Craig had one main city park. It was near the Liquor store where where Andy and I would cash in our treasure of empty bottles. The park was long and narrow and ran along the west side of Fortification Creek. Fortification Creek ran through the east side of Craig. I remember several things about the park from my childhood.
I remember there was a clubhouse of sorts that was located near the south end of the park. The clubhouse is no longer there today according to the Google street view program. It looks like a concrete slab is all that is left of the old clubhouse.
See the slab out there in the grass?
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But that's typical for Craig (run down or no longer there). The clubhouse, as I remember it, was just a large one room cabin structure about 30 feet wide and maybe 60 feet long. It had a front door and was just a large big open room. I think people could rent it for dances or meetings, etc. For some reason, I can't really remember why, every time I think of that clubhouse, I think of an old Smothers Brothers song about a woman who had a map of the world painted on her body. And the part of the song I always think of is the part that talks about 'Greece on her knees'. La la la..."and on her knees was Grease....(laugh) Greece on her knees!". Yes, I realize it sounds dumb, but perhaps if you could hear the whole song, it would be funnier. Or perhaps if you were 10 years old it would be funnier. The Smothers Brothers were classic; and they were funny to adults as well as kids. I still don't know why I think of that song whenever I think of that clubhouse. I did attend some event there one night. I remember being in there when it was full of people. I remember the open door, and some people loitering outside. Perhaps they were playing that song while I was there. Not sure.
Her eyes were Siam
Her nose was Hindustan
And on her knees was Greece
(grease on her knees)
Her back was Brazil
Her chest was Bunker Hill
Her hips they were Con-stan-ti-no-po-ple
Just then, I saw my wife
And to avoid a future strife
I let the rest of the world go by
Craig, like many towns across America had a Chamber of Commerce office that was in a Railroad Car. The Craig Chamber Train Car was located at the South end of the Park at Victory Way. It is still there today:
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A little North of the clubhouse was the City Swimming Pool. We went there a few times in the summer and would go swimming. I could not swim. so I would stay in the shallow end, or hold on to the side if I went near a deeper section.
Craig Pool:
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Behind the pool was the playground area. The modern parks have a small little section of the park that is usually enclosed by sidewalk and filled with wood chips or soft Pea-gravel. Thus protecting the little children from hurting themselves if they fall. Craig's playground area had no soft wood chips or pea-gravel. Just hard dirt area and the play area was spread out over a larger area. The park had a nice merry-go-round, teeter-totter, tall slide, swings, monkey bars, etc, I especially remember the slide. It was a tall slide, about 10 feet tall. A long slick metal slide that was great for sliding. One time, while visiting the park, it must have been busy. I say that because the line to 'ride the slide' was long. Kids were standing on the ladder waiting for their turn to slide down the ladder. Well, it became my turn to slide down the slide and I climbed into the slide position at the top of the slide and was ready to make my run. But there was someone ahead of me that had stopped midway down the slide. I don't know if they were scared or playing around or what. But the kid behind me was upset that I was not sliding down the slide and so he pushed me. He must have pushed pretty hard because I did not go down the slide...I went off the edge of the slide and down to the ground. It knocked the wind out of me. I don't remember all the other times I must have went down that slide. But I remember that time. I can still remember that feeling of having the wind knocked out of me. Gasping for air and not being able to breathe. I have no idea who had stopped ahead of me, or who pushed me, but I will never forget that awful feeling.
I also remember the park area.
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Surrounded by tall trees. No grass, just hard ground. The area was shaded, with playground equipment dotting the playground area. It's hard to explain, but I can close my eyes and remember the 'feeling of being there'. The smell, the shade, the sound of the kids playing, the agony of defeat (when you get pushed off the slide).
In the cold Craig winters, they would flood the area near the playground and make a big skating rink right in the middle of the park. I was never a skater, but it was still cool that they would do that. Lots of people (who had ice skates) would go down to the park and ice skate in the winter.
At the north end of the park, there was a road that crossed the creek, There was also a foot bridge that crossed the creek and opened up into the playground area.
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There were picnic tables and a parking area in the same area. On the North side of that street (I think it was 7th street) was a unmaintained area that ran North along the creek for some distance. We called it Sherwood Forest.
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(Funny...it seemed more wooded in my memory)
I don't know if that was the official name of the area, but that is what everyone called it. It was cool. Shaded by tall trees, covered by weeds and bushes. There were little dirt walking and riding trails that had been formed over time. Some of the trails were right next to the creek. Other trails would just wind around through the wooded area with no particular destination designed. I remember that one of the trails was so close to the bank that if a person fell off the trail, they would fall into the creek. It was like a cliff scene on a winding wagon road, only it was a walking trail. On the west side, the bank went straight up about 6 feet. Then the trail about a foot wide. Then a 4 foot drop into the creek. I remember we could not ride our bikes on that trail because the side of the bank was too close to the handlebars. We spent a lot of time in Sherwood Forest. Most of the times were fun, but one time I remember we met 3 kids that were evidently looking for trouble. I can't remember what happened, but I remember Andy got in a fist fight with one of them. I must have stood back hoping that I would not have to fight too. I was not a fighter...I was a chicken.
Well, that is the Craig Park. I have other Park stories. but will save that for a later date. Remember: Play Hard, but don't take a plunge off the slide...it hurts big time.
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