It's time for a dip in the waters of the past
We've been setting record low temperatures this November, and I for one have a simple and easy remedy for our tormented souls, resulting from this early and painful return to winter. I'm going to take you once again to the warm waters of my youth, at the legendary Radio Springs Swimming Pool.
There was a photography that was taken exactly 50 years ago and the following spring it was used as the inside cover for the Nevada High School Nevamo yearbook, for the class of 1965.
It does bother me a bit to look back to such familiar locations and times, and realize that so many years have passed, but the pleasure a panorama like this gives me outweighs any feelings of remorse.
If you have a copy of this yearbook, I hope the photograph also fills you with a sense of warmth and beauty. That pool had a charm and character that the more modern day venues simply don't possess.
Besides the obvious cool blue waters and the warm temperatures this picture portrays, it also shows the gentle and comforting setting that was Radio Springs Park. It was a summer paradise for kids for many decades in Nevada.
A few years ago, I wrote an article describing the entire valley and history of Radio Springs. It is a unique and historical setting that is older than the community itself.
The swimming pool at Radio Springs had an extraordinarily unique shape. As you can see in the picture it was built in a perfect hexagon. The front side (furthest in the picture) of the hexagon faced the park, and the back end, which is not in view, was the point from where the picture was taken. Both were of equal size running in straight horizontal lines.
The two sides of the pool widened from the front corners, to a midpoint of the pool, where they met symmetrically, before returning at the same angle to the back wall. As with other parts of the pool's construction, this is the only hexagon shaped pool I have personally ever seen. This simple but elegant style enhanced the pool with a subtle beauty.
This distinctive pool design would have been exceptional if that was it's only uncommon feature. The location and setting of the pool was just one more unparalleled feat of workmanship.
The pool was only attached to land on the side next to the park as seen in the picture. The other 5 exposures of the hexagon were built into the lake. Radio Springs Lake lapped against the sides of the pool walls within no more than a couple of feet from the concrete walkway that surrounded the pool.
There was a single wood railing that ran all the way around the watersides of the pool, which was supposed to prevent anyone from falling into the lake. I don't have to tell you, that that single impediment was breached on many occasions.
The lake was as it is today filled with fish. We weren't supposed to do it, but most of us took snacks from the canteen and regularly dropped food into the lake for the fish. One potato chip would bring a feeding frenzy that looked like sharks in a movie.
In all my research and visits with long time residents of Nevada, I have never heard any particular reason for the building of the pool in this strange configuration. None of us from that era would have wanted it to be any other way. It was our pool and we loved it.
As I have related in past articles, the water that was used to fill the pool came from a deep artesian well. In the picture right towards the middle at the very front of the pool you can barely make out the supply pipes that filled the pool.
The water was icy cold when it poured from the two supply lines. Many a kid shivered and turned blue trying to stand under that water for a few minutes. It also had a sulphur smell that had a bad egg odor as well. It took a day or so for the water temperature to warm up, but the smell went away in just minutes.
The bathhouse was located on the hill to the northeast of the pool. When you checked into the pool they gave you a clip to attach to your swimming gear, so you could retrieve your clothesbasket after the days swimming. There was a long wooden stairway that led down to the pool itself.
There were park benches behind the fence at the front of the pool, where parents could, if they wished, sit and watch their children swim. Most of us went there without our parents, and rode our bikes. Kids in that era were rarely supervised by family at the pool.
Some of the older girls spent more time sun bathing. I assure you, all of the boys noticed them, but we were also consumed with a multitude of other activities.
"Camel fights" were conducted regularly. Jumping off the high dive and having a football thrown to you in the air was another common sight. My favorite event was the contest to see who could make the best "cannon ball" dive from the high dive.
Yes, Radio Springs swimming pool was a treasure of my youth. I was sad to see it gone, and I still think we should have found a way to modernize it for the kids of today.
Put another log on the fire, cover up with a blanket, get a cup of something hot, and dream of those warm summer days at Radio Springs. I can see, hear, smell, and feel the water and the sun right now. Want to join me?