An examination of Early Bathhouses & Waterslides on Lake Okabena in Worthington, MN
The information on this page was compiled by Bob Rohrer based upon information gleaned from personal observation, from articles and observations by local historian Ray Crippen on these subjects, and from books by AP Rose "History of Nobles County" 1908 and Al Goff "History of Nobles County" 1948, and from an 1882 State of Minnesota Geology report.
Pre-1899: These early public facilities existed where Sailboard Beach now stands on west Lake Okabena
One level elaborate facility with no waterslides.
This facility was located where 3rd Avenue joins Lake Street. This is the location where the Power Plant was later located until the 1950's and is where the open park area of Sailboard Beach exists today. It the shoreline location where the community holds the annual Windsurfing Regatta & Unvarnished Music Festival. Notice the elaborate railings and walkway around the entire perimeter of the building. This facility existed for a period of time from the 1880's to 1899. It was built by two brothers - George and Frank Day - the former a banker and the latter owning a jewelry store. They built this artistic pavilion on the lake shore at the foot of 3rd Avenue and imported a fair sized passenger steam boat. The steamer's name was the “Idlewild" and the pavilion was called the same. There were social gatherings there. However, there are no waterslides nor bathing buoys visibly in use. The only boats visibly in use are one sailing craft and one row boat, which seems to inadequate for a public bathhouse. This "Pavilion" existed at the same time as a simple boat house & waterslide Tobogganslide and possibly other boathouses that were located to the west along the shore. . The shoreline, in this photo, is a very gentle slope, much more of a gentle slope than now exists on this section of Lake Okabena shoreline. There are no visible RR tracks for the Rock Island RR because this facility was removed before the Rock Island track was laid there in 1899. There is no visible street or roadway except in the lower left corner, which seems to be more like someone driving on grassland than a roadway similar to what one would expect of Lake Street or Hwy 59&60 leading to the underpass under the Mpls to Sioux City RR. This photo is a B.F. Buchan postcard, a firm that was one of the early Worthington photographers, so there is very minimal chance that this is mistakenly a photo on a lake other than Lake Okabena.
Gentle sloping sand beach prior to 1900.
A boathouse with attached waterslide for the summer, and used as toboggan slide in the winter.
This facility existed for a period of time prior to 1899. It was a combination boathouse and Waterslide in the the Summer and toboggan slide in the Winter, as shown in this photo. The top of the Nobles County Court House is visible in the background. Supposedly this facility was located near where 3rd Avenue joins Lake Street. It was probably just to the west of the Pavilion. This is the location where the Power Plant was later located until the 1950's and is near where the open park area of Sailboard Beach exists today.
1899 - 1904: Development of Rock Island Railroad Tracks along Shoreline
Pink Quartz Railroad Track Base
No Bathhouses & Waterslides existed as of 1903 in the area of the dam
Rock Island Tracks built in 1900
In 1900 the shoreline from about the base of Second Avenue to the junction with 7th Avenue along what we know now as Sailboard Beach changed. It changed forever with the laying of the Rock Island RR track. The RR built the base for their RR tracks between Lake Street and the shoreline. This required them to change the gentle sloping sand beach. They built up the shoreline height near the shoreline so that they had enough horizontal space between the street and the waterline to operate the trains. They also needed to fortify the track from lake waves and spring ice out. As of 1900 any Pavilions, boathouses, bathhouses, waterslides, or other structures that may have existed along the north shore of the lake were removed to make room for the construction of the Burlington Rock Island Railroad track along the shoreline. The Rock Island track remained there until into the late 1900's at which time it became a narrow, shoreline city park.
1905: These are the three basic designs of the Bathhouse & Waterslide facilities that were developed sometime around 1905
One Level bathhouse, long with closed sides
The development of the Bathhouses & Waterslides c.1905 was approximately at the same time as the start of the Chautauqua Movement, and brought many people to Lake Okabena for summer recreation.
One Level bathhouse, closed sides & steep roof
Two Level bathhouse, first level enclosed top level open.
Interesting notes on the early bathhouses and recreation facilities on the lake.
Why were the Bathhouse & Waterslide Facilities located on the NE side of Lake Okabena?
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It was right next to the core of the city. This was the most accessible shoreline one the lake. There was no early road around the lake. Most of the population lived within blocks of this beach. It was handy and prominent.
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Chautauqua Park was the only other park. The Chautauqua Movement was just starting and brought people to Worthington and to Lake Okabena.
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Prior to the establishment of the "Beltline" in 1941 (est.) which routed traffic away from the center of town, area highways brought many travelers, farm families, and area shoppers through town and thus past the lakeshore where the Bathhouse & Waterslide facility existed and, thus, kept people aware of the nice facilities there. This provided a natural advertisement and promotion of the Bathhouse & Waterslide facilities on Lake Okabena.​
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a. US Highway 59 ( or the old road to/from Fulda prior to Hwy 59)
From the South going North: They came into town from the south under the RR viaduct and the first view of Worthington was of Lake Okabena and the Bathhouse & waterslide facilities
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From the North going South: Those coming from the north on US Hwy 59, came down Humiston to turn east on 10th Street, then south on 2nd Avenue to the lakeshore where they went under the RR viaduct.
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In each case, people going places, farm families coming to town, and travelers would see this Bathhouse & Waterslide facility. This had a natural promotional effect for the bathhouse Association, and Worthington in general.
