At the turn of the 20th Century, a group of women dedicated to developing the City of Niles formed a committee and immediately set to work on a number of projects that would improve the future of the City of Four Flags for decades to come.

One of those projects was the establishment of Island Park, dedicated in 1913.

According to local historian Virginia Strayer, who wrote a history of the park in 1956, the park was established by the Women’s Progressive League when members learned a lumber company wanted to purchase the strip of land on the St. Joseph River, take down all the trees and “make a mess of it.” Up in arms, the Progressive League hosted fundraisers, purchased the land and developed a committee to build a bridge. With the help of Mr. Plym, the League cleaned up the poison ivy-covered park and constructed the bridge so others could get there on foot or via horse and buggy.

“The deed specified that the island shall not be used for any purpose than a public park or playground,” Strayer told the Daily Star in 2014, adding in a cheerful tone, “No soft drinks were ever sold on the island, because it would be ‘too Coney Island-ish.’”

The League owned the property for a few years, and eventually gave it to the city of Niles. The city has managed the property through numerous natural disasters, including 12 floods in the last nine years. When Niles experienced historic level flooding in February 2018, the city was forced to shut down the park due to safety concerns. 

While operational, the park was often used as a natural setting for family portraits, nature-watching, picnics and good-old-fashioned playing outside.

Much like the group of women who made up the Women’s Progressive League more than a century ago, we have a group of elected officials equally committed to the future of the City of Niles. They are tasked with a difficult decision: invest in making the park operational again or use the money elsewhere.

We respect the council’s careful usage of taxpayer dollars, and appreciate their hesitance to place another tax burden on the city’s Fourth Ward, where the park is located. However, we encourage city council members — and Fourth Ward residents — to take into consideration the importance of preserving not only this natural asset, but the history it represents in our community.

In a time when young people are more likely to camp out on the couch with an iPad than go outside to toss a football, we hope our city leaders realize how important it is to have as many green spaces as possible, so as to encourage outdoor recreation.

If we ultimately choose the park is not worth investing in, how can we commemorate this historic landmark? How can we continue to encourage those in the Fourth Ward to get outside and exercise?

The decision will not be an easy one, but we owe it to this park, the history of Niles and the founders of this community resource to tread lightly when making it. 

Opinions expressed are those of general manager Ambrosia Neldon, managing editor Sarah Culton, sports editor Scott Novak and reporter Adam Droscha.