Schifferdecker Swimming Pool
Title
Schifferdecker Swimming Pool
Title-Alternative
Swimming Pools 04
Identifier
JPL10_790_030_a_L
Creator
Unknown
Contributor
Simpson , Leslie , Post Memorial Art Reference Library ; Valentine Souvenir Co. , New York ;
Publisher
Joplin Public Library
Description
In the 1880s , Joplinites who wanted to swim could go to the cold spring-fed creeks or to the "natatorium " or indoor swimming pool , in the Southwest Medical and Surgical Institute on Broadway Street . The pool measured 14 x 35 feet , with depths from 4 to 10 feet . An electro-magnetic battery emitted a "gentle " current of electricity through the water , imparting "a sense of refreshment and vigor to the bathers. " So much for an exhilarating swim ! In the late 1890s , the first Elks Lodge at 220 W . 4th offered a natatorium and Turkish baths to its members . Opened in 1909 , Schifferdecker Pool was the first public swimming pool in Joplin . It featured "The Chutes " a fancifully-designed slide , on one end and a beautiful colonnade on the other . Minarets decorated the top of the large slide as well as other square-columned structures around it . In the background loomed the 125-foot "Tower of Lights. " These embellishments lent a magical air to the pool , which was designed as a lagoon , with gently sloping sides leading into the water . Modern day zero-entry pools have nothing over the Schifferdecker "swimmin ' hole. " One postcard shows an exotic Moorish style concession stand next to the pool ; a woman stands near a tree posted with a sign , "Profane Language Strictly Forbidden . " By the 1920s , Schifferdecker Pool had lost some of its luster . Most of the fanciful colonnades , minarets , and other traces of the old Electric Park were demolished in favor of simpler structures . A new pool replaced the original Schifferdecker swimming hole in 1932 . Many changes were made to the park throughout the 1930s , thanks to federally funded WPA projects that employed area men during the Depression . One program , Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) hired out-of-work young men to do such things as plant trees , stock lakes , and build shelters , trails , and campgrounds . Local CCC workers constructed the decorative stone entrances at Schifferdecker Park during this time . Source : Guide to Dating Curt Teich Postcards : www.lcfpd.org/docs/teich_guide_dating.pdf (accessed 8/18/2003)The History of Jasper County , Missouri . Des Moines , Iowa : Mills & Co. , 1883.Joplin . Board of Park Commissioners . Joplin's Municipal Park System.Mead , Wilfred J . Civilian Conservation Corps . National Archives and Records Administration . Records of the Civilian Conservation Corps.www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/new_deal_for_the_arts/work_pays_america.html (accessed 9/16/2003)Sanborn Fire Insurance Map . 1900 .
Subject
Schifferdecker Swimming Pool (Joplin , Mo.) ; Swimming pools--Missouri--Joplin ; Parks--Missouri--Joplin ;
Language
English
Date-Creation
circa 1910
Date-Current
8/6/2004
Type
Postcards
Collection Name
Joplin Historical Postcards
Source
From the collection of the Joplin Public Library
Coverage
Missouri -- Jasper County -- Joplin ; Missouri -- Newton County -- Joplin ;
Rights Statement
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Contributing Institution
Joplin Public Library (Joplin, Mo)
County
Jasper County (Mo.) Newton County (Mo.)
Copy Request
Contact Joplin Public Library at 417-624-5465, or email jpl@joplinpubliclibrary.org
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