The citizens of Huron, South Dakota waited a very long time for their lake. More than forty-one years, to be exact.
The first documented suggestion about creating this lake came in the fall
of 1895. An idea was put forth to create an artificial lake just north of town, an
idea that had already been kicked around "for years." This lake was to be supplied with clean artesian water, and if banked,
would create a lake “some miles” in length.
Surveyors were planning on staking out the embankments that very week
and a stock company was to be formed to raise the necessary funds to bring the
project to completion. The work was to
begin within ten days.
The lake area
would be beautified with trees and would be stocked with fish. It would be a pleasurable resort for the
citizens of Huron to enjoy. It's hard to say exactly what happened, but nothing took place.
This idea
resurged numerous times over the years, and in early in 1921, some progress
actually occurred when a new skating rink was proposed. While people had been skating on the river
and ravine since at least 1894 (and probably earlier), this time, creating the skating rink
involved pumping water into the ravine, paving the way for the creation of a
lake.
Initially
this plan involved creating a city park there with expanded winter sports
opportunities, noting the lay of the land would support many winter
sports. The skating rink would be formed
by damming the ravine. The local chatter
finally turned into something tangible in October of 1922 when the Huron Lion's
club decided to build a proper skating rink at that location. That same week Clarence Coop and a team from the city mowed the grass on the
bottom of the ravine where the flooding would occur, and other preparations were
undertaken.
"Heine"
Pierce took a look at the area and came up with the most optimal location for constructing
a dam which would hold the water in the ravine.
On Tuesday, Oct. 12, almost the whole membership of the Lion's Club made
a "substantial" dam at the south end of the waterway in what they
called "Ravine Park." The
thought was that the autumn rains would flood the area and form the rink. But it didn't rain. So they devised and executed "Plan
B," which involved pumping water from the river to the ravine, and getting
the community involved - both strategies that would eventually be employed to create
the lake.
The Lions
Club sought out additional help to put the new plan into action. F. H. Holtan, manager of the Huron Ice
Company and several of his men donated almost a week of their time to build a
dam at the mouth of the creek bed. They
installed pumps at the James River and at the dam of the rink and pumped water
into the pond for about 3 weeks.
Electricity for the project was donated by the Huron Light and Power
Company, as well as providing one of the motors to operate the pumps. To provide the electricity they needed, poles
were set and electrical wire run from the river bridge at 3rd street
all the way to Ravine Park. Holtan
stepped up once again and furnished all of the materials and the Lion's Club
members did all the work.
Later they
had to make another dam north of the first one so that water didn't run up the
creek bed and spread out from there.
Following completion of this dam the water level rose rapidly - in two
weeks the water was running over the south dam.
A warming house
was constructed with money raised from the community. Here patrons could check their coats,
purchase concessions, and have a place to rest and warm up. At that point, the rink and the warming house
were turned over to the city of Huron, where more personnel and better
equipment were available to keep the rink free of snow. It was said that if the city had undertaken
this project, it would have cost between $1,500 and $2,000 to build both the
skating rink and the warming house.
In January
1923, Huron Mayor C. A. Kelley officially accepted the gift of the rink and
warming house and thanked the Lion's Club. In a letter to the club, he said,
"Your club deserves a great deal of credit for your enterprise and your
desire to do something for the citizens of Huron, and you certainly have
accomplished a great deal in taking charge and pushing to completion the
skating rink in Ravine Park." He
assured them that the City Commissioners would do everything in their power to
keep the rink in good condition over the winter. He also acknowledged that the rink was
temporary as currently constructed but the city hoped to make it more permanent
over the coming summer.
One of the
first champions of creating an actual lake at Ravine Park was William
Ritschlag, a pioneer of Huron. He was a
city alderman, a member of the first Huron fire department, and a charter member of the Odd Fellows among
other things. He was Huron's first
barber and first taxidermist. His dream
was to see a high dam at the mouth of the ravine and the creation of a lake
there. He died in November of 1923
before this dream became a reality.
Three years
later (1926) the Altrusa Club of Huron realized the need of the community for a
place to swim during the hot summer months.
