Our cover story this July is all about the hidden wonders, peculiarities and histories encircling White Rock Lake.
For research I used two image books by Dallas historian Sally Rodriguez. Here are a few more photos I pulled from “Images of America: History of White Rock Lake.”
This is the White Rock Lake spillway in the 1950s. Notice the pedestrian bridge over the water to the left, which is no longer there. What is still there? Crowds of people whenever it floods.
This sandwich stand was one of several concessions at White Rock Lake in the 1930s. Earl Hart, pictured left with a patrolman, was the superintendent of White Rock Lake and a police officer. His wife ran the Sunset Inn.
In 1936 the Centennial Exhibition light bank behind the Hall of State at Texas State Fair provided a glorious glow over White Rock Lake.
This is the menu at Sunset Inn, a restaurant on White Rock Lake operated by Mary Hart, who is rumored to have made an exemplary fried chicken dish, which she sold at a bargain $1.50. She also seems to have had a quirky sense of humor.
Speedboat racing was a popular pastime in the 1930s, until a city ordinance prohibited boats with over ten horsepower engines.
As amazing as this photo is, one cannot help but wonder: Is a belt really necessary? Taken in 1941, this is an example of people using whatever they could find to ski across White Rock Lake — the more girls you can fit on it, the better. (This picture was donated by Johnny Williams Jr.)
The longest running concession building at the lake was owned by Ben Hundley and his family. It closed in 1992 after Ben died. The White Rock Rowing Club moved in in 2003.
