Omaha Exploration

Founded in 1884, Spring Lake Park was founded by the syndicate, a group of men associated with the Union Stockyards in South Omaha. Both the residents and the animals required a good source of water which they found near the area of 18th and F Streets which had a natural spring. They proceeded to build a dam that resulted in a large lake.

The group knew that a park was needed to make the area more attractive to prospective residents so they reserved 108 acres and formed Spring Lake Park – named for the spring-fed lake. The group had grand visions of making it their own version of New York’s Central Park but scaled back their plans once they received the cost. Those around town referred to it not as Spring Lake Park but Syndicate Park.

A favorite spot of park goers was located 40 feet above the lake which was redesigned and divided into two separate dams that formed a succession of cascades. Over time arbors, bridges, boathouses and carriage drives were added to the park. The owners of the park even hired two police officers to patrol the park and to ensure that picnickers had the required permit. In 1888 the Omaha Bee wrote that this new park was superior to Omaha’s Hanscom Park.

While it was designed as a private park for employees of the stockyards, nearby residents were allowed in as long as they received the proper permit. When the company built a seven-foot fence around the park to prevent public use, it angered nearby residents that did not work for the stockyards. They eventually relented and reopened the park to the public in 1897 but only on Sundays. 

The fence was removed after the park was purchased by the City of South Omaha in 1907. By 1914 a 40’x100’ swimming pool was installed in the park. While nearly two-thirds of the original park land was sold for development, 36 acres was retained as a public park. 

Omaha began looking for places to build a park of its own south of downtown as the area became more populated. It originally wanted to build a park of its own in this area but since this land sat within the city limits of South Omaha, they instead chose a spot overlooking the Missouri River and called it Riverview Park which would later evolve into Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. 

After Omaha annexed South Omaha in 1915, they acquired Spring Lake Park and connected Hoctor Boulevard to the other parks via its boulevard system. By this point, the lake was no longer needed as a source of water as it began to get it from the city’s water system. Even so, it remained a popular place to picnic, fish, boat and swim. A new park pavilion and dance floor were installed in 1929.

By the 1930s the lakes closed due to concerns over the polio epidemic. The swimming pool was closed in 1934 as some of the land was converted into a nine-hole golf course in 1935. Afterwards the park began to suffer from neglect. While there were plans to renovate it in 1939, they were never fully implemented due to the start of World War II. More remote areas of the park were used to dump trash and in the 1960s after the city acquired the area from the ravine to the south, they converted it into a dump. By this time, Interstate 80 was being constructed to the north and cut the park off from the rest of the boulevard system. 

After the city closed the landfill, illegal dumping continued even as the park was expanded to its present size. There were plans to improve the park again in the 1990s by restoring at least one of the original ponds and creating a nature center but those efforts stalled due to a lack of funding. The old pavilion that was installed in 1929 was destroyed by a fire in 1998. It was rebuilt as a community space and clubhouse for the golf course. 

That same year the Spring Lake Park Team was formed to maintain the park, discourage illegal dumping and to ensure it remained as a refuge for wildlife. The park has seen a number of improvements in recent years to once again make it an attractive place for not only wildlife but for recreation as well. The lake was reestablished in 2016 as a part of the city’s sewer separation project. The park also includes walking trails, playground, swimming pool, ball fields, tennis court, picnic shelters and the golf course.

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