They were considering sites to build a swimming pool. One was Ravine Park, and the other was an
abandoned artificial lake situated at the state fairgrounds, but no decisions
had been made. Despite support from the
local Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, the City Commissioners said they were
willing to help but the budget for the year had been set and there were no
funds available. What became of this
project is unclear. However, two months after
being denied funds from the city, the City Commissioners suggested that the
Altrusa Club could be given the warming house at Ravine Park Skating Rink to be either sold or
moved to the bathing beach at Jolin's Sand Pit.
While I do not know where Jolin's Sand Pit was or if the Altrusa Club
took them up on the offer of the building, one thing seems apparent: the city
had given up on the skating rink at Ravine Park.
In September
of that year a report was made to the City Commissioners by a consulting firm
of engineers engaged to make recommendations on a variety of concerns. One of the items mentioned was the
construction of a municipal swimming pool.
Ravine Park was suggested as the best site for this pool. They recommended a pool of 50 x 110 feet made
of cement and concrete with showers and dressing rooms. A reinforced concrete dam at the river was
also recommended.
But still, in
April of 1928, nearly two years later, nothing had been done. Ravine Park was being improved and trees
planted, and it was well-used by the community.
To commemorate Arbor Day, trees and shrubs were planted, the Huron
Municipal Band played, and a city-wide picnic was held. Following the picnic a program was presented
concerning further park development including the possibility of developing a
lake there. Mitchell's Superintendent of
Parks, Walter Webb, talked about how their city developed a lake along
Firesteel Creek just north of town.
But still, no real lake was created at Ravine
Park. By 1930 work had begun on a new
skating rink at the park and there were hopes of a toboggan slide there as
well. But no lake.
It wasn't
until August of 1932 that tangible things started happening. Six unemployment relief projects were being
initiated in town; one of them would be digging out rocks which could then be
used to construct a dam at Ravine Park if the project was deemed feasible. The City Commissioners asked the City
Engineer to complete a survey of the dam site and give an estimate of the
cost.
A local
"booster" committee, chaired by John P. Walsh, stepped in and were
able to address concerns regarding cost of the dam. They were able to secure a promise from the
state game and fish commission that they'd furnish materials for the
construction of this dam. Beadle county
commissioners had already agreed to pay for the labor, providing the city would
pay for materials and supervise the project.
All that was left to do was to secure the easements on the properties
that would be flooded. Four of nine property
owners had refused and negotiations with them were ongoing.
Finally the
resolution to proceed with the project passed with unanimous support. The artificial lake would be two miles
long. The City Commissioner proactively
warned residents of neighboring communities not to come to Huron looking for
work on the Ravine Park dam or any other relief project. It'll be hard enough, he said, to stretch out
the work among the unemployed residents of Beadle county.
 |
Bridge over Highway 14, taken from where the swimming area would be, looking north.
Photo courtesy of Sheila Crown Arth.
|
A foreman was
named to organize the workforce, and work was to commence in a day or two. A tax levy increase of just over $11,000 was
made and about half ($6,500) was added to the park board's appropriations for
the Ravine Park dam. More money would be
needed to settle the remaining easements and to rebuild the bridge on North
Fourth street, which would need to be raised about 8 feet.
The issue of
the unresolved easements was finally settled in a board of City Commissioners
meeting on Oct. 3, 1932. The
commissioners voted unanimously to begin condemnation procedures against the
properties involved for which the city was not able to procure easements. The last of the hurdles had been successfully jumped, at least for the
city.
1932 had been
an eventful year. One last major
development occurred in December when Mrs. C. N. McIlvaine and J. Augustine
donated land located on the west side of the new Ravine Park Lake, located
between 11th and 15th streets NE. This
land was to be used as a parkway and a new park.
In September
of the following year (1933) the City Commission approved plans for a Ravine
Park project, costing about $14,000. The
plan included:
1) A bridge 135 ft. long, 6 ft
wide, guard rail 3 ft high, from the mainland across the "Ravine Park
Creek" to the island in the creek.
2) Channeling Ravine Park Creek
3) Graveling and sanding the
beach
4) Constructing a park building
with toilets, showers, drains, plumbing and lockers. Sewer also needed.
5) Main road construction,
grading and constructing a parkway and graveling the paths.
6) Galvanized iron pipe and
water system installed at the park.
