Walsh Park

great spot for the kids to play while the grown ups rest after strolling the 606. Excited to see what the park will look like after they complete the construction on the other half of the park.

DOGS are NOT Allowed off the leash. Many dogs all weekend long leaving their filth where the Kids play. I asked a few people to please put dogs on lease or leave and was Met very Angrily by folks who just Do Not Care. One women said that kids have plenty of germs and I should take my granddaughter somewhere else. She was very nasty and were other folks.

While leaving this park, I stopped to read the plaque at the gate. A sad story was told of the tragic event that happened 40 years ago!!! The story behind the park:
Walsh Park occupies the former site of a vacant building destroyed in a spectacular and deadly fire on July 7, 1970. Firefighter John P. Walsh, Jr. (1923 – 1970), for whom this West Town park is named, died five weeks after being critically injured while fighting the stubborn blaze. Walsh had served as a United States Marine before joining the Chicago Fire Department in 1951. He had been assigned to Hook & Ladder Company 44.
Several months after Walsh’s death, the Dana Civic Organization requested that the Chicago Park District develop the fire-​scarred site as a neighborhood park. The park district had acquired the 2-​acre property by the end of 1972, with the help of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Improvements began the following year. The 2-​acre park includes playground equipment, an athletic field, basketball hoops, and a sand box.
I also wish there was a statue too of our fallen hero. He gave up his life to save others and deserves something more then a sign at the gate.

This Bucktown/​Wicker P. park offers a brand-​new playground, a jogging path, and just enough grass for picnics. It’s a small park, though, and it can get quite crowded on weekends. Dogs aren’t allowed off the leash here (there’s a dog run right next to the park). Overall, it’s a great little park for families in this neighborhood.