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Rotary Recreation Park area
a jewel in heart of city
reprinted from Red Deer Express August 26, 2009
A week ago on Aug. 19, there
was a public open house to discuss a new concept plan for the Rotary
Recreation Park and the parkland areas on the southern edge of the
Red Deer Valley.
The preliminary concepts and designs, presented by Group 2
Architecture Engineering Ltd. and Michael von Hausen Urban Planning
and Design Inc., included a number of interesting historical
elements. That is not surprising as the park and recreational areas,
included in the new plans, are amongst the oldest park areas in the
city.
The oldest of these park areas is located on the southeastern edge
of the valley, where Waskasoo Creek follows the base of the
escarpment.
This land was initially acquired in 1902 by the Red Deer
Agricultural Society for use as Red Deer's first permanent
exhibition grounds. Named Alexandra Park in 1904, the fairgrounds
were expanded and improved a number of times over the succeeding
years.
In 1910, the Town of Red Deer decided to acquire 40 acres of land
along Waskasoo and Piper Creeks, west of Nanton (48) Ave.
While part of the new parkland was to be used as a picnic and
recreational area, a decision was also made to leave much of the
wooded area in its natural state. In January 1911, Town Council
voted to officially name this new parkland Waskasoo Park.
In 1911, the Canadian Northern Western Railway Company acquired a
right-of-way between Nanton (48) and Parkvale (47) Avenues. The
original intent was to have a rail line run from the Calgary area
through Red Deer to the south side of Edmonton. However, these plans
were dropped during the First World War.
A spur line was run instead in 1920-1922 from the CN's Brazeau line
north of Red Deer to station yards where the Park Plaza (Co-op)
Shopping Centre is located today. A branch of this line ran further
south and eventually connected with the CPR main line, west of Gaetz
Ave.
Meanwhile, improvements were made to Waskasoo Park so that the area
at the foot of Piper's Mountain could be used as a tourist camp.
Because many of these tourists arrived by the automobile, the park
became known as the Auto Camp.
The Auto Camp became very popular, used by hundreds of campers each
summer. More improvements were made in 1927-1928, including the
construction of a large cookhouse and installation of electric
lighting. In 1939, a number of small tourist cabins were constructed
and became Red Deer's first motel facility.
During the Second World War, with housing very scarce, the Auto Park
cabins were increasingly used as year-round housing. This situation
continued after the war as the city's population began to increase
dramatically.
Unfortunately, by the late 1940s, the Auto Park was starting to
become decrepit since the cabins were never meant for long-term
housing. Consequently, the cabins were demolished and the area was
restored as a family picnic and recreational area.
Since the Rotary Club took on the redevelopment of the area as a
long-term project in 1950, the site became known as Rotary Park.
In 1952, the Red Deer Arena was constructed on the Exhibition
Grounds and in 1954, the Red Deer Curling Club was built next door.
In 1958, the Pioneer Lodge was erected at the north gate to the
fairgrounds.
In 1959-1961, the CN station and yards were relocated north of the
river to the new Riverside Industrial Park. This was Western
Canada's first railroad relocation project. The old CN property
north of 49 St. was converted to a mix of commercial and residential
use, but the right-of-way to the south was turned into park and
recreational spaces.
In 1962, the Recreation Centre was built on the old right-of-way,
followed by an Olympic-sized outdoor pool in 1964.
In 1977, the Golden Circle Seniors Centre was constructed by the
Kiwanis Club. In 1978, the Red Deer Museum and Archives was built in
the space between the Recreation Centre and the Golden Circle.
Extensive changes to the south area followed the relocation of the
Westerner Exhibition Grounds to the south side of the city in
1980-1982.
In the mid-1980s, Heritage Square was developed east of the
Recreation Centre and included a number of historic structures and
replica buildings.
With the relocation of the CN rail line and the Exhibition Grounds,
a parks and recreation "jewel" has been created in the heart of the
city. The newest proposals suggest that even greater enhancements
and improvements will occur in the coming years and decades.
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