Morse Playlot Park
Created in 1912, Morse Playlot Park, 6937 N. Ridge Avenue, now known as Matanky Park, was the first of four parks created by the Ridge Avenue Park District. The Ridge Avenue district was among 19 neighborhood park commissions established after 1896 to serve areas recently annexed to the city. When Rogers Park residents decided to form a park district in 1895, a bitter fight immediately arose between two local factions. Farmers living in West Ridge resented the prospect of being taxed for lake front improvements by east side "silk stockings." The farmers, derisively called "cabbageheads" by the Rogers Parkers, fought to establish their own park district west of the Chicago & North Western Railway line. After a lively campaign rally in which the West Ridgers paraded with cabbages on poles, the farmers won the right to create their own Ridge Avenue Park District.
Photos
RPWRHS photo L009-0229 shows the sign for the Morse Playlot Park, 6937 N. Ridge Boulevard, (now: Matanky Playlot Park, - Snow. Photo: January 8, 1999.
