In 1901 there was plenty of talk in Delano about acquiring land for a city park. With two newspapers expressing their opinions and several different ideas put forth by the citizens, the debate raged. Some wanted a racetrack for the horsemen with a ballpark in the middle. There was talk about making an artificial fountain lake. Many animated discussions were held about where the park should be, and the price to pay for it. Some favored the triangular piece of land between River and Third streets, while others favored the Lohmiller kopje, the old picnic grounds on the West Side. Still others thought a boulevard to Lake Haughey and a park on its banks preferable.

A special election was held August 16, 1901, to determine whether bonds to the amount of $1,500 should be issued for the purpose of purchasing land for a public park. The results were 61 for and 37 against. The location had still not been decided on, but it was felt that the park had to be “centrally located, with easy access from all directions, and have some attractions, whether natural or artificial or both, and should be so kept as to be as desirable place for women and children to visit at all times.” (The Buffalo Gazette, August 30, 1901)

A committee was formed to purchase land and it was decided to buy lots # 6,7,8,9,and 10 on Block 3 of the Sim’s addition to Delano for $350, and also Mrs. Cramer’s property on the east side of the road, formerly used for ball grounds on the road leading from Delao to Rockford for the price of $1,125.

The Delano Eagle reported on March 12, 1902, that the deed from Mrs. Cramer to the Village of Delano for the new park had been signed and the money paid over. The new fenced ballpark was opened by July of that same year.

Central Park became the location for Delano’s famous 4th of July celebrations.

A grandstand in the baseball park was completed in 1915. That same year members of the tennis club gave a dance to raise money to build courts in the village park, and a new bandstand was built.

Dances were held in the village park. An article from the Delano Eagle, July 1, 1926, advertised “the first dance of the season, tickets 75 cents, good time guaranteed!

Baseball has always been a huge part of Central Park. The Delano Municipal Baseball Stadium was built in 1995 replacing the one built in 1939. One of the most eloquent features of the stadium is its ivy-covered fences.

The park, being on the north end of the town, was always subject to flooding when the river was high.

1916

In the flood of 1965, the park was under 4 to 6 feet of water.

Carlberg Donation

The plaque reads:

THIS LAND WAS GIVEN TO

THE DELANO PARK BOARD IN 1966

IN MEMORY OF

ROBERT & IDA RIPATTI AND

AUGUST & HELVIE CARLBERG

AND OTHER IMMIGRANTS WHO TOILED AND

LOVED THEIR NEW HOMELAND AND

HELPED MAKE IT A GREAT NATION.

PHILLIP AND HELVIE CARLBERG

Ropert (Robert) Ripatti emigrated to the United States from Finland in 1910, first going to Duluth and eventually to International Falls. He worked at the paper mills before buying a summer resort, Camp Idlewood, on Rainy Lake, which he and his wife Ida ran for several years. Ida C. (Nutilla) Ripatti immigrated in 1905. She worked and boarded at the hotel in Virginia, Minnesota as a waitress along with several other young women from Finland. Ida and Robert were married in 1917 in International Falls. They had one daughter, Helvie.

August Gunnar Carlberg emigrated to America from Sweden in 1906. His distination was to a friend in Illinois, where he boarded with a Swedish family and honed his skill as a carpenter. August worked at his trade until he retired and moved to Delano in 1958.

Ingeborg M. Andersen was 17 years old when she immigrated from Norway in 1910. She was coming to meet her brother Sigvart in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ingeborg and August Carlberg were married in 1917. They were the parents of five children: Ann, Phillip, Roy, Bernice and George.

In 1966 Phil and Helvie Carlberg, long time active and involved citizens of Delano, donated six lots to the Delano Park Board in memory of their parents, all who had immigrated in the early 1900’s to America.

1952

The tennis courts and the Lions Club playground were located on these lots, where now the new pavilion stands. The plaque can be found on ground on the east border of the park land.

Cramer Park

The Wendelin Cramer Park, on the west side of River Street, was dedicated in 1971, adding another field for youth t-ball, softball and baseball. The space on the other side of the dike was once the Delano Airport.

The open green space of Cramer Park currently is the location for Delano’s spectacular 4th of July fireworks.

The Big Rock Play Area, commonly called Big Rock Park, is a staple of Central Park. It was installed in 2006 by Landscape Structures, and features several pieces of play equipment for sliding, exploring, swinging, and climbing.

The splashpad in Central park was built by Landscape Structures (LSI) and opened in 2018. It features 15 interactive water elements.