Thirty plus foot tall topiary trees in
Kiest Park from the 1960's.

A HISTORY
OF
KIEST PARK

DWIN JOHN KIEST, publisher of the Dallas Times Herald, was born on September 25, 1861, in Cook County, Illinois. He was a self-made man. In 1871 he quit school to work as a newsboy in Chicago to learn the printer's trade. He later worked as a compositor and reporter for various Chicago Newspapers. In 1889 he went to work with the Western Newspaper Union, which sent him to Dallas in 1880. In 1896, rather than accept a company promotion that would transfer him back to Chicago, Kiest established a stock company and bought the struggling Dallas Daily Times Herald later known as the Dallas Times Herald which he owned and published until his death in 1941.

The Gift of Edwin Kiest to he City of Dallas in 1931
As a memorial to his wife, Elizabeth Patterson Kiest, who had died in 1917, Edwin Kiest made a gift of land to the City of Dallas for a regional park. The bequest made in 1931 was the largest gift of private land ever received by the City of Dallas for a park. The 247-acre tract of land was dedicated as Kiest Park and through the years has been developed into one of Dallas' finest and most popular parks. Early features of the park included bridle paths and stables to allow for recreational horseback riding. In the 1930's the Works Progress Administration built several beautiful stone structures in Kiest Park that complimented the rustic feeling of the park. Stone gates mark three entrances to the Park. A stone picnic shelter much like the one at Stevens Park was built deep within a wooded grove of trees. A stone Field House built for patron enjoyment features two enormous stone fireplaces. Above the mantles of the fireplaces bronze and wood plaques are inscribed with the words of dedication:

"The Park Board presents this structure to you - the citizens of Dallas for your enjoyment. Use it and Protect it. Like other park properties, your money has built it and your care will preserve it. Let your Children respect and care for this visible sign of your interest in their welfare."

The Jewel of Kiest Park

The WPA built a beautiful formal garden at the heart of Kiest Park that covers two and a half acres of land. The City of Dallas dedicated the garden in memory of Kiest's wife Elizabeth Patterson Kiest. The historic garden was the site of many special events and was well maintained for over 50 years through the mid-1980's.

Description of the Garden: Eighteen topiary trees thirty feet tall enclosed the garden. A stone and timber pergola that once crowned the north end of the garden framed the view of the "water rill". The rill, a small stream or little brook, follows a linear course. The stone-lined water rill is two hundred eighty feet long with ten terraced pools that trickle down from a fountain at the north end to a quiet reflecting pool and a gold fish pond at the south end. The length of the water rill was lined on both sides with flower beds containing 1,400 "Tyler rose bushes", red Cannas and yellow candle trees. "Outdoor rooms" bordered by flowering shrubs adjoin the water rill and contain green lawns that are perfect for croquet and picnics. The tall topiary trees, the linear water-rill and "outdoor rooms" created the ambiance of an "Italian Garden".

Now undergoing restoration, the Garden will bloom this spring once again with 1000 red cannas donated by Old Oak Cliff Conservation League member Nola Rae Smith and yellow candle trees that were propagated by the Texas Discover Garden. The flowering plantings will line the length of the flowing water rill.

Friends of Oak Cliff Parks member and volunteer, Bobbie Mason, standing next to the
beautiful Candle Trees found at Kiest Park