A LOOK Back: Mitch Park

Three unidentified people visit the water feature at Mitch Park in the 1920s. The park was established in 1890 near Edmond’s natural spring. With the encouragement of John L. Mitch, citizens planted more than 400 trees, as the area was then mixed-grass prairie. The park, located between Campbell and Edwards off Broadway, was used for celebrations, speeches, and town events. By the mid-1950s, the land was mostly used as an athletic field by Edmond Public Schools, and town events shifted to Stephenson Park. 

In 1992, city voters funded a new park of 278 acres at Covell and Santa Fe. In 1994, city council named the park in honor of John L. Mitch, celebrating him as the “father” of Edmond’s first park and recognizing his many accomplishments as mayor and his efforts in helping develop the college.