Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-01
nENVER has municipal bathing
beaches and bath houses. Why

beaches and bath houses. Why
not Harrisburg? In view of the
interest in this subject here the Tele-
graph reprints part of an illustrated
article by Edgar c. MacMechen. in
September issue of Physical Culture
1t follows:
Five years ago Denver awoke to the
fact that because it was at the foot or
! the Rocky Mountains was no reason
why 1t should not have bathing beaches
Just as healthful. as delightful and
even more convenient than those of
the Eastern cities. Though they might
lack the music of the slow incoming
breakers they could enjoy as they bath
ed the inspiring sight of two hundred
miles of snow-clad mountains-some-
| thing of compensation. Denver has
beautiful parks and talented architects
and men of vision and presently the
scheme of bathing beaches in the parks
took form.
The lakes in Denver's parks were
formerly depressions in the dry soil of
Colorado Nowhere did the early arriv-
ing pioneer find a drop of water eX-
cept in the river beds. But when the
melting SHOWS of the mountains were
diverted by the enterprising men who
took up the rich lands at the foot of
the Rockies and carried hundred
streams of melting snow out over the
plains, IL became an easy matter to
create a lake wherever there was a de-
preston. AS Denver grew the lakes
within the city limits were chosen for
parks, so that to-day this city has a
wonderful system of beautiful parks,
usually with lakelet as the center for
its plan of landscape beauty.
Finally came the idea that these
lakelets might furnish bathing beaches,
and almost over night Denver became
an inland bathing resort. Its beaches
and pools are now attended by one
hundred thousand bathers a month.
Chicago has Lake Michigan. Salt
Lake City lies on the edge of an in
land salt sea. The mountains of Colo
rado shelter innumerable hot mineral
springs. But Denver, metropolis of the
great arid region of the Far West
has fewer natural advantages for a
bathing resort than any large city in
America. .r
The dryness of the atmosphere there
is such that every lawn, every tree,
every flower has grown where buffalo
grass and cactus were native; where
soft and pleasing vegetation lives only
by virtue of ceaseless irrigation. In
two weeks time, without irrigation,
grass and flowers would burn to tin
der under the blazing sun, yet no city
has more beautiful lawns or more de-
lightful shaded avenues.
Probably John Glitch, the husband
of the famous woman who gave Dem
yer Elitchs beautiful gardens, was the
hrst to appreciate what a bathing
beach would mean for Denver. He
rented Berkeley Lake. the center of
Mr.. Walkers sixteen hundred acre
alfalfa farm and for several years had
row boats and some crudely built bath
houses.
-Four years ago the city began the
construction of a bathing beach and
bath house at Washington Park.
"A public bath house, built at a total
cost of eighty-seven thousand dollars
year or two before, had given the
proved TO be an immediate success, and
has an average daily attendance of
one thousand at the present time An
outdoor pool and bath house at Lin
coin Park had been built for the chill
dren in poor section of the city at
total cost of four thousand, four hun
dred and ninety dollars.
These successes were so pronounced
that Mayor Robert W. Speer, who had
inaugurated the movement, decided in
1911 upon the creation of real bathing
beaches
The lake in Washington Park had
no outlet. An irrigation ditch that
passes from the Platte river along the
eastern edge OF the city, was turned
through the lake to give a constant
change of water. From the bed of
Cherry creek sand was hauled and
spread upon the lake bottom and shore
cool, concrete bath house in mission
style, with three hundred and fifty
two steel lockers for men, and one
hundred and forty-eight for women,
was built at total cost of ten thou
sand dollars. mems pier and a wo-
mems pier were built.
During the summer of 1912 the
beach was formally opened Then the
park authorities. under whose direc-
ton the work was DONE drew a long
breath and awaited Developments.
They came with a rush. From the
/ first day there was never a doubt as to
/ the popularity of the beach.
| Under the municipal operation the
beach has always been self-sustalning,
and this summer is earning enough
money to pay for more space and lock-
er room without devoting taxes to the
purpose. The very dryness OF the cli-