Lithia Park is Ashland's crown jewel, its heart and soul of the community, with the exception of the nearby Shakespeare Theaters, although the Shakespeare Theaters don't enjoy the million-plus visitors that Lithia Park draws in every year. In addition to 97 acres of beautiful plant and tree species that populate the premises, Lithia Park has Ashland Creek flowing through its center, with natural spring water (i.e., lithium oxide, the sour-tasting mineral in which the park derives its name) bubbling and dancing in crystal-clear sinewy flows through rocks and banks. These natural resources, combined with some beautiful man-made creations, such as the Pelozzi Fountain, a Japanese garden, a rose garden, two duck ponds, an amphitheater, some quaint bridges spanning the creek, as well as beautifully manicured lawns and gardens make this area a magical place to frequent year-round.
The memorial plaque that is imbedded on a small boulder near the north end of Lithia Park recognizes three individuals posthumously:
Bert R. Greer, J.P. Dodge, and Ray A. Minkler. These three men were instrumental in helping to promote Lithia Park to become what it is today: a Premiere National Park as well as existing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The following text comes from the oregonecyclopedia.org website regarding Bert Greer:
The next major step in development (of Lithia Park) came in 1914, when Ashland Tidings editor Bert Greer, backed by the Southern Pacific Railway, promoted the idea of creating a health spa that would pipe local lithium-laced waters from natural springs several miles east of town. So seductive was this vision that he persuaded voters to pass a $175,000 bond issue, $65,000 of which (equal to $1.4 million in 2007 dollars) was to develop the park and provide elegant surroundings for this "Saratoga Springs" of the West.
Unfortunately, Bert Greer's vision for Lithia Park as a nationally known hotspot for personal health via its lithium springs never quite came to fruition, but the end result from the funding he mustered helped lay the groundwork for the construction and development of Lithia Park back in the early 1900s.
The following text comes from the heritagedata.prd.state.or.us website in reference to J.P. Dodge:
John Page Dodge was born August 9, 1850 at Heniker, New Hampshire. He grew up in Iowa and married Mary Merriam, December 25, 1875. In 1883 the Dodge family moved to Ashland Where Mr. Dodge first opened a grocery store and later a furniture business. Mr. Dodge, with his sons Will and Louis, worked together until Mr. Dodge's death
on October ll, 1928. He was an incorporator of the Cítizen's Bank and Trust Co., and was elected president of that organization in
1919. He served as city councilman in 1892-1893 and as mayor of
Ashland from 1896 to 1898. He died in Ashland on October 11, 1928.
The only information I can find regarding Ray A. Minkler was that he was born July 03, 1869 in Oshkosh, WI and was a prominent businessman who was part owner of a local creamery, near present Lithia Park. He was married to Emma, who passed away in 1912 and Ray died in Ashland on June 03, 1947. He also remarried after his first wife's passing to Ada B.
As time goes by, I'll be doing more research into these three individuals and will post any updated info on their contributions to Lithia Park here.
The plaque itself says the following:
IN MEMORY OF THE
FOUNDING FATHERS
OF
LITHIA PARK
BERT R. GREER, CHAIRMAN
J.P. DODGE - RAY A. MINKLER