THEN & NOW

Wylie Park was a natural spot for an artificial lake – In 1910, the Aberdeen City Council agreed to purchase 160 acres northwest of city limits. This tract of land was already known as Wylie Park and was owned by Alva N. Aldrich. The park area was named for James Wylie, an Aberdeen pioneer, who was the father of Mrs. Aldrich. The Aberdeen Street Railway Company (trolley system) fulfilled a contingent promise after the sale by donating an additional 30 acres adjacent to the 160. They believed this area would be ideal for a lakebed due to a depression in the landscape. At the time of the sale, the intention was to extend trolley tracks to Wylie and to build a lake for recreation. The city park board would cover the costs of grading the lake estimated between $500 and $600; an affordable price due to the natural banks left by the depression. In August 1911, the city announced that the lake would be known as “Minne-eho.” It was said by the Aberdeen Weekly News that the word liberally translates to “Wonderful Lake,” or “Water Behold” in the Sioux language. The park board finished grading the lakebed and the Street Railway Company graded a path around the lake area for trolley tracks. Work then began by the Street Railway to drill a three inch well that would supply the water for the lake. This photo by Nicholas A. Brothers may have been taken late in 1911 while the lake was filling. // —Troy McQuillen

The bubbling continues – Drilling did not go as planned and after encountering quicksand at 250 feet down through 600 feet, it was decided to abandon the well and move to a different spot. The Aberdeen Daily News reported on September 21, 1911 that water was reached at a depth of nearly 1,300 feet and was bubbling into the lakebed at a decent rate. The anticipated time for it to fill would be about six months. The park planners believed Wylie’s Lake would be a year-round wonder with swimming, boating, fishing and ice skating. When grading the five-footdeep lake, “pockets” were dug deeper so stocked fish would have a place to gather. Many will recall an island in the middle of the lake (seen in the previous photo). It was used at times to launch fireworks displays on the Fourth of July. It’s incredible to think that this view was created over 100 years ago and that the pressurized aquifer that feeds the lake is still supplying water in 2022. City Engineer Robin Bobzien says the well is still bubbling and if the lake overflows, it is directed towards a series of ditches that go as far east as Holgate Middle School. As much as people have tried in the past, I too can find no substantiation of the translation of the word Minne-eho meaning anything. “Minne” certainly relates to water, but Lakotas say “eho” is not a word they know. Eho is yet another Aberdeen legend. // —Troy McQuillen