Date: c. 1915

 

Description: When Edwin Peters first moved into Morningside in 1875 all that was in the area was a fruit farm and tracts of cheap, undeveloped land. Peters bought a large tract of land for himself and began to promote, develop, and sell the surrounding area to buyers and other developers. On his own land, Peters built himself a house, and then sectioned off a portion of his remaining land to make a public park for the new residents of the area to enjoy. This postcard displays a view of the park that Peters built, appropriately named Peters Park. The park was maintained by Peters himself until 1898, when it was sold to the city and became Sioux City’s first true public park. The park itself was a rather small affair; a triangle only two blocks long nestled between two lanes of Morningside Avenue. As development in the area continued, however, it became the very heart of Morningside and a major residential sector until the late 1910s, when businesses began to replace the houses. Peters was a member of the Sioux City Parks Commission and encouraged the development of other parks in the city. Peters Park itself was torn up in the 1940s when Morningside Avenue was widened to intersect with Transit Avenue and South St. Aubin Street, increasing traffic capabilities in the area. However many of the other parks developed by the Parks Commission still remain today, like Grandview Park. Though his original park is now gone, Peters dream of parks in the city has certainly been fulfilled.

 

Donor information not available

 

On display