John McLaren (horticulturist)
John Hays McLaren (1846–1943) was a Scottish-born American horticulturalist. For 53 years (1890-1943[1]) he served as superintendent of the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.
Early life
Born in 1846, at
Northern California
He worked on the George H. Howard estate in the San Mateo foothills in California, then on the
He was friends with
Hanchett Residence Park and Hester Park, San Jose, California
In 1907 land developer Lewis Hanchett hired John McLaren to design
Lithia Park, Ashland, Oregon
The small town of Ashland, Oregon, commissioned McLaren to design Lithia Park in 1914, just a few years after the park was initially established in 1908. Still considered the "crown jewel" of Ashland, the park covers 100 acres (0.4 km2), extending from the center of town ("The Plaza") up Ashland Creek to the foothills of Mount Ashland. It includes two ponds, a Japanese garden, tennis courts, two public greens, a bandshell (outdoor stage) and miles of hiking trails. The name Lithia comes from the natural mineral water in Ashland, Lithia water. The world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival now borders the lower portion of the park. The surrounding watershed, which supplies drinking water and hydroelectricity to the city, also includes miles of mountain biking trails. The park is the start and finish for the annual Spring Thaw mountain biking race for pros and amateurs.
San Jose Municipal Rose Garden
In 1931 John McLaren, designer of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park along with Dr J. Horace McFarland, president of the American Rose Society, and City of San Jose's planning director Michael H. Antonacci drew up the original plans for the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.[6]
Late life
He had a shrewd and aggressive style of management but was so highly respected that, at the age of 70, he was given lifetime tenure over Golden Gate Park and his salary doubled. An avenue in the
Death and legacy
He died on January 12, 1943, in San Francisco.[1] After his death at the age of 96, McLaren's body lay in state in the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda. Afterwards, the funeral cortege drove his casket through Golden Gate Park as a special honor. East Bay's Tilden Park also has a meadow named after him.
A small statue of McLaren was erected in the park which he had hidden away only to be discovered after his death. The McLaren Park in the southern part of San Francisco is named after John McLaren, as is McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park, where he lived until his death.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55868-545-1.
- ^ "The creator of the garden of the Golden Gate, San Francisco, John McLaren was born in Bannockburn, Stirlingshire", Great Scots in America, tartanday.org
- ^ ISBN 9780804720977.
- ^ "John Maclaren". Old Town Cemetery - Stirling. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
- ^ "The Alameda: The Beautiful Way (Paperback) Paperback." The Alameda: The Beautiful Way (Paperback): 9781424318681: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
- ^ http://friendssjrosegarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/1990-Rose-Garden-Map.pdf [bare URL PDF]
Further reading
- Dickson, Samuel (1992). Tales of San Francisco. Stanford University Press. pp. 206–212. ISBN 9780804720977.