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'Cherokee Park' is a 409-acre (1.6 km²) municipal park located in eastern Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was designed, like 18 of Louisville's 123 public parks, by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture. Beargrass Creek runs through much of the park, and is crossed by numerous pedestrian and automobile bridges.
According to The Trust for Public Land, Cherokee Park has 500,000 visitors annually, making it the 38th most popular municipal park in the United States.^[1]

Contents

History

Tornado damage in 1974

Landmarks

Entrances

Features

Activities

See also

References

External links

Informational

Maps

Groups/Clubs

History

Cherokee Park opened in 1892, has always been a major draw, and was a key factor in sparking development in nearby parts of town.
Much of the land comprising Cherokee Park was originally part of a 4,000 acre military land grant in 1773 to James Southall and Richard Charlton. Eventually a portion of it passed to Judge Joshua Fry Bullitt, who sold it in 1868 to foundry magnate Archibald P. Cochran. Cochran established an estate there called Fern Cliff, which operated as a museum for a while but has since been demolished.
In 1887, a city park system was proposed with three large suburban parks: east, west and south. The eastern park would be comprised of wooded land from six estates of the time, including Cochran's (which was sold to the city after his death in 1889). The other estates bore the names Bonnycastle, Barret, Wilson, Alexander and Belknap. The initial name of the park was to be Beargrass Park, but in 1891, as was fashionable in the late 19th century, a name that evoked the romantic imagery of native Americans was chosen.
Cochran's name lives on in Cochran Hill, which became notable in the late 1960s when two tunnels were dug under it at a cost of $1.9 million so that I-64 would not have as extreme an impact on the parks as it was run through them. The twin tunnels remain, running for about 425 feet in length under the hill. Various groups, including one called ''Save Our Parks,'' formed as early as the 1940s to oppose running highways through the parks, and were largely responsible for forcing a tunnel as a compromise.^[2]
The tunnels, which opened in 1970, are one of three sites in Kentucky deemed "exceptionally significant" by the Federal Highway Administration. This designation, in turn, means it will be very difficult for the stretch of interstate running through the park ever to be widened.^[3]

Tornado damage in 1974

Much of the park was heavily damaged in the April 3, 1974 tornado Super Outbreak. The tornado was an F4 on the Fujita scale. A city forester surveying the aftermath said, "I don't believe that anyone alive today will see Cherokee Park as it was before the storm."^[4]
Because of the loss of thousands of mature trees, a massive re-planting effort was undertaken, financed in large part by a grant from the United States government under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. However, to qualify for these funds, the park had to be restored to its pre-tornado design as faithfully as possible. The original Olmsted plans were consulted to plan the "rebirth" (as it was called at the time) of the park. Two thousand five hundred trees and 4,600 shrubs were planted in the effort.

Landmarks

Cherokee Park contains many landmarks and points of interest. Many are self-contained areas within the larger park, set apart from each other by the natural terrain and creative use of landscaping. Because of the size and design of the park, many events can occur at the same time without interrupting each other.

★ Big Rock - A large rock in Beargrass Creek, which also lends its name to a picnic area and playground near the rock. The rock is itself used for picnics, and as an ill-advised jumping spot (its flat surface offers about an 8 foot drop into the shallow creek water below).

★ Scenic Loop - A 2.43 mile (3.9 km) mixed-use road around much of the park, with separate lanes for pedestrians and motorized vehicles

★ Frisbee Field - Large open field used for many purposes, most commonly soccer and Ultimate

★ Baringer Hill - Commonly called "Dog Hill," "Kite Hill," or "Hill Number One." Once popular for kites, after a renovation in the late 1990s it has become better known as gathering point for dog owners. This occasionally attracts the ire of park visitors who do not appreciate canines, especially those who, in violation of local ordinances, are unleashed.

★ Hogan's Fountain - A dog- and horse-watering fountain located atop a hill on the Scenic Loop, Hogan's Fountain was financed by the Hogan Family of Anchorage, Kentucky, in 1905. The fountain was sculpted by Enid Yandell, features the Greek God Pan. It was officially unveiled on August 31 1905. The name Hogan's Fountain often is also sometimes extended to the nearby hilltop area, which includes a large Gazebo, baseball diamond, and the site features children's fountains and a basketball court. This spot was once known as Bonnycastle Hill. Hogan's Fountain is also the current meeting place for Louisville's chapter of the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society.

★ Lover's Lane - A secluded, heavily forested stretch of scenic loop just past Hogan's Fountain

★ Cochran Hill

★ Christensen Fountain - Recently restored fountain at the Lexington Road entrance.

★ Nettleroth Bird Sanctuary

Entrances

As the city of Louisville expanded around the park, many developers donated land to the park in exchange for the right to connect roads to it. The numerous entrances have made navigating the park notoriously confusing to visitors. Neighborhoods with entrances to the park include Cherokee Triangle, Bonnycastle, Highlands-Douglass, Crescent Hill and Seneca Gardens.

Features

★ Archery range - Near Beals Branch Road

★ Ballfield - At Hogan's Fountain

★ Baringer Spring - Rustic stream crossed by several wide wooden bridges and scenic walkways, entrances at Frisbee Field and at Baringer Hill

★ Fullcourt basketball - At Hogan's Fountain

★ Bike trail - Throughout park, crosses the scenic loop in many places. The scenic loop itself, with two moderately steep hills, is popular with road bikers.

★ Bridle trail

★ Golf course & clubhouse (9 holes)

★ Hiking trails - All are mixed use trails

★ Horseshoe pits - At Hogan's Fountain

★ Picnic pavilions - Large pagoda-style structure at Hogan's Fountain

★ Picnic tables - At and near Hogan's Fountain

★ Playgrounds - At Hogan's Fountain, Big Rock and Baringer Hill

★ Rugby field - Also used for Frisbee and Soccer

★ Restrooms - At Baringer Hill, Hogan's Fountain and Big Rock

★ Spray pool - At Hogan's Fountain

★ Tennis - Off Barret Hill Road

★ Willow Pond - Off Grinstead drive, next to golf course.

★ Dog run - Opening August 2007. Located atop Cochran Hill.

Activities

★ Walking/Hiking (see link below)

★ Running/Jogging (see link below)

★ Dog Walking (Baringer Hill - ''aka "Dog Hill"'')

★ Bike Riding (trails and road)(see link below)

★ Fishing (willow pond)

★ Sledding

★ Picnics

★ Baseball

★ Basketball

★ Football

★ Rugby (see link below)

★ Soccer

★ Ultimate Frisbee

★ Archery

★ Weddings (occasionally)

★ Live action role-playing

See also

★ Iroquois Park

★ List of attractions and events in Louisville, Kentucky

★ List of parks in Louisville, Kentucky

★ Shawnee Park

References

1. America's Most Visited City Parks
2. I-64 removal: Fans but little proof Marcus Green
3. Tunnel could stop wider I-64 Martha Elson
4. As quoted in Tornado! April 3, 1974, , , , , 1974,

External links

Informational

★ Olmsted History

★ Bike-Trail review

★ Metro Parks - Cherokee Park

★ Bike Trail Information

Maps

★ Official map

★ Satellite image

Groups/Clubs

★ Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy

★ Cherokee Road Runners

★ Louisville Rugby Club

★ Kentucky Mountain Bike Association

★ Louisville Ultimate Frisbee Association Plays games in Cherokee and nearby Seneca Parks