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b. State Highway 60 (or old Windom road prior to Hwy 60)
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From the South going North: This, also, came in from the south under the viaduct with the same spectacular view of Lake Okabena and the Bathhouse & Waterslide facilities as Hwy 59.
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From the North going South: Those people coming from Windom would have come in on Hwy 60 or the old Windom road prior to the establishment of Hwy 60. It is not clear to me how this traffic flowed to the south.
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c. US Hwy 16 or old road to/from Luverne prior to Hwy 16)
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From the South going West to Luverne: This, also, came in from the south under the viaduct with the same spectacular view of Lake Okabena and the Bathhouse & Waterslide facilities as Hwy 59.
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From the West going South: Those coming from the west on US Hwy 16, came down Humiston to turn east on 10th Street, then south on 2nd Avenue to the lakeshore where they went under the RR viaduct.In each case, people going places, farm families coming to town, and travelers would see this Bathhouse & Waterslide facility. This had a natural promotional effect for the bathhouse Association, and Worthington in general.
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The Mpls-Sioux City railroad had an positive impact on this facility being there.
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a. Lake Okabena is the only lake along the railroad between Mankato, MN and Sioux City IA. The Mpls - Sioux City railroad promoted package recreation trips to the Worthington Lake Okabena Bathhouse & Waterslide facility to families along their routes.
b. You could board an excursion train in Sioux City at 8AM on Sunday morning and be sailing, boating, swimming, water sliding, picnicking, etc by 10 to 10:30 AM and stay there until 4PM at which time they would pick you up and take you back home.
The railroad had a special stop along the beach for such purposes so as to avoid the long walk from the regular train depot at 11th & 2nd Ave.
c. It has been speculated that the railroad gave money to the Bath House Association to help develop the facility.
These facilities were owned and managed by Charlie Alvord in the pre-1900 years. It isn't clear to what degree he may have sublet the facilities to the Worthington Bathhouse Association which formed in 1905.
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These facilities were owned and managed by Charlie Alvord in the pre-1900 years. It isn't clear to what degree he may have sublet the facilities to the Worthington Bathhouse Association which formed in 1905.
These facilities were not owned nor managed by the city government according to AP Rose's account in his "History of Nobles County" pg 197. He described their membership in 1908 as being about 90 people. There was a fee to belong to this Association.
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One of the early postcards includes a number of people who probably are the members of the Worthington Bath House Association at that time. They are posing there in street clothes (some even wearing hats), not wearing swimming apparel as would be the case if this were a photo of swimmers using the facilities. This group posing in street clothes suggests this is a membership photo.
Newspaper articles at that time about the Bathhouses & Waterslides (provided by Terri Mindock).
From The Worthington Advance-Herald:
Friday September 18, 1908
A social dance was given at the bath house pavilion last Wednesday night by the young folks of the village. It was an informal affair and was fairly well attended. Messrs. Mackay and May furnished excellent music for the occasion.
Friday September 18, 1908
The boats were all removed from the pavilion Monday, as the boating season is about over. The bath house, however, will be open after four o'clock each afternoon and on Saturdays as long as the weather will permit.
June 26, 1908
The bath house was opened for the season last Monday, with Geo. Kunzman as superintendent. The new pavilion above the bath house is completed and furnishes accommodations for a large number of spectators
May 14, 1909
A special meeting of the Bath House Association will be held at the Firemen's hall this evening at eight o'clock for the purpose of disposing of the new private bath rooms. Other business is also to come up for consideration.
July 2, 1909
Nels N. Nelson will run the stand in the bath house pavilion during the present season. Mr. Lloyd Clabough, of Jackson will be in charge. Mr. Nelson will give a series of dances in the pavilion each night during Chautauqua, and if the young folks desire it a number of dances will be given during the season.
August 6, 1909
Mr. and Mrs. F.L. Keith, Will Wilbert and Miss Lena Kleveter, of Reading, drove down Wednesday evening to enjoy a plunge in the lake and to shoot the chutes
August 13, 1909
Messrs. Randall Hough, B.S. Garberson, Pat Carey, Raymond Bahne, and Doctors G.E. Dickson and E. Dietrish, came up from Sibley Friday afternoon and partook of bathing at Lake Okabena and shooting the chutes until the next train, when they returned home. They stated that it was their intention to come up every other day for a plunge in the lake
August 20, 1909
L.A. Gregory's orchestra, consisting of three pieces with the leader as violinist, Carl Cowin, clarinet, and Miss Robinette Scheier, pianist, came over from Adrian Wednesday to play for the dance at the bath house pavilion that evening.
January 21, 1910
Wednesday evening the members of the Bath House association met at the Firemen's hall and elected the following committee for the ensuing year: W.B. Stoutemeyer, Lee M. Shell, Dr. Ray Humiston, Dr. E.C. Dieckhoff and W.M. Evans. A balance of $122.72 is in the treasury and all outstanding debts paid. There are at present about seventy members in good standing in the association.
January 28, 1910
Chas. Chermack was injured severely, while assisting in the ice industry at the lake. He was on the chute, endeavoring to shove a cake of ice along, when another cake came gliding along the chute and caught his knee between the two chunks. As a result he was laid up for a few days but is again able to be about.
