Deep Eddy Pool in Austin, Texas.

Deep Eddy Pool is a historic, man-made swimming pool in Austin, Texas. Deep Eddy is the oldest swimming pool in Texas and has a bathhouse built during the Depression-era, by the Works Progress Administration. The pool began as a swimming hole in the Colorado River, became a resort in the 1920s, and is today a popular swimming pool operated by the City of Austin. 50 meter indoor swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, or wading pool is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for recreational or competitive swimming, diving, or for other bathing activities that do not involve swimming, e. ... Downtown Austin Nickname: Motto: Official website: www. ... Public bathing has a long history. ... Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, centering on Florence Owens Thompson, a mother of seven children, age thirty-two, in Nipomo, California, March 1936. ... The Works Progress Administration (later Works Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 with the signing of U.S. Presidential Executive Order 7034. ... The Colorado River as it winds through the Austin area. ... The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ...

History

Deep Eddy began simply as a swimming hole in the Colorado River that flows through Austin. Cold springs rose from the river banks and people swam in the river where a large boulder formed an eddy. In 1915, A.J. Eilers, Sr. bought the land surrounding the swimming hole and built the concrete pool. The pool served as the centerpiece of a resort, the Deep Eddy Bathing Beach, which featured cabins, camping, and concessions. Lorena's Diving Horse was one popular attraction. As seen in historic photographs, a ramp led to a 50 foot tall diving platform over the pool's deep end from which the horse and rider would dive. Other pool amenities included a zip line across the pool and a tall slide, while other attractions included a diving baby and a Ferris wheel. In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current (water) created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Deep Eddy Bathing Beach in the 1920s.

In 1935, the City of Austin bought the property for $10,000. Two weeks after the purchase, a massive flood on the Colorado River destroyed the bathhouse and other improvements, and filled the pool with mud and debris. The Works Progress Administration rebuilt the bathhouse and the pool opened as a public park in July 1936. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Over time, the city has put the property to a variety of uses. While the pool continues in operation, the city separated the western edge of the land as a park and playground named after A.J. Eilers. The city also converted Deep Eddy's bathhouse to alternative uses including a long service as a wildlife science exhibit. In 2004 for safety reasons, the city removed the 70-year old, 50-foot tall cottonwoods that surrounded the pool. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Species Populus deltoides L. Populus fremontii [[]] Populus nigra L. The cottonwoods are three species of poplars in the section Aegiros of the genus Populus, native to North America, Europe and western Asia. ...

Deep Eddy Pool is listed as a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the inspiration of various works of art. Texas musician, Jimmie Dale Gilmore wrote the song "Deep Eddy Blues" about the pool and the nearby bar, the Deep Eddy Cabaret. The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ... Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is a country singer, songwriter, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas. ...

The pool today

Deep Eddy Pool is popular with adult recreational swimmers for its lap swimming pool and with children for its large wading pool. The pool is fed with clear, cold water from a hand-dug 35-foot well. Water temperature varies between 68 to 72°F. The pool is generally open during daylight hours from February to November. In summer months, the pool sponsors Splash Party Movie Nights, showing family films on a screen visible by swimmers and waders. The pool supports a number of sporting events, including the Deep Eddy Mile swimming competition.

Bathhouse restoration

Currently, the bathhouse is closed to the public and is being studied for renovation to its original condition by the Friends of Deep Eddy, a non-profit association of swimmers and other parks advocates. First construction on the project began in 2005 as the Friends group replaced the dilapidated roof. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

• Beal, Chandra, (1999). Splash Across Texas! The Definitive Guide to Swimming in Central Texas.

External links

• Friends of Deep Eddy
• KXAN-TV News article on Bathhouse Restoration Project