Man, Was It Worth It!

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Earlier this week (or late last week) I mentioned that I was in a lot of pain after a post-Christmas hike. I also warned/promised you that I’d explain what had happened. A few miles from Louisville is the small town of Charlestown, Indiana. There’s an Indiana State Park there (Charlestown State Park, go figure ). It used to be part of the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. Before the Army moved in, there also was a resort/amusement park (NOT like the ones we have today, mind you) there called Rose Island. Now, I remember the Ammo Plant; however, I had never heard of Rose Island. As usual, I found it in a rabbit hole (and, as usual, I don’t know HOW I got into that particular rabbit hole!). And, of course, after reading about it, I had to go SEE it!!! Rose Island was named after David B.G. Rose (1873-1958), who bought the one-time “Fern Grove” in 1923 and decided to compete against the other local amusement park (Louisville’s Fontaine Ferry Park). Instead of what you’d expect in an amusement park these days, Rose Island was a combination of resort and tourist site. The island boasted a restaurant, a hotel, a dance hall, a zoo, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Then came January, 1937. There are things in history where you never have to mention the event, just the date. January 1937 is like that here. The worst flood in this area’s history hit here (and along the Ohio River, up and downstream from here). As Rose Island was located on a small peninsula between 14 Mile Creek and the Ohio River, it was prime area for flood water collection. Between the Depression and the onset of World War II, Rose never rebuilt the park. Fast forward to this century and the state of Indiana taking over the property, and they came up with a great idea: show it as it is, with signs (on posts reclaimed from the property) explaining how it was. There are a lot of “ghost history” spots around that I’ve been to. One is the Blue Heron coal mining company town in Stearns, Kentucky, and another is the Joplin, Missouri Tornado Memorial. This is much like that (except they do NOT have shells of buildings). Signage shows historical photos of the property and descriptions of the era. Most telling, though, are those blue markers (see upper left photo). They are on various poles at various heights throughout the property. You may be able to read what it says: “1937 Flood.” Those signs show how high the water reached during the Flood. In the upper left photo you also see the remnants of the swimming pool. For the sake of visitors’ safety the pool was filled in (so those rocks were not dumped there by the ‘37 Flood). Yes, I walked through it, and even used the old ladder to get out! The upper right photo is a re-creation of the welcoming walkway that greeted people in the 1920s and 30s. In the lower left, you see the paved walkway that takes you from the parking lot to the bridge over 14 Mile Creek to get to Rose Island. That is so deceptive: according to the caution sign at the parking lot, the elevation drop is 286 feet. As my niece agreed when we had lunch Saturday, when you have that much of an elevation drop in a short period of time it’s sometimes harder going DOWN than coming UP. Putting the brakes on as I ambled down the walkway is what caused the aches in my muscles. The final photo is a group of people enjoying the informational signage posted beneath the Rose Island sign. Yes, I’m still feeling my thigh muscles grumble at me for that trot down the path, but man, was it worth it!!! I got to see some amazing history that I previously never knew about!! PHOTO COLLAGE: (Upper left) Remnants of the pool, with a blue marker showing the depth of the water from the 1937 Flood. (Upper right) Walkway to Rose Island. (Lower left) Steep walking path down to Rose Island. (Lower right) Welcome sign and explanation about the history of the island. Here’s a blog (I did not write it, I do not own it, and I do not get money from it) about it, complete with more photos.