It is well understood by those who have studied the subject, that public parks, while ostensibly undertaken for the pleasure which their beauty affords the people, are also very important aids to the improvement and preservation of the health of the people. Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architects, Report to Board of Commissioners, 1908

Olmsted wrote that this area was ideal for park space, as it included flat lawn for playing games and also commanded spectacular views of the Spokane Valley over the cliffs. The report suggested an initial renovation of the park area that would include the construction of a keeper’s cottage, as well as a clearing out of the wooded portion of the land. Olmsted also advised the Board to plant deciduous trees around the border of the park to break up the monotony of pines, and suggested that pre-existing dirty swamps be turned into small, pleasant lakes.