Does Anyone Remember the Largest Pool in Iowa?
- Thread starter BeastCY
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- des moines
Hell yes. We used to go there all the time. It was pretty awesome.
Everytime I drive by there I think about that pool and debate if I should stop at the Boathouse for a beer.
It was a sad day in Johnston when they filled that pool in.
I remember it well. Only swam in it once but drove by it hundreds of times. Growing up in Ames, that was our route to west suburbs.
Grew up in Ankeny and that's where our family of 7 went to swim back in the 60's. With no air conditioning in our house, Camp Dodge was a massive relief on those really hot summer days.
Our parents always stopped at the Army tank that was on display nearby so me and my siblings could climb all over it. They would also give us each 50 cents so we could get some treats at the big concession stand. Back then, 50 cents could last you all day. I also remember spreading our towels out on the massive hill on the north side of the pool.
It's funny, as a kid I assumed all swimming pools were that big and I was so disappointed when Ankeny built it's own pool in 1968.
Our parents always stopped at the Army tank that was on display nearby so me and my siblings could climb all over it. They would also give us each 50 cents so we could get some treats at the big concession stand. Back then, 50 cents could last you all day. I also remember spreading our towels out on the massive hill on the north side of the pool.
It's funny, as a kid I assumed all swimming pools were that big and I was so disappointed when Ankeny built it's own pool in 1968.
Yes, and it was absolutely massive.
It was a very sad day indeed. I went to a wedding reception there a few years after it was filled in. It’s very nice, but I was bummed out the whole time just remembering what it was.
Only went to it a couple of times. As an eastside kid it was a big deal when mom said we were going there.
Just an unfathomably huge pool. Literally the size of a football field.
I have a faint memory of an older guy, a veteran I presume, who used to come out and talk through the bullhorn during pool breaks.
I have a faint memory of an older guy, a veteran I presume, who used to come out and talk through the bullhorn during pool breaks.
I attended American Legion Boy's State program in '95 at Camp Dodge, and while there, found out they had a massive pool, so I ended up going to it once. It was extremely impressive.
Years down the road, I thought about taking my kid there, but by the time I had looked into it, the pool has already been decommissioned for ~15 years. When there, you are aware that it is indeed very large, but comparatively?
It looks to have been around 10X larger than any pool I'd ever been to at the time. Dang.
And while it was likely due to the timing/event I was attending, it always gives me a chuckle thinking about the 100/1 ratio of boys to girls that were there, or whatever it was. There were a few huge swarms of teenage boys all congregating around female lifeguards.
The Boy's State week must have been either the most annoying, or the most self-confidence boosting, week for those girls.
Maybe both.
Years down the road, I thought about taking my kid there, but by the time I had looked into it, the pool has already been decommissioned for ~15 years. When there, you are aware that it is indeed very large, but comparatively?
It looks to have been around 10X larger than any pool I'd ever been to at the time. Dang.
And while it was likely due to the timing/event I was attending, it always gives me a chuckle thinking about the 100/1 ratio of boys to girls that were there, or whatever it was. There were a few huge swarms of teenage boys all congregating around female lifeguards.
The Boy's State week must have been either the most annoying, or the most self-confidence boosting, week for those girls.
Maybe both.
It has its own Wiki page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Dodge_Pool_District
