ELM RIDGE FOREVER
LOST TO KANSAS CITY.
PUBLIC LOST INTEREST IN ITS
PRESERVATION.
Efforts of Committee to Raise
$169,000 Prove Fruitless and
the Plan to Purchase is
Abandoned.
After sixty days of hard work the committee of twelve, which had been trying earnestly to raise money enough to take over the splendid Elm Ridge tract for public uses, held a final meeting yesterday and threw up the undertaking as a bad job. Seemingly Kansas Cityans were not sufficiently interested in what was about their only opportunity to acquire an adequate outdoor arena, even to answer more than one out of a hundred of the letters sent them by the ways and means committee. At their own expense the committeemen mailed 10,000 letters to all classes of business men in the city, but the replies were few and far between.
Of the $169,000 required to purchase the grounds, about $100,000 was in sight when the matter was given up. Of late, meetings of the committee had been held nearly every day, but its members came to the conclusion yesterday that they could not get enough help to carry out their purpose.
DON'T REALIZE THE LOSS.
"I am heart-broken over the failure to purchase the tract," said W. A. Rule, chairman of the committee, last night. Mr. Rule himself subscribed $25,000 toward the amount required. "I don't believe the people of Kansas City will have another opportunity in ten years to acquire such an ideal site for all sorts of tournaments and races, but they probably don't realize their loss. For celebrations, horse shows, automobile and balloon races and nearly every kind of tournament, another tract as close in and available would be practically impossible to find. It is a tremendous loss, but as far as this committee is concerned all efforts are suspended. The owners of the tract, Alexander Fraser and Samuel L. Lee, have been notified and the deal declared off."
GAVE UP ITS TASK.
In the spring of 1903 Elm Ridge was formally opened as a race course by the Kansas City Jockey Club, which was organized the preceding year with C. C. Christie as its first president. At the time of its opening betting on the races was permitted by state law. In 1905, however, this law was repealed by the legislature and the track was maintained at a loss. Ever since then it has failed to pay as a race track and went into receivership about two years ago.
The properties, including the club house and about eighty acres lying between Brooklyn and Lydia avenues and Fifty-ninth and Sixty-third streets were sold to a Kansas City syndicate, headed by Messrs. Fraser and Lee.
June 23 a joint meeting of members of the Elm Ridge Club and the Kansas City Automobile Club was held with a view of taking steps to purchase the grounds. It was decided to form a stock committee which yesterday gave up its task through the lack of interest taken by the citizens.
