Abstract: Though nineteenth-century parks, also known as ‘pleasure grounds’, were seen at the time as an antidote to unhealthy high-density urban living in large cities such as New York City, they were embraced by small towns and communities that experienced none of the challenges associated with big city living. Instead, this study argues that parks were seen as a sophisticated sign of modernity. For example, when the state of Kansas was founded in 1861, its settlers felt a strong sense of responsibility and made great efforts to improve their home by creating pleasure grounds for their communities. This study investigates the motives and advocates of shaping and developing the pleasure grounds of Kansas between 1850 and 1920. Results show that it was not only major cities of the state like Topeka and Wichita that developed public parks for their citizens; many smaller Kansas towns also embraced the idea of creating pleasure grounds. Their residents were motivated by a sense of competition and believed that by beautifying their living environments, they could stand out in the region and attract newcomers. Local newspapers, city officials, businesses—most notably railroad companies, property owners, and public-spirited citizens were the main advocates for creating and improving parks in Kansas.

摘要：尽管 19 世纪的公园，也被称为“游乐场”，在当时被视为纽约等大城市不健康的高密度城市生活的解毒剂，但它们却被没有经历过任何环境的小城镇和社区所接受。与大城市生活相关的挑战。相反，这项研究认为公园被视为现代性的复杂标志。例如，当堪萨斯州于 1861 年成立时，其定居者感到强烈的责任感，并通过为社区创造游乐地来努力改善家园。本研究调查了 1850 年至 1920 年间塑造和发展堪萨斯州游乐区的动机和倡导者。结果表明，不仅像托皮卡和威奇托这样的州内主要城市为其市民开发了公园；许多堪萨斯州的小城镇也接受了创建游乐区的想法。他们的居民受到竞争意识的激励，并相信通过美化他们的生活环境，他们可以在该地区脱颖而出并吸引新人。当地报纸、城市官员、企业——尤其是铁路公司、业主和热心公益的公民是堪萨斯州创建和改善公园的主要倡导者。