Wyandotte County Lake, Kansas City
Description
Located in the Missouri basin, the dam was built to create jobs while at the same time providing a source of water for the community. The lake and surrounding area compose the Wyandotte County Lake Park. It was funded jointly by the WPA and the Wyandotte County government.
Several extant park buildings, such sa the Davis Recreation Hall, were designed by the National Park Service and built by the Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1942 stand. The structures are representative examples of the Rustic style.
According to a Kansas Historical Society survey, “Each of the following WPA resources exhibits elements of Rustic design–Shelters 3, 7, 9, Boy Scout Area Gazebo, Shelter 11 Gazebo/E Lookout Shelter, James P. Davis Recreation Hall, the Boathouse, the South Entrance Lodge/Gate House, the former North Entrance Lodge, and the Lake House and its associated outbuildings. All of these resources—even the more massive, two-story Davis Hall—possess a horizontal massing and make use of natural surrounding materials. Like the nationally recognized park architecture in the Grand Canyon, these structures were designed to blend in with and complement the natural surroundings. Thus, they have a “rustic” or rugged look to them, displaying evidence of having been constructed with hand tools.”
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Map by Dave McDermott
Wyandotte County Park landscape history m
Map by Dave McDermott
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Wyandotte County Lake dam
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Map by Dave McDermott
Davis Hall, illustration from Wyandotte County Park landscape history map
Map by Dave McDermott
Source notes
https://www.wycokck.org/InternetDept.aspx?id=17792&menu_id=1016&banner=15284.
https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/kansas-stories/nature/dam-that-took-a-long-time
https://www.kshs.org/preserve/pdfs/wyandottelakepark_survey2009.pdf
Project originally submitted by Erin Morrison on November 3, 2013.
Additional contributions by Dave McDermott.
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