lithia Park consists of 93 acres in Ashland, Oregon. Forty-two of the acres of listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park surrounds Ashland Creek and abuts the downtonw business center.
One of the features of the downtown area are the The "bubblers," also known as water fountains in most part of country. Why the unusual shape of a drinking fountain here? A little research tell us that "In 1907 a lithia water spring was discovered at Emigrant creek several miles to the east. Upon analysis, the water was shown to have the second-highest concentration of (presumably beneficial) lithium in any natural spring (the highest being in the famous springs of Saratoga, New York)." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithia_Park.
Good start, but I still had to find out more about these unique fountains and I found this in the Ashland Daily Tidings.
"After two years of restoration, the 1927 Lithia water fountain in Ashland's Plaza is back and turned on — and locals have resumed the time-honored game of watching tourists grimace and spit as they taste the feisty but health-giving liquid.
"We're thrilled. It's been worth the wait," said Ashland historian George Kramer, who directed the $35,000 to $40,000 restoration that included a new, central granite piece from a Georgia quarry, casting of new metal basins (coated to imitate original porcelain) and new chrome bubblers made in Cincinnati. Retrieved from http://archive.dailytidings.com/2008/0714/stories/0712_fountain.php.
This is an example of the madrone tree with its reddish bark. According to gardenguides.com, "The madrone tree (Arbutus menziesii) also goes by other names, including Pacific madrone, madrona, madrono, bearberry and strawberry tree. It is a member of the Heath family (Ericaceae). The madrone is native to the Pacific Coast of North America, growing from northern California to southern British Columbia. Read more at: Facts About the Madrone Tree Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/93563-madrone-tree.html#ixzz0tjDPLGlaEnough details, just enjoy the pics.
2 comments:
Your photos are wonderful. Thanks for sharing them. Not only can you write, but you have a real eye with the camera, too.
Thank you, Frnak. Playing catch up today. Arrived home late last night.
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