The snow has melted and it’s muddy now, but when it dries, and if you know where to look, you can still see traces of some camp buildings and features of the former Epworth Park, in Wilderness Park. It was a summer camp run by Methodists from the first years of the last century until 1935, when 10-14 inches of rain fell over six days. Sound familiar? In 2015 when the park flooded we lost use of the trails for a while and had to resurface the Jamaica North, but in 1935 there were no levees or area flood control dams. Hundreds of park structures were destroyed when the flood waters came through “like a giant eraser.” The entrance was near the arch at First and Calvert Streets. That was where the street car line from Havelock ended that my grandparents took after the buggy ride from their farm along the Rock Island Line.
The following images are courtesy of Jim McKee. He led an historical walk of Epworth Park in 2007, which I made into a video for The Friends of Wilderness Park.
The area that was Epworth park isn’t ridden as much as other areas of the park, but with the leaves down, and if it isn’t too muddy, you might find the now giant Sycamores that framed the entrance to the outdoor auditorium that seated 5000. Park advertising from those days claimed it was the largest gathering place on the North American Continent. It is true that the most famous speakers and performers of the day appeared on it’s stage.
There existed a donut-shaped lake for boating, which is still visible as a depression, since the water was nine feet deep. There was a post office, bank, hotel, bakery, restaurants, and thousands of tent platforms among the structures. The streets have disappeared.
Today you can find an occasional stone or concrete pillar support, bridge abutment, well cover, or other random piece of the past, but not much more. Every year they are covered a little deeper in leaves, and the last flood may have completely covered some up or washed some into the creek.
If my grandparents wanted to, they could also have taken a train from the old Missouri Pacific depot at 8th and “S” Street to Wabash, where my grandmother’s family ran the hotel. Next week I’ll talk about what you might see on that popular trail.
These historical posts are great, always interesting to learn what used to be near you in decades long forgotten.
Yes, it’s amazing how quickly it can disappear. It can also make your ride more interesting.
Thanks for posting these articles!
Were the arches at First and Calvert part of Epworth Park or were they constructed later?
Can you post a link to the video you made of Jim McKee’s historical walk of the area?
What is there now is a replica of the original, but without the word “Epworth”. I need to figure out how to post it.