Pioneer Information
Born in Syracuse, Mische worked at Missouri Botanic Garden before studying at Harvard University and England’s Royal Botanic Gardens. In 1898, he went to work for the Olmsted Brothers firm. At the recommendation of John Charles Olmsted, he became Park Superintendent in Madison, Wisconsin, resigning in 1908 to become Park Superintendent for Portland, Oregon, where he oversaw the fledgling park system and development of the Olmsted Brothers 1903 Park Plan. He became City Landscape Architect in 1913 but resigned a year later, serving as a consultant until 1915. He continued in private practice after a brief time as an investigator for the U.S. Housing Corporation. His projects include the George W. Vanderbilt estate, Asheville, North Carolina; Henry Vila Park, Madison, Wisconsin; Columbia Park, Portland, Oregon; and Julius Meier’s estate Menucha, Corbett, Oregon.
After relocating to Los Angeles, he championed the preservation of western national parks. His lifelong contributions included participation in the development of Crater Lake Park, work to establish California State Park policies, and a commitment to native plant and tree preservation.
Mische contributed to the Encyclopedia of Horticulture and served as landscape and arts editor of Parks and Recreation from 1921 to 1923. He was made a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1920 and served as the President of the Pacific Coast Chapter in 1929 and 1930.
