|
| |
You
Are Here:
Home > Trail End Facilities
> Trail End's Grounds
|
"The arrangement of groups of trees and shrubs aims
principally in giving setting to your residence and other buildings as well as to
frame the grounds and give you as much privacy as possible and to show up the lawn to
the best advantage thus forming a harmonious whole."
Correspondence
Morrell & Nichols to John Kendrick
1911
|
 Trail End's Grounds
•
Morell & Nichols
• The
Natural Style
Trail End was built on a piece of land in Nielsen Heights, a development on an empty hill
on the northwest side of Sheridan. No other homes were nearby; early photos show few trees
and fewer streets. Most of the hill was not yet served by electricity, telephone, city
water or sewer. The main benefit seemed to be the vistas to the south and east, views that
may have prompted Kendrick to build where he did. For a man interested in making an
impression, it was ideal: the house was visible from nearly every part of town. Kendrick
purchased the land in 1895, but didn't begin construction until 1908. Landscape
efforts came much later, beginning in 1911.
Morell & Nichols
Three years into his building project, John Kendrick contracted with
the Minneapolis firm of Morell & Nichols for the development of landscape drawings for
Trail End. The plans submitted by Morell & Nichols are significant to more than just Trail
End as they appear to be the first landscape architecture plans prepared for any private
home in the state of Wyoming.
Massachusetts-born Arthur R. Nichols (1880-1970), the first
graduate of MIT's short-lived
landscape architecture program, was a thoughtful designer who desired to work with the
characteristics of the property and avoid over-planning. He had an impressive career prior
to working on Trail End, including involvement with John D. Rockefeller's estate in Pocantico Hills, New York;
Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Long
Island, New York's Long Beach development. In 1909, he formed a partnership with Anthony Urbanski Morell and relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Morell (1875-1924) was an artistic and creative
landscape architect who began his career in New York. Born in France, he had a certain
European flair that was appreciated by his clients. Together, Morell
& Nichols' combination of creativity and simplicity proved popular. Their design
services included city parks, cemeteries, college campus and resort grounds, as well as
private properties.
|
back to top
The
Natural Style
At
Trail End, the primary intent of the landscaping plan was to create an informal
outdoor space. Following what is known as the Natural Style, Morell & Nichols eschewed
formal gardens and intricate hedge arrangements in favor of informal groupings of native
trees with paths meandering throughout. As the architects noted,
You will notice in the planting scheme that in the outlined
groups there are located a number of evergreen and deciduous trees which in combination
with the flowering shrubs and the herbaceous plants make the group strong, giving same a
natural landscaping effect.
In addition, the Natural Style called for the creation of openings in
the tree and shrub plantings so that surrounding areas could be seen. Using tall,
fast-growing Silver Poplars, Morell & Nichols successfully framed offsite vistas. They
created views within the property through the use of spirea, dogwood and lilac. Where the
views weren't as desirable –
on the north and west –
Blue Spruce trees were used as
screens, blocking out the view of houses, schools and streets.
Native cedar trees were
placed throughout the property. While most of the other trees
were purchased from tree farms and nurseries – including the exotic
Southern Catalpa and Norwegian Maple – the hardy local cedars
were dug up from the OW Ranch and brought into Sheridan on large flatbed wagons.
|
|
 |
Return to
Trail End Facilities or
continue to
Trail End
Time Line
back to top | |
|
W
y o m i n g ' s P r e m i e r H i s t o r i c H o u s
e M u s e u m
