"A wooded area with tall elms, maples and evergreens - a perfect setting for one of, if not the, most popular playground, picnic and recreational centres in the district.

Popular dances of the time included quadrilles, waltzes, two-steps and the cake walk.

It was not at all uncommon for the railway to shunt in from Preston Junction a train load of picnickers from as far away as Hamilton, bringing hundreds to enjoy the great out-of-doors in the wilds of Idylwild."

Kummer[1]Straddling the Speed River within Hunt Club Valley, the park encompassed lands on both banks, as well as an islet between them.

Additionally, the park featured a refreshment booth, a baseball diamond and a spring, as well as two pavilions, swings, boardwalks and docks.