Marker Inscription
Soon after establishing the city of Temple, the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad Company built a dam on nearby Bird Creek to create a reservoir and ready water supply. By 1900 a group of investors formed an association to develop a park at the site to be named in honor of railroad general manager L.J. Polk. The park offered such recreational opportunities as boating, fishing, croquet, and tennis. Local citizens assisted in landscaping the area and enjoyed the facilities for a ten-cent admission fee. The area eventually became a private club and, later, a city park. (1991)
About this site
Lake Polk Park is a historical marker in Temple, Bell County, dedicated in 1991. It is one of 226 historical markers documented in Bell County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 411 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 31.0995, -97.3703 near Temple. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Lutheran Church (historical marker), about 0.8 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bird Creek Battlefield, Immanuel Baptist Church, and Santa Fe Memorial Hospital, Inc..
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5027003011. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
