Our tribute to the parks and green spaces of Douglas County, Kansas. Ten artists pay homage to a favorite natural site with illustrations reminiscent of the iconic 1930s WPA National Park poster series.
Artist: Angie Pickman
Poster: Shaw Park
Official Park Name: Sandra J. Shaw Community Health Park
Address: 110 Maine St; Lawrence
About: One of the Lawrence’s newest parks, the 8 acres of Shaw Park include a pond (complete with a small island and a fishing dock) and a walking/biking trail that is part of the Lawrence Loop (a nearly complete, 22-mile continuous trail around the city).
Artist: Jenni Leiste (Design-O-Saur studio)
Poster: Black Jack Battlefield
Official Area Name: Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park
Address: 163 E. 200 Rd; Wellsville (Baldwin City)
About: The nature park contains the land where abolitionist John Brown battled and captured a pro-slavery militia in 1856. Brown, who was supported by the majority Free State residents in the area, was also instrumental in rallying citizens of Lawrence to defend themselves against armed raiders.
Artist: Shannon White (Hava Studios)
Poster: Clinton Lake
Official Park Names: Clinton Lake State Park / Clinton Dam / Clinton Lake Reservoir / Clinton Lake Overlook Park
Address: N 1402 Rd; Lawrence
About: The Clinton Lake complex is a collection of beaches, boat ramps, a marina, trails, campgrounds, parks and more with areas overseen by the state of Kansas and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The poster shows a popular area of Clinton Lake, Overlook Park on the southeast side of the reservoir. Access to the Overlook Park is free; the state park sections require either a parks pass or a one-time entry fee.
Artist: Torren Thomas
Poster: Japanese Friendship Garden
Official Park Name: The Japanese Friendship Garden
Address: 1045 Massachusetts St; Lawrence
About: The Japanese Friendship Garden was completed in 1995 to honor Lawrence’s sister city partnership with Hiratsuka, Japan. Representatives of the City of Hiratsuka helped design the garden, and Hiratsuka donated two of the garden centerpieces, including the 15-foot stone tower depicted in this poster.
Artist: Lana Grove
Poster: Wells Overlook
Official Park Name: Wells Overlook County Park
Address: 1300 N. 1000 Rd; Wakarusa (Lawrence)
About: This park features a wooden tower offering a view of the University of Kansas skyline and the surrounding rural landscape. The park also contains trails, a shelter and an ADA-compliant observation point. In May 2021, Douglas County approved a grant to help preserve the 135-acre farmland immediately around the park, thus protecting the territory and the view for years to come.
Artist: Janella Williams (3 Clever Broads)
Poster: Potter Lake
Official Park Name: Potter Lake
Address: University Drive, University of Kansas main campus; Lawrence
About: Created in 1911 around natural springs, Potter Lake served as a recreational focus in its early years, but has been a decorative centerpiece of the KU campus over the past decades. The surrounding campus landmarks, including the Memorial Campanile and the green space of Marvin Grove, make this a treasured area for students and Lawrence residents alike.
Artist: Darin M. White (Hava Studios)
Poster: River Road
Official Name: Scenic River Road
Address: East 1150 Rd and East 500 Rd; Lecompton
About: Scenic River Road runs in two sections, East 1150 Road, which connects Lawrence and Lecompton and runs through wetlands formed around an oxbow lake, and then west out of Lecompton on East 500 Road. The western leg runs along woodland hillsides and bluffs overlooking the Kansas River.
Artist: Alex Olson
Poster: Stone Bison
Official Trail Names: Clinton Parkway Trail and Yankee Tank Connector Path
Address: 3100–3200 Block of Clinton Parkway; Lawrence
About: The Clinton Parkway trail is an urban concrete pathway running across much of southwestern Lawrence and featuring a popular landmark, the limestone sculpture known as the 23rd Street Bison. Approximately two blocks to the west of this sculpture, Yankee Tank Connector Path branches off the Parkway Trail and runs to the north through dense woodlands between residential developments.
Artist: Kassidee Quaranta
Poster: CPA Park
Official Park Name: CPA Park
Address: 10 W 9th St; Eudora
About: This park decorates downtown Eudora with garden beds, benches, green space and a statue commemorating the Native merchant Pascal Fisch and his daughter, Eudora, for whom the city is named. The park itself is named after the “Central Protective Association,” a lodge formed at Eudora in 1901 to offer collective protection from horse thieves.
Artist: Lora Jost
Poster: Prairie Park
Official Name: Prairie Park Nature Center
Address: 2730 Harper St; Lawrence
About: The city-operated 100-acre nature preserve contains trails, the 5-acre Mary’s Lake, wetlands, woodlands and a free nature and educational center with exhibits, resident ambassador animals (including a black-footed ferret and a bald eagle) and programs for all ages.
These posters are included in the 2022 Douglas County Newcomers Guide released by Sunflower Publishing, home of Baldwin City Living magazine, Discover Eudora magazine and Lawrence Magazine. The See Parks and Green Spaces designs are part of an ongoing collaboration between Sunflower Publishing and Parks and Green Spaces (LLC), which offers prints and postcards of these and other regional scenes—all by local artists—at https://www.parksandgreenspaces.com