Flushing Mutton Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mutton Park |
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The Mutton Park sign in 2018
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| Type | Public park |
| Location |  Flushing, Michigan |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Created | 1921 |
| Operated by | City of Flushing |
| Status | Open all year |
Mutton Park is a fun city park in Flushing, Michigan. It covers about 3.5 acres, which is like three and a half football fields! You can find it at the corner of Coutant and Chestnut Streets.
The park has cool stuff like a softball field, a basketball court, a playground, and a picnic area. It's a great spot for families and friends to hang out.
How Mutton Park Started
Finding Water for the Village
Back in the 1920s, the small town of Flushing needed more water. The local leaders, who ran the "village," looked for a good water source. They tested the land where Mutton Park is today.
The village bought this land from a person named Clarence Luce. In 1921, they built a tall water tower there. Around the tower, they added five small buildings called well houses. These houses protected the wells that pumped water.
This water system was in the northern part of the land. The southern part became a park called "Waterworks Park." Don't mix it up with another park by the same name that exists today!
William Mutton's Special Grove
A man named William Mutton was very well known in Flushing. He was a farmer, ran a lumber yard, and was an auctioneer. He loved to travel all over the world.
In 1927, after one of his trips, Mr. Mutton had a special idea. He asked the village council if he could plant a grove of trees in the park. He wanted to do this to honor his wife.
He had seen a cool poem on a stone marker in England. It gave him the idea for his tree grove. The poem said he needed to plant 25 trees in 12 straight rows. Each row had to have five trees.
Mr. Mutton got help from Gordon Bedford, an engineer. Mr. Bedford used math to figure out how to place the trees perfectly. He even went to the park and marked where each tree should go.
They got 18 maple trees from F. M. Confer's farm. Seven elm trees came from Judd Lee's farm. Village workers helped Mr. Mutton dig and plant all the trees.
Mr. Mutton took great care of the young trees. He carried water from a nearby well to keep them healthy. He also trimmed them so they would grow straight and tall. After a few years, the trees grew big. They gave him a nice shady spot to rest on sunny afternoons. Later, this beautiful area was officially named Mutton Park.
