Krug Park (St. Joseph, Missouri) facts for kids
Krug Park is a big city park in Saint Joseph, Missouri. You can find it at the north end of the Parkway St. Joseph. This park is famous for its beautiful Italian-style buildings, amazing gardens, and colorful flowerbeds.
The park covers about 163 acres, which is a lot of space to explore! Inside, you'll find an outdoor theater called an amphitheater, a pretty lagoon, lovely rose gardens, and places for picnics. There's even an Italian castle, nice walking trails, and fun playgrounds for everyone. During the holidays, Krug Park becomes "Holiday Park" and lights up with festive decorations.
Park History
Krug Park is often called the oldest park in St. Joseph. While some other areas were used by the public earlier, Krug Park was the first one managed by the city's park officials. This means it was the first park to get money from the city to be developed and improved.
On February 26, 1890, a man named Henry Krug gave 10 acres of land to the city. He wanted this land to be used only as a park. He had a few rules: no alcohol or gambling should ever be allowed there. The city also had to keep the park in good shape and spend at least $2,000 each year to maintain it.
Early Park Features
We don't have the first plans for Krug Park, but it seems the city spent more than the required $2,000 every year. Since it was the only developed public park in St. Joseph, Krug Park became a place for everything the public wanted.
The park's superintendent, Rudolph G. Rau, loved flower displays. Krug Park had many amazing flowerbeds. At different times, the park also had a zoo, greenhouses for plants, botanical gardens, and gazebos. There was even a fountain and a lily pond.
Opening and Special Attractions
Krug Park officially opened to the public on May 6, 1902. The impressive stone entrance gate was almost finished around that time. The conservatory, a special building for plants, was very popular with visitors.
For a while, alligators lived in the pond in front of the conservatory! Other interesting animals were also kept around the park. Old war cannons were moved to the park. There was even a cabin that was moved there because of a funny misunderstanding. A reporter mistakenly claimed it belonged to the town's founder, Joseph Robidoux. So, the cabin was brought to Krug Park and stayed there for many years.
