Washington Park

This guide to Washington Park in Chicago traces an unusual footnote to Frederick Law Olmsted's design: his plan for the Common Ground meadow called for grazing animals to wear the grass into a soft, English-pasture texture. It follows a South Park Commission shepherd hired in the 1870s who spent his days steering a flock around ballplayers and picnickers. Stand at the edge of the meadow, mowed by machines today, and picture the flock that once kept it trim.