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Lions River Park
(Unless otherwise indicated, photos by Don of www.Wakamow.com)
(Click on the picture to goto that page)
Located east of Plaxton's Lake; north of Kiwanis River Park.
Plenty of ice for a Picnic
This park has all been used for family gatherings and picnics and, at one time, the area was also home to season-long tenters. Over the years, the valley has met both recreational and non-recreational needs.
In 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway dammed the river to obtain a year-round water source for its steam locomotives. The dam also allowed ice to be harvested throughout the winter. As recently as the 1950s, the Western Ice Company harvested ice as far upstream as the Blackfoot Bridge. In turn, the company supplied much of the ice to the CPR, primarily for cooling refrigerator cars.
The valley trees provided building materials for the city's early residents. Timber harvests were so severe that this area has been reforested several times -in 1919 to 1922, for example, and in the 1930s as a make-work project during the depression.
The Hobo Jungle once occupied the riverbank directly across from you. During the
summers of the 1920's and 1930s, as many as 100 transients a day made the "jungle"
their temporary home. It was so popular that the "hobos" classified it as a
"four star resort". The transients, which included many well educated men,
were crossing Canada by freight train, as they looked for work.
(Information from the Information Sign near the parking lot entrance)