Debbie's memories of Krug Park

Krug Park and Krug pool were the most fun places to go when I was growing up!

I don’t remember if we only went on the weekends or if we sometimes went during the week.    Mom probably packed a picnic lunch or dinner sometimes, but I don’t remember eating anything.    All I remember was all the FUN things there were to do there.

When I was little, we used to roll down the hills in the bowl area, which was a long roll down!

When I was a little older, we played on the swings and other playground equipment, but the most FUN was the LONG slides.    There were probably other slides, too, but the 2 long slides were the best.     Really, they were the longest slides I ever saw!   They were the same length and went down parallel to each other.   We used to do anything to go faster, like sit on napkins or throw dirt and sand on them!    They were so much fun!    I can just imagine how hard it was for Mom and Dad to get us to leave…and how dirty we were after all that!

On our way out of the park, there were 2 tunnels to drive through – that was such a big deal when we were kids!   Dad always honked the horn the whole way through the tunnel.    It was just so exciting!

The last tunnel was part of what we called the “castle”.  There used to be live animals, like a small zoo there.   I think monkeys and lions, but it closed before we were old enough to remember.

The park had a big pond, “the duck pond”, and that was our last stop before leaving the park.   We would save the heels of bread (from the day old Rainbow bakery) to feed to the fish.   They were big! And the pond was full of them!    I think there were ducks, too, but I remember the fish the most, because the water would be still and you’d throw a piece of bread in and all of a sudden an orange fish would come up and grab it!   

When I was in Girl scouts, we had a Yule log hunt there.    I never knew what a Yule log was then, so I didn’t even know what we were looking for.     I just knew it was a really big park and we didn’t have much hope finding it, especially since there was snow and it was cold!   The best part about it was the campfire and hot cocoa and somemores.

The park also included a natural “bowl” amphitheater area.   Every Sunday evening in the summer was the Krug Park Bowl.  There was always a big band performing, the best way to describe it is like Lawrence Welk.  There was a master of ceremony, which was the announcer and the band leader.   Then there were other performances, like singers and dancers.  We took dance lessons from Susan Knoll and Nancy, Gail and I danced there one time.    They can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it was a tap dance to “Fascinatin Rhythm”, costumes were deep purple satin, sleeveless, with a short skirt edged with a feathery trim.  Nancy and I took voice lessons from this very old woman who made us sing only Irving Berlin songs, but I don’t think we ever sang at the Krug Park Bowl.

When I was in junior high and high school, the Krug Park Bowl on Sunday night was THE only place to be.    Everyone who was anyone was there.  We’d meet our friends and make new ones and just ‘hang around’.    I don’t remember seeing any of the performances, it was just to socialize and show off your new outfit and how good it looked with your suntan.

When I was in 7^th and 8^th grade, we had several slumber parties at Josie Rock’s sister’s house, who lived on the road just behind the park, so we would hang around the castle in the park.

When I was in 8^th grade and freshman, it was Ice skating.    We kept checking the paper for the notice that the pond had been cleared and was safe to skate on and then we were there with our skates.    The best time to go was at night.   We played crack the whip, which was probably dangerous, but I never got hurt and no one I knew did.    I probably had a bruise or two now and then because we did fall down a lot, but it was so worth it!    There was always a bonfire built on the bank, so you could keep warm, but my hands and feet never warmed up until after I got home and rubbed and massaged them in front of the heater vent.    That numbness and tingling was the strangest feeling!

Then there was the Krug Park pool, which was right by the park, on St. Joseph Avenue.   We took swimming lessons there, I never learned to dive, but I did jump off the high diving board.    Of course, I will never forget Mom made me wear sponge rollers in my hair one time that we had swimming lessons because we were having a family picture taken later in the day.    I was so embarrassed.   I can’t figure out why I would have had to do that because the pool water had chlorine in it, so my hair probably looked bad anyway for the picture.   When I was in high school, we always walked to the pool from our house, which is a pretty long walk, but everyone did it.    And we would hang out at the pool and walk to Krug Park or to the Dairy Queen.   We never carried a purse, but we always had a comb in our hand (with a long handle).    It was the cool thing to do!    We sure did a lot of walking in those days!

Here is a little history on Krug Park:

Krug Park is often referred to as St. Joseph's oldest park. While other areas were given for public use earlier, it is true that Krug Park was the first public outing area under the jurisdiction of the board of park commissioners which received public expenditure. As such, it was developed before any other parks. On February 26, 1890, Henry Krug, donated 10 acres (40,000 m²) to the City for use exclusively as a park^[2] , on the conditions "that no intoxicating liquors shall ever be kept, sold or disposed of in or upon said premises...nor shall any gambling or gambling devices be permitted." The City was to keep the park in good condition, under police control, and expend annually at least $2,000.00 under the direction of the park commissioners.
Early plans of Krug Park are not available, but from narrative sources it appears that the City quickly spent in excess of the required $2,000.00 per year. As St. Joseph's only developed public space, Krug Park became the "catch-all" for everything that the public seemed to desire. Park Superintendent Rudolph G. Rau seemed particularly fond of flower displays and formally designed beds, and Krug Park boasted many such spectacular displays. It also had at one time a zoo, greenhouses, botanical gardens, gazebos, the Robidoux cabin, a fountain, and a lily pond.
Krug Park was officially open to the public on May 6, 1902. The impressive stone gateway was just nearing completion at that time^[2]. The conservatory, which had been constructed at least since 1900, was a very popular spot for park visitors during this period. Alligators were kept in the pond in front of conservatory, and several other exotic animals were housed around the park. Old war cannons were moved to the park, and (as a result of a hoax) so was the so-called "Robidoux cabin." A reporter in need of a story saw an old cabin being torn down, and claimed that it belonged to the town's founder, Joseph Robidoux. As a result, the cabin was moved to Krug Park and maintained for many years.