Lithia Park, Ashland OR
The park is a 93-acre vista of emerald lawns, trees,hiking trails, tennis courts, a sand-pit volleyball court, picnic areas, colorful landscaping, and playground equipment. Lithia Parkfollows Ashland Creek through undeveloped woodlands, offering interesting hikes and swimming opportunities. Other attractions of Lithia Park include: an outdoor semi-covered amphitheatre, the Japanese Garden,the Perozzi tiered fountain, footbridges that cross the creek, two duck ponds, a formal rose garden, and a number of secluded areas for group gatherings and functions.
Activities
Tennis, Playgrounds, Outdoor Theatre, Walking Tours, Swimming Reservoir, Band Concerts.
History of Lithia Park
Ashland
Creek, on the site of today's Lithia Park, was once the location of a
water-powered sawmill and water-powered flourmill, which stood at what
is now the entrance to the park from 1854 to 1919. Settlers would meet
in the plaza and trade wheat for flour or purchase lumber. In 1892,
forty-five people from the area formed a Chautauqua Association to
bring entertainment and culture to Southern Oregon. The group bought
eight acres of land within the area that is today Lithia Park, and on
it constructed a domed building for its shows. The foundation of that
building can still be seen today, as it is the heavy wall that
surrounds the Elizabethan Theatre of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
complex.
The land was later presented to the city and
with the help of the Women's Civic Improvement Club and John McLaren,
long time superintendent of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, it
became Lithia Park. Visitors from miles around would come to
participate in the various attractions offered and to camp in the park,
which has since been transformed into its present splendor.
