Roadside park
Encyclopedia
A roadside park is a designated park
on the wide side of a road
for the traveling tourist usually maintained by a governmental entity, either local, state, or national. It is for recreational use such as a picnic spot or a trail head. A roadside park will generally be found in a rural
setting, whereas a rest area
will be found on an interstate highway
in a suburban setting or between major destinations like cities. A rest area is specifically designed for the rest and relaxation of the motoring public. The roadside park with the use of picnic table
s is the predecessor of the modern rest area / travel plaza.
Many roadside parks have restroom facilities or at least pit toilet
s, where some small roadside parks have no restroom facilities at all. Some have water and many are designated on state maps with a small picnic table.
Some continent
s have roadside parks, however they are not a worldwide phenomenon. They are popular in the United States
, Canada
, Australia
and Europe
, however basically not known in Mexico
, Central America
, South America
, Africa
, nor the Far East
Asia
n countries.
School of Engineering. He came back to Iron County
where he grew up to manage the highway department.
Most of the big pines in Iron County were being cut down by the lumber companies at this time. Larson seeing this hoped someday to keep scenic wide strips of old growth trees along Iron County's principal roads. He envisioned the possibility of a In his words he
The inspiration of the roadside park idea came from a disappointed Sunday outing of a nearby Wisconsin lake country picnic. In 1919 northern Wisconsin lake resorts were growing rapidly. On a particular Sunday of that year, Larson tried to have a cookout with a group of people in Wisconsin. Everywhere they went the property caretaker
asked them to not have their picnic on the property and escourted them off the grounds.
Larson wrote,
He did not want the nearby Upper Peninsula of Michigan to suffer a similar loss of the much-loved pastime of picnicing.
This is where he was inspired with the idea of a wide right of way road spot as a roadside park.
One day Larson learned that a particular prominently located parcel of land of uncut virgin woods east of Iron River, Michigan
, on U.S. 2 might be up for sale. He went to the landowners with the support of the Iron County board chairman. They then negotiated with the owners and bought it as a forest memorial public woods. This is where he placed his first picnic table for a designated rest spot for the motoring public. There is a possibility this was even the first designated automobile rest area anywhere in the world. It is located at coordinates N 46.1067 W -88.54.78 in a stand of old-growth hardwood trees. Presently, it has many picnic tables and grills. There are pit toilets provided there today, whereas when it was first introduced it consisted only of a single picnic table
.
Larson’s roadside park rest stop idea quickly spread all over the United States in most of the states already by the 1920s. His roadside park idea soon attracted large gatherings and became a trend-setting phenomenon. Its success inspired Larson's later projects of Pentoga Park and Bewabic Park.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
on the wide side of a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
for the traveling tourist usually maintained by a governmental entity, either local, state, or national. It is for recreational use such as a picnic spot or a trail head. A roadside park will generally be found in a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
setting, whereas a rest area
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...
will be found on an interstate highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
in a suburban setting or between major destinations like cities. A rest area is specifically designed for the rest and relaxation of the motoring public. The roadside park with the use of picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
s is the predecessor of the modern rest area / travel plaza.
Many roadside parks have restroom facilities or at least pit toilet
Pit toilet
A pit toilet is a dry toilet system which collects human excrement in a large container and range from a simple slit trench to more elaborate systems with ventilation. They are more often used in rural and wilderness areas as well as in much of the developing world...
s, where some small roadside parks have no restroom facilities at all. Some have water and many are designated on state maps with a small picnic table.
Some continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s have roadside parks, however they are not a worldwide phenomenon. They are popular in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, however basically not known in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, nor the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries.
History
Herbert F. Larson started the idea of the roadside park. History records that the idea goes back to 1918 in the early days of auto touring. Larson was then a history-minded highway engineer just out of the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
School of Engineering. He came back to Iron County
Iron County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 13,138 people, 5,748 households, and 3,615 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 8,772 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
where he grew up to manage the highway department.
Most of the big pines in Iron County were being cut down by the lumber companies at this time. Larson seeing this hoped someday to keep scenic wide strips of old growth trees along Iron County's principal roads. He envisioned the possibility of a In his words he
The inspiration of the roadside park idea came from a disappointed Sunday outing of a nearby Wisconsin lake country picnic. In 1919 northern Wisconsin lake resorts were growing rapidly. On a particular Sunday of that year, Larson tried to have a cookout with a group of people in Wisconsin. Everywhere they went the property caretaker
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
asked them to not have their picnic on the property and escourted them off the grounds.
Larson wrote,
He did not want the nearby Upper Peninsula of Michigan to suffer a similar loss of the much-loved pastime of picnicing.
This is where he was inspired with the idea of a wide right of way road spot as a roadside park.
One day Larson learned that a particular prominently located parcel of land of uncut virgin woods east of Iron River, Michigan
Iron River, Michigan
Iron River is a city in Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,929. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 population estimate for this city was 3,122....
, on U.S. 2 might be up for sale. He went to the landowners with the support of the Iron County board chairman. They then negotiated with the owners and bought it as a forest memorial public woods. This is where he placed his first picnic table for a designated rest spot for the motoring public. There is a possibility this was even the first designated automobile rest area anywhere in the world. It is located at coordinates N 46.1067 W -88.54.78 in a stand of old-growth hardwood trees. Presently, it has many picnic tables and grills. There are pit toilets provided there today, whereas when it was first introduced it consisted only of a single picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
.
Larson’s roadside park rest stop idea quickly spread all over the United States in most of the states already by the 1920s. His roadside park idea soon attracted large gatherings and became a trend-setting phenomenon. Its success inspired Larson's later projects of Pentoga Park and Bewabic Park.