You Never Seen McKennan Park In Sioux Falls Like This
McKennan Park in Sioux Falls is called the "Jewel" of the city's park system and is one of the oldest parks around. Take a cruise over this iconic Sioux Falls park in a new video after this brief history.
The park was made possible by a generous gift from Helen McKennan in 1906. She contacted her friend Edwin A. Sherman who is credited as the father of the city's park system and the builder of Sherman Park. McKennan wanted to give the city her house and the 20 acres of adjacent land for a park. McKennan passed away shortly afterward leaving us with a legacy that lives on today as McKennan Park.
The park has added many features over the years. It's one of only two parks in Sioux Falls that have walnut trees, Sherman Park is the other. In 1909, tennis courts were installed. If you visited the park in 1915, you would have seen a small zoo featuring an ostrich, deer, wolves, opossum, eagles, and pheasants. Greenhouses appeared in 1920 and lasted until the 60s. A year later a horseshoe pit was installed.
One of the most iconic features of the park appeared for the first time in 1927 as the Sioux Falls Cosmopolitan Club sponsored the construction of a new bandshell that still stands at the South end of the park next to 26th Street. The bandshell was renovated in 1995.
1929 saw the installation of a wading pool west of the sunken garden. It lasted until 1971 when the existing wading pools were built. The park even features a replica of the Statue of Liberty.
That brings us to the latest drone video from Carson Bower with South Dakota Drone. Maybe you have driven past the park on 26th Street many times, but here's a chance to see the park from a unique perspective.
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