Salina Post proudly presents Flashback Friday in partnership with the Smoky Hill Museum. Enjoy a weekly tidbit of local history from the staff at Salina Post and the Smoky Hill Museum as we present "Salina-Flashback Fridays."
By SALINA POST
As the summer heat intensifies, many Salinans begin gravitating toward local bodies of water for various outdoor activities. One popular pond in Salina, Lakewood, had humble beginnings in the late 1800s.
The early beginnings of Lakewood Park stretch back to the Homestead Act of 1862, shortly after which a Seneca Tribe couple homesteaded the first 160 acres of what would become the park.
According to The National Archives, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed "any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land."
Farming and improving the land were stipulations for the claimants, but after five years, they owned the land entirely after paying a small registration fee.
According to Lora Crow at Lakewood Discover Center, a Seneca Tribe couple founded their homestead on the northeast corner of Ohio Street and Iron Avenue.
The family then entrusted the land to future family members until 1918, when a widowed family member, Fire in the Woods, sold the land to Putnam Sand Company for $64, or about $1,433 today.
READ MORE: 📸 Flashback Friday: Salina Post - Indian Rock Park - Vol. 44
Putnam Sand Co. quickly got to work digging and dredging sand for various construction uses in the growing city, eventually excavating enough sand to create a 45-acre lake.
Thirty years later, the local sand company sold the property, and it became a lakeside residence. According to Crow, Salina experienced a notable flooding event that damaged the barrier between the lake and the nearby Smoky Hill River.
Although the lake was initially 45 acres, it began to fluctuate widely in size due to the damage from the flood until the City of Salina built the levee flood-control system, which keeps the lake at about 13 acres with a maximum depth of 6 feet.
Today, remnants of the Smoky Hill River remain nearby, with the Smoky Hill River Channel decorating the outskirts of Lakewood Park.
In 1956, the property owners built a house that now hosts the Nature Center today.
According to an article by Carol Lichti in the Sunday, Feb. 25, 1996, edition of The Salina Journal, the City of Salina purchased it from the property owners in 1966 for $140,000, or $1,380,400 today.
Once the city purchased the land, staff and contractors developed it into a natural park with a wildlife area and seating for visitors. In the 1970s, the levee system cut off the lake from the Smoky Hill River, which shrank the lake and unveiled 32 acres to build pavilions and a dock for residents to canoe, fish or boat from.
In the 1970s, the house became an event space for social gatherings and "many weddings," according to Crow. Later, in the 1980s, the Nature Center began overtaking the structure, starting with the basement and growing into every corner due to public demand for nature education and outdoor programs.
Today, Lakewood Discover Center continues hosting outdoor programs and educational experiences. To see their 2024 programs, visit their Facebook Page to see what events and opportunities are on the calendar this summer.