The plan
passed unanimously and at long last, the dam was completed in the spring of
1934. Disappointingly, Ravine Park Lake
was still dry months later when the island was christened "Izaak Walton
Island." A very heavy rainfall
finally put 2-3 feet of water into the lake basin and shortly thereafter a raft
carrying neighborhood boys was spotted on the lake.
July 12, 1934 Evening Huronite, Caption: “Here is what nearly an inch
of rain did to the Ravine park lake last week.
The picture was taken from the south end of the lake the morning of July
6 after the heaviest rainfall fell the night before. The water was from 2 to 3 feet deep in the
basin which was created by the construction of a dam with relief labor. The level of the water has been maintained
fairly well. An observation today
revealed that the water was 12 inches below the high mark of July 6.”
 |
Ravine Lake after the dam was constructed, but before
filling. Photo courtesy of Sheila Crown Arth. |
Interest in the lake was high; several hundred
children had been to the lake since the rainfall, averaging about 100 per
day. There was still enough water for
swimming, but more rain was needed and unless that happened, lifeguards were
going to be pulled. As the situation
persisted, the water was described as "shallow and muddy." The usefulness of the lake depended wholly
on rainfall, and 1934 was a hot, dry year.
In 1934,
Huron's water supply was from two artesian wells, but with two new wells west
of town, the Chamber of Commerce discussed using water from the old artesian
wells for Ravine Lake. The idea was well
received, however, a newspaper article from two years later notes
that the city discontinued use of the "west" wells in favor of using
the James River for its water supply and tapping the west wells as needed for
deficits. Water was also being pumped
from the river into Ravine Lake. Dow I.
Sears, the head of the Parks Department, said that the "new" Ravine
Park Lake is half filled and may be ready for use in a few days. The lake at that point was already filled to
3 feet with 3.5 million gallons of water being pumped into the lake per day
with a goal of 6' depth. He stressed
that this project would not jeopardize the city's water supply and it would
only reduce the river's water level by less than a quarter of an inch. He also addressed the "new" dam
being built near 3rd street, which would also conserve a lot of water currently leaking through the existing dam.
 |
| Young swimmers enjoying Ravine Park Lake, photo courtesy of Dave Martin. |
The beach was being improved as well, with the
Huron CCC camp hauling gravel and coarse sand to the east side of the
lake. The beach would be 200 feet long
and extend 100 feet into the lake. The
lake would be roped off at various points to address safety concerns. Water would be treated with copper sulfate
and chlorine. An additional dam would be
constructed under the North Fourth street bridge which would restrict the
swimming area to south of the bridge and cutting off access to the large north
part of the lake.The lake was
nearly called "Lake Devore" by the Huron City Commissioners. The motion was to honor T. J. Devore, who
died in 1932 while working at the dam at Ravine Park. After a split vote, it was decided to stick
with tradition and call the lake "Ravine Park Lake." The motion then passed unanimously.
Four cousins at the Ravine Lake bathhouse. Photo courtesy of Roxanna Williams.
The dream of
a lake at Ravine Park was finally realized on July 9, 1936. The lake officially opened then (although due
to a recent heat wave swimming had been permitting a few weeks prior), and a
dedication program was held. About 3,500
people turned out for the event and about 700 automobiles passed by the area on
that day. Clowns (Forrest Nelson, Virgil
Olson, Lloyd Miller) entertained, as did the Huron Municipal Band. Safety guidelines were introduced - children
were urged to swim in groups and stick to "supervised" hours, and
vehicles were asked to watch their speed.
Fourteen lifeguards had been hired.
In the following couple of years, additional WPA projects were planned,
including raising the lake dam to help with the water level in the spring,
improving roads in the park, working on the shoreline, and other general
improvements. The bath house was
constructed in 1938, also as a WPA project.
An open house was held on August 4, offering tours, a Huron Municipal
Band concert, tap dancing, and swimming and diving exhibitions and
contests. Ravine Park Lake, as had been
envisioned for so many years, was finally a reality.
Sources
Stan Phillippi
Sheila Crown Arth
Dave Martin
Roxanna Williams
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National Weather
Service Quick Reference Climatic Information for Sioux City, IA and Huron, SD, https://www.weather.gov/fsd/suxhonref
