bergie
Bronze Member
- Aug 2, 2004
- 1,815
- 1,147
You had asked for Redding lead--here's one I found...
Before the days of conditioned air, there were few ways to take the edge off Redding's infamous hot summer days. The swamp cooler wasn't invented until the time of the construction of Shasta Dam. Before the Dam's completion in 1945, the local "Swimming Hole" was the best solution. In Redding, the largest and most popular "Swimming Hole" was under the "Highway" (now Diestelhorst) Bridge.
Bleachers under the first arch, a "kiddie pen" of concrete base and wire fence, a huge swing, an enclosure for a white sand beach and floating platforms made the summer's warm Sacramento waters a popular spot to play. Those most brave dove off high platforms, the bridge and even the light towers! (Don't even think of trying it today.) Evenings often saw summer dances at a concrete platform built by the Diestelhorsts.
Before the days of conditioned air, there were few ways to take the edge off Redding's infamous hot summer days. The swamp cooler wasn't invented until the time of the construction of Shasta Dam. Before the Dam's completion in 1945, the local "Swimming Hole" was the best solution. In Redding, the largest and most popular "Swimming Hole" was under the "Highway" (now Diestelhorst) Bridge.
Bleachers under the first arch, a "kiddie pen" of concrete base and wire fence, a huge swing, an enclosure for a white sand beach and floating platforms made the summer's warm Sacramento waters a popular spot to play. Those most brave dove off high platforms, the bridge and even the light towers! (Don't even think of trying it today.) Evenings often saw summer dances at a concrete platform built by the Diestelhorsts.
