Cody park is the primary greenspace in the town, covering about a half square-mile on the south bank of the North Platte river and the east side of Jeffers Street. In the summer there is a ferris wheel , an elaborate old fashioned marry-go-round and one of those miniture trains that little kids like on the west end of the park. The ice cream at the concession stand is good. The pizza and hot dogs are shit.
The park also holds something of a small petting zoo scattered throughout the grounds. Deer, peacocks, mules, llamas. I remember chasing the peacocks around on my bicycle as a little boy, and also as an adolescent. The North Platte police finally showed me the error of my ways when I was fifteen or so.
In 1989, a tornado ripped through the park. Trees were uprooted and tossed around. Fences were torn out and blown away. Animals ran aroud aimlessly trying to escape the storm. An adorible little fawn named Bambi was buried beneath a combination of shredded tree, fence, and feed shed, nearly smashing his entire skeleton. He somehow managed to linger for hours until he was discovered by park workers and put out of his misery. Every Plattian of my generation remembers where they were when they heard Bambi died.
Swimming in the North Platte river is officialy forbidden, and universally ignored in the summer months. The water is absolutely filthy, of course. The water is usually a foot deep so mud and rotting organic matter churn freely towards the surface. But what can I say? It gets hot in the summer. Take a shower afterwords.
In late summer, water is released from lake Mcconaughey, increasing the current and slightly increasing the river's depth. (Drowning is still impossible for anyone over five.) This is the time to go floating on a cheap raft from the park to the airport with a case of beer for you and your friends. Yes, this is extremely redneckian