Guide No. 172:

Park and Recreation Department Property History,1959 

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of a report detailing park property acquisitions and park improvements made by the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department from 1876 to about 1959.  Included in the collection is information on federally-funded Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps projects, a brief description of the city's monuments, statues, and memorials, a list of park properties sold, a list of school parks (administered in collaboration with the Dallas Independent School District), as well as brief histories of City Park, Marsalis Park Zoo, and White Rock Lake.

The City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department provides leisure, recreational and cultural activities for the citizens of Dallas and the general public and maintains more than 21,000 park acres including 4,400 surface acres of water at 17 park sites, 17,196 acres of greenbelt/park land, and 61.6 miles of jogging and bike trails at 24 locations. There are over 400 individual parks, including recreational facilities such as community centers, swimming pools, athletic fields, and a metropolitan zoo.

Detailed Description of the Collection