Rock Creek Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rock Creek Park |
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IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
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Maryland border entrance
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| Location | District of Columbia, United States |
| Nearest city | Washington, D.C. |
| Area | Over 2,000 acres (3 sq mi; 8 km2) |
| Established | September 27, 1890 |
| Visitors | 2,115,516 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Rock Creek Park |
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Rock Creek Park Historic District
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| Location | Roughly, Rock Creek Park from Klingle Road to Montgomery County line, Washington, D.C. |
| Area | 1,754 acres (2.7 sq mi; 7.1 km2) |
| Built | 1820s (Peirce Mill) 1897–1912 (Park facilities) |
| Architect | Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., John Charles Olmsted |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Early Republic, and NPS Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001524 |
| Added to NRHP | October 23, 1991 |
Rock Creek Park is a very large park located right in the middle of Washington, D.C.. It splits the city's northwest area into two parts. The park was created by a special law from the U.S. Congress in 1890. Today, the National Park Service takes care of it. Besides the main park, the National Park Service also looks after other federal lands in D.C. These include Meridian Hill Park, the Old Stone House in Georgetown, and some Fort Circle Parks. These forts were built to protect D.C. during the U.S. Civil War.
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History of Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park became a national park on September 27, 1890. President Benjamin Harrison signed the law that created it. People like Charles C. Glover worked hard to make this happen. It was created soon after the National Zoo opened.
This park was one of the first national parks in the United States. Only Yellowstone (1872) and Mackinac National Park (1875) were older. Sequoia was created at the same time, and Yosemite soon after. In 1933, Rock Creek Park became part of the National Capital Parks. This is a group of parks managed by the National Park Service.
The law that created the park allowed the government to buy up to 2,000 acres of land. This land stretched north from the National Zoo. The goal was to keep this area "forever as a public park" for everyone to enjoy. The law also said that all trees, animals, and interesting natural things in the park should be protected. They should be kept as natural as possible. Rock Creek Park is the oldest natural urban park in the National Park System. Building work on the park started in 1897.
In 1913, Congress also approved the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. This extended the park along a narrow path from the zoo to the Potomac River. The parkway is a busy road, especially south of the zoo. The United States Park Police patrol the park to keep it safe.
What You Can Find in Rock Creek Park
The main part of Rock Creek Park covers about 1,754 acres. It follows the Rock Creek valley. If you include other green areas managed by the park, it's over 2,000 acres. These other areas include Glover Archbold Park and Meridian Hill Park.
The parklands continue across the D.C. border into Maryland. There, they connect with Rock Creek Stream Valley Park. These Maryland parks are run by a different group.
Rock Creek Park is also a historic place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
There are many fun things to do in the park. You can find a golf course, horse riding trails, and sports fields. There's a tennis stadium that hosts big events. You can also visit a nature center and planetarium. The Carter Barron Amphitheatre is an outdoor place for concerts. There are also picnic spots and playgrounds. Many people enjoy jogging, cycling, and inline skating here. Parts of Beach Drive are closed to cars on weekends, making it perfect for these activities.
Several famous bridges cross the creek and valley. These include the Dumbarton, Taft, and Duke Ellington bridges.
One special monument in the park is a pink granite bench. It's on Beach Drive, south of the Peirce Mill. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated it in 1936. It honors a former French ambassador named Jean Jules Jusserand.
Rock Creek Park Horse Center
The Rock Creek Park Horse Center opened in 1972. It's located in the middle of the park, near the Nature Center. The barn has 57 stalls for horses. It also has two outdoor riding rings and one indoor ring. There are three outdoor areas where horses can run around.
The center offers trail rides and pony rides for the public. You can also take riding lessons there. They teach English riding, which includes basic jumping and dressage. The center also boards private horses.
The barn is home to Rock Creek Riders. This is a special program that offers horse riding for adults and children with special needs. These include veterans and people with autism or cerebral palsy. This program is run by volunteers and relies on donations.
The horse center also has popular summer camps for kids. They offer camps for children over eight years old. There's also a shorter afternoon camp for younger children. Teenagers can join a training program to become counselors.
Peirce Mill
Peirce Mill is a historic water-powered grist mill in Rock Creek Park. A grist mill uses water power to grind grain into flour. In the past, there were at least eight mills along Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. Peirce Mill is the only one still standing today.
Isaac Peirce built the mill in the 1820s. He also built a house, barn, and other buildings nearby. Later, his son Joshua Peirce and nephew Peirce Shoemaker owned it. The mill became part of Rock Creek Park in 1892.
Peirce Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was repaired and reopened on October 15, 2011.
Next to the mill is the Peirce Carriage Barn. This barn was built in 1810 and used to store carriages and horse equipment. Today, it's a small museum. You can learn about how mills work, the Peirce family, and other mills in the Rock Creek Valley.
Rock Creek Park Trails for Walking and Biking
Rock Creek Park has many trails for walking, hiking, and biking. These trails are used by people going to work and by those enjoying the outdoors. The main trail is about 1.6 kilometers long. It goes from Broad Branch Road to the southern end of the park. From there, it continues for several miles to the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
The northern trails form a loop. This loop goes along Bingham, Oregon, Beach, and Military Roads. There are also smaller paths that lead to the Nature Center.
The Park Service started trying out closing roads for recreation in 1963. They closed Ross Drive for cars on Sunday mornings. Later, in 1967, the first hiker-biker trail was built in the park. It was made of crushed stone and went from the Nature Center north towards the D.C. boundary. Over the years, more trails were built and paved.
Since the 1960s, parts of the park roads have been closed to cars on weekends. This allows people to walk, run, and bike safely. The times and locations of these closures have changed over the years. Today, certain sections of Beach Drive, Bingham Drive, and Sherril Drive are closed to cars all year long on weekends and holidays. This makes them great places for outdoor activities.
How Rock Creek Park is Managed
When Rock Creek Park was first created, a special commission managed it. This group included the Chief of Engineers of the Army and other appointed members. In 1933, the park became part of the National Park Service.
The "Rock Creek Park" unit of the National Park Service manages 99 different properties in D.C. These are located north and west of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. They include various parks, parkways, buildings, and memorials.
Other Areas Managed by Rock Creek Park
- Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway
- Smaller park extensions like Broad Branch and Piney Branch Parkway
- Other parks such as Meridian Hill Park, Dumbarton Oaks Park, and Glover-Archbold Park
- Traffic circles like Chevy Chase Circle and Grant Circle
- Historic sites like Battleground National Cemetery and parts of the Fort Circle Parks
- Important buildings like the Old Stone House
- Various statues and memorials, including the Francis Asbury statue
Rock Creek Park and D.C. Neighborhoods
Rock Creek Park also helps define different parts of Washington, D.C. It separates neighborhoods like Georgetown and Spring Valley from the rest of the city. Because of this, people sometimes use terms like "West of the Park" (WOTP) and "East of the Park" (EOTP) to describe areas.
Laws That Created the Park Areas
Here are the dates when different parts of the park were officially created by Congress:
- Rock Creek Park – September 27, 1890
- Meridian Hill Park – June 25, 1910
- Montrose Park – March 2, 1911
- Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway – March 4, 1913
- Dumbarton Oaks Park – December 2, 1940
Images for kids
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Western Ridge Trail
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A steep streamside trail
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See also
In Spanish: Parque de Rock Creek para niños
