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Description
The banks of Southside Park's lake are captured in this 1929 photograph. It took nearly two decades for fencing to find its way to the lakeside. Prior to this, a handful of children fell victim to drowning. The first to do so was Bobbie Whittaker, a ten-year-old who, because of his daredevil spirit, was the envy of neighborhood children. Unseasonably hot in late May 1909, Whittaker and two other boys decided to take a swim in the lake. Whittaker challenged his friends to run with him and jump headlong into the 30-foot-deep section of water. After the three did so, Whittaker never came up. The two playmates tried to save their friend, but to no avail. His body was recovered later that evening by Southern Pacific boilermaker Ted Burns.
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