Overview

Scope and Content

Collection consists of the official minutes of the Dallas Park Board from 1905 to 2003.

The Dallas park system was established in 1876 with the acquisition of land for the city's first public park.  It was located in the Cedars neighborhood.   The Dallas City Council created a Board of Park Commissioners in 1904 to manage contract, oversight, and budget issues associated with the 1904 acquisition of the State Fair Association property in Fair Park.  Fair Park was the city's second public park area.

The minutes document not only the decisions, actions, day-to-day operations, services, and programs but also the laws, rules, and regulations of the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, as defined by the Park Board.

Between 1905 and 2003, the Dallas Park Board recorded original minutes on various paper formats then transcribed and copied them for preservation into 10.5 x 16-inch and 10 x 13.5-inch ledgers.  The department stopped using the ledgers in February 2003 and began recording the official minutes on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper.

Early ledgers themselves are fragile, and use is restricted to a case-by-case basis. Volumes 7 through 16 are fully scanned and available online via the Portal to Texas History.  Type "Dallas Park Board Minutes", including the quotes, into the search cell to bring up the digitized volumes.

To research Dallas City Council minutes after February 2003, contact the Open Records Center in the Office of the City Secretary.   That team will provide instruction on accessing the more recent minutes.

Organization

The information is organized by volume number.

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.

Citation

Park Board Minutes, 1905-2003 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Materials

Index Terms

Dallas -- Texas -- History
Dallas (Tex.) -- Parks
Dallas (Tex.). Park and Recreation Board

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