Soothing Sounds of Splashing Water

Soothing Sounds of Splashing Water. City Park Fountain. , There has been a succession of beautiful fountains in City Park that have been as different as its changing landscape., The first fountain, installed in the 1880s, was a bronze, one-tiered fountain with a boy holding an umbrella. The next fountain in the 1910s was a much larger structure constructed of two concrete tiers with steel supports. , In 1929, a smaller three-tiered bronze fountain with a six foot base adorned with turtles and frogs was acquired from T. E. Murphy, a local traveling salesman, for $325. It was removed in 1971 with the pool filled in for a flower bed and a lamp post in the center. , City Park remained without a fountain until 2011, when a group of residents made it a leadership project to return a beautiful fountain to the park. Valley City State University art students made ceramic bowls to sell as a fundraiser for the project. The cast iron ring from the previous fountain has been included in the pool. The circular area, which once was gravel, then asphalt, is now constructed of pavers with comfortable benches around the circle to allow the public to enjoy the soothing sounds of splashing water. , [photo captions] , . 1910s Fountain, circa 1920 , . Original Fountain in 1880s , . 1929 Three-tiered Fountain, Photos Courtesy of Barnes County Historical Society and Ann Marie Thom (1929 fountain photo).