Wilderness Park facts for kids
Wilderness Park is a huge natural area in southwest Lincoln, Nebraska. It covers about 1,472 acres (596 hectares) and is mostly open to the public. It is the biggest park in Lincoln and is split into different parts. A street called S 14th St runs through much of the southern end of the park.
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About Wilderness Park
Wilderness Park has many trees, but also open prairie areas. The Salt Creek flows freely here, so the park's shape changes over time. Flooding and erosion, along with seasonal changes in stream flow, mean that some dry areas can become completely flooded in spring or fall.
The park's main borders are S 1st St on the west, S 27th St on the east, Van Dorn St on the north, and Saltillo Rd on the south. However, not all land within these borders is part of the park. The park is much wider in its southern parts. Beal Slough, a main stream that flows into Salt Creek, also runs through Wilderness Park.
Animals You Might See
Many animals live in the park. You might spot foxes, deer, raccoons, and opossums. There are also frogs, hawks, owls, and many different songbirds and squirrels. Small fish and water insects live in the streams. It's possible that larger animals like coyotes might be there too, but this has not been confirmed.
Trails for Fun and Adventure
Wilderness Park has many dirt trails for walking, biking, and horse riding. Signs along the trails show which type of trail you are on. The hiking trail was named part of the National Recreation Trails Program in 1977.
The 6.5-mile (10.5 km) Jamaica North Trail is mostly inside the park. This trail is made of crushed limestone. South of Saltillo Rd, the Jamaica North Trail connects to the Homestead Trail. As of 2012, this trail reached Beatrice, Nebraska, and will eventually go all the way to Marysville, Kansas.
Park History
Wilderness Park has a long and interesting history, with different parts of it once being separate parks.
Lincoln Park: From Mill to Camp
In 1866, the southern part of what is now Wilderness Park had a corn mill on the Salt Creek. Later, a settler named Phillip Cooper built a dam on the Salt Creek. This created a pond for making ice in the winter. In 1873, Cooper dug a cave to store the ice during the summer.
In 1887, Cooper sold the land to A.J. Sawyer, a lawyer and mayor from Lincoln. Sawyer rebuilt the dam with concrete in 1900 and opened the area as Lincoln Park.
Later, the Burlington Railroad bought the land. They used Salt Creek as a water source for their steam engines. The railroad pumped about one million gallons of water from the creek to their engine house southwest of Lincoln.
The first Boy Scouts of America troop in Nebraska started in 1910. It became very popular and began meeting in Lincoln Park in 1912. In 1916, Lincoln Traction Co. bought the park. They used the power from the dam to light the park with arc and incandescent lights. Because of this, the park was nicknamed "Electric Park."
Lincoln Park closed in 1935. It was then leased to the Boy Scouts Cornhusker Council. The Boy Scouts continued to use the park as a campsite. They eventually bought the land and renamed it Camp Minis-Kuya. Camp Minis-Kuya closed in 1956.
Epworth Park: A Place for Retreats
Around the late 1890s, a Methodist group called the Epworth Association wanted to create a "camp meeting" style retreat in Nebraska. This style was popular in places like Chautauqua, New York. The Epworth Association held its first retreat in Lincoln Park. After that, they bought their own 40-acre (16-hectare) piece of land directly south of Lincoln Park to build their own retreat.
In 1903, Epworth Park opened. In its first week, it sold 1,500 tickets a day, and audiences grew to 5,000 people. In its first season, Epworth Park made $10,000. They donated $800 to "worn out preachers" and $1,000 to Nebraska Wesleyan University, a Methodist college.
By 1915, Epworth Park had a large open-air building that could seat 5,000 people. It also had a Boy Scout cabin and two footbridges. These bridges connected to a man-made island called "Oxford Isle" in the middle of Epworth Lake. Water from Salt Creek fed Epworth Lake, allowing visitors to swim and canoe. The lake was also used for "Venetian Nights." During these events, families could rent decorated rafts and rowboats to enjoy a peaceful ride on the lake.
The park became very popular, with an average of 3,000 visitors at its busiest. This led to the building of a village of cabins, a 60-room dormitory, and a 150-room hotel. There were also four restaurants, a grocery store, a bakery, a bookstore, and a post office. The Burlington and Union Pacific railroads brought passengers to the park from Lincoln at half price.
The main goal of the park was religious outreach. However, it also offered animal shows, music acts like the U.S. Army Band, and famous singers. Magicians and popular speakers like Theodore Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan, Howard Taft, Booker T. Washington, and Billy Sunday also visited.
In 1935, 14 inches (36 cm) of rain fell in one week. This caused floods that destroyed most of the park's buildings. People tried to reopen the park, but American culture had changed. With the rise of cars and radio, families no longer needed to go to speeches or concerts in person. They could listen to them on the radio. Also, cars meant families could drive wherever they wanted easily and cheaply. They no longer relied on trains and streetcars that had helped Epworth Park succeed.
Wilderness Park: A New Beginning
In 1966, Epworth Park was given to the City of Lincoln. Four years later, in 1970, Lancaster County bought Camp Minis-Kuya (which used to be Lincoln Park) for $60,000. Epworth Park, Camp Minis-Kuya, and other pieces of public land were combined to create Wilderness Park.
Even though plants, erosion, floods, and settling have hidden many of the old features of both Epworth Park and Lincoln Park, you can still find signs of what was once there. For example, you might see parts of the concrete dams and metal pipes. Also, the original stone archway entrance to Epworth Park can be found on the south side of 1st and Calvert streets, at the edge of the park.
The 1894 Rock Island Railroad Wreck
Wilderness Park is also the site of the 1894 Rock Island railroad wreck. This was an act of sabotage in 1894 that sadly killed 11 people. The trestle (a type of bridge) where the derailment happened goes over the Jamaica North Trail.
Bridges in the Park
Wilderness Park has at least a dozen pedestrian bridges. They come in different designs and ages. In 2010, the middle of one bridge in the southern part of the park collapsed about fifteen feet (4.6 meters). Around 20 children from a day camp were crossing it at the time. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt in the fall. This event led to a safety check of all bridges in the park.
Urban Legends
Two main urban legends are told about Wilderness Park. One legend says that the ghosts of the people who died in the 1894 Rock Island Railroad wreck are still in the park.
The second legend says that in the early 1900s, Wilderness Park was a wild, wooded area at the edge of town. It was supposedly home to a mysterious old woman. According to the story, several young children disappeared, and people blamed the old woman. They thought she was a witch. The legend claims she was killed and buried in the park by the townspeople. The story says that the witch's ghost still haunts the park, and her grave should not be disturbed, or she will rise again for revenge.
This legend is actually the plot of an independent film called Wake the Witch, which was made in 2010 and filmed in Lincoln.
