Abandoned Future Park Lands?

jammer_smith · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:37 pm Post subject: Abandoned Future Park Lands?

I have now come across two locations that appear to have been donated to the city parks system, but have set unused for quite some time. As far as I know they are free game for exploration, or at least I can't imagin why they wouldn't be. The first is north of town a bit at the following coords quite close to Ritter Spring park: 37.283597,-93.323944

The large white sign is plainly visible in the field. There is, what appears to be, a quarry lake behind the land, but it's gated off and I didn't get a good look. This is also where I found the meth lab reference in the other post.

The other location is south of town, near river bluff cave: 37.102888,-93.325317

At this location there is some kind of large railing. Horse racing? I have no idea. If you look at the location from satelite view you can plainly see the large C shape in the field. After being curious for like a year I finaly got my feet on the ground in that field, and that large C shape is where tree have grown up around a set of two waist-high rails. Maybe someone who knows more about farming can tell me what on earth it is.

Anyway, in the extreme north eastern end of the field is a large white sign indicating that the land is the future site of a city park, however the sign is old enough that the letters are all peeling and it's difficult to read, and the road-side foliage has grown so high you can't even see the sign from the road, leading me to suspect the sign must have been there a long time.

Twail Wetard · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Abandoned Future Park Lands?

Yes it was for a horse track.

Willard · Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:35 pm Post subject: Re: Abandoned Future Park Lands?

Correct, old horse race track. I understand it was abandoned even by the 1960s. Springfield at one time had 6 tracks. One was at the old Fairgrounds about where Glass hall sits on the MSU campus.

RV driver · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Abandoned Future Park Lands?

Willard · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:26 pm Post subject: Re: Abandoned Future Park Lands?

The old track we're talking about here, I don't know much of anything about it really. Only reason I know about when it closed was I heard John Sellers at the History Museum talking about it once. As for the track at the old Fairgrounds, that would have been pre 1909. Holland and Monroe, just south of that particular intersection was where the fairgrounds entrance was. The horse race track was a typical oval and was lenth north south in the general area of Glass Hall and the parking lot south of the building. There's a postcard somewhere of it, but I can't seem to locate it online right now.