Lagoon has been drained before, 1932

It seems to me that for most of this past summer, the Capaha Park lagoon looked like a deep, dusty pit. I won't go through the recent history of the lake's renovation, but I will say, I hope the project reaches a happy conclusion soon, with all the improvements promised us.

But lest we get too impatient with the work going on in Capaha Park, let's remember that this isn't the first time the lagoon has been drained and dredged. At least twice since the pond was originally dug in 1901-02, it has seen projects to deepen its basin and restore its banks. In both instances, problems arose after the projects were completed, forcing additional expense and labor.

In 1932 the lagoon was dredged in a city-run project, while the 1962 renovation was a joint effort by the city and the Cape Girardeau Exchange Club.

In this week's blog, we'll look at the work carried out in 1932. Next week's column will deal with the 1962 project.

This photograph taken in 1939 from Southeast Hospital shows the Capaha Park lagoon six years after it was first dredged by the city. On the hillside at left are the remnants of the Japanese cherry trees planted in 1929. At right is the old wooden grandstand, with the baseball diamond in front of it. Also at right, at the edge of the photograph, is Academic Hall. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Published Sept. 13, 1932, in the Southeast Missourian:

PARK LAGOON, BEING DRAINED, REVEALS MANY WONDERS OF THE PAST

Wonders of the deep!

They are being revealed in the draining of the lagoon at Fairground Park which, City Commissioner Louis Wittmor said, is to be made into a "decent-sized" lake for decent-sized fish and other water inhabitants. But what wonders — a car load of bottles, two more car loads of tin cans, an assortment of automobile tires, buckets, shoes and other things buried in the mud and silt of 30 years deposit.

The last of the water is to be drained from the lagoon Wednesday and the fish transported to the municipal swimming pool, which has been filled for their express benefit. The fish will be fed until the lagoon has been deepened and refilled, Commissioner Wittmor said. It is believed there are some fish in the lagoon any angler would be proud to land, but they have never been caught.

When the last of the water is drained from the place, it will be the first time since the mud bed was exposed to view in 30 years. It was that long ago the lagoon was constructed, a project attempted by a group of Girardeau business men. Sixteen years ago the city through a bond issue purchased the tract and made the park.

In the flight of years the lagoon has undergone a few changes. A neck of land once traversing its center has been removed. From former years Girardeans can also remember when parachute jumpers, leaping from the first airplanes and balloons which were exhibited at the county fairs, missed their guess and landed, submerged to their necks, in cold water. Commissioner Wittmor said today the lagoon will be about 6 feet deep throughout when it is completed. The soil from it will be used to level off the southwest corner of the park. Game fish will inhabit its waters.

Published March 16, 1933, in the Southeast Missourian:

PLAN TO START WORK AGAIN ON POND AT PARK

TO BE DRAINED AND DUG OUT AGAIN TO KILL LILIES

The capacity of the lagoon at Fairgrounds Park has been doubled by the excavation work done since the deepening project was begun last September. The pond, when filled, will hold slightly in excess of 6,000,000 gallons of water, instead of 3,000,000 gallons before the deepening process was started.

Leveling of the soil excavated from the lagoon was begun today by a crew of men under the direction of City Commissioner Louis Wittmor. Four teams were being used with graders in the southwest corner of the park, where the dirt was piled after being taken from the lagoon.

Before the pond is filled, it will again be drained of what surface water has accumulated and a search be made for water lily roots. This is being done to prevent a recurrence of their growth. Before the pond was first drained, the lilies had virtually taken possession of it.

Deeper in places

Excavation amounted to about 13,000 cubic yards of earth. The average depth of the place will now be about 6 1/2 feet, with the graduating depth ranging from a few inches to 10 feet, the deepest part being at the east side. The size of the pond, which is about 250 feet average width is 500 feet long, has not been increased.

The large amount of earth taken from the pond and piled in the southwest corner of the park will be leveled, making he park between 2 and 3 feet higher at that point. Commissioner Wittmor said he does not contemplate any planting in that section of the park, but probably will reserve it for additional playground facilities.

The place is large enough for a baseball field, Commissioner Wittmor said.

To move fish back

When the lagoon has been filled with water from spring rains, the fish in municipal swimming pool will be transported back. They have been kept in the pool since early last fall and are fed daily by Park Keeper J.A. Slover.

Commissioner Wittmor said he has no definite plans in mind for further development of the park. He said the park should begin to come into its own this year with the blooming of more than 200 Japanese cherry trees, set out four years ago. During the past year, several of the trees were transplanted, some of them being placed at the Normal Avenue entrance to the park. Most of the trees are on a slope on the west side of the park.

Commissioner Wittmor said cost of the project is being compiled.

Published April 14, 1933, in the Southeast Missourian:

SOON TO MOVE FISH FROM SWIMMING POOL BACK TO PARK POND

Fish, which have been in Municipal Swimming Pool at Fairground Park since last September, probably will be transferred back to their old home in the park lagoon next week if weather conditions permit, City Commissioner Louis Wittmor said today. Recent rains have partly filled the lagoon with water and the only thing remaining to be done now is grading of the earth taken out of the lagoon bed, then landscaping of it. Rains have prevented doing this work.

An interesting feature about the transfer of the fish will be the number of them. Too, they have grown since being placed in the pool. Some of them weigh about 2 pounds and there are hundreds of small ones. Park keeper J.A. Slover feeds them daily and at such time they create quite a disturbance at the surface of the water.

Day lilies were a recurring problem in the lagoon. In July 1933, long after the project was completed, there was a report in the newspaper that the lilies were growing again in the pond. A representative of the U.S. Agriculture Department recommended that City Commissioner Louis Wittmor drain the lagoon and dig out the lilies, root and all. However, that was the plan followed in the spring, which resulted in the plants "growing more luxuriously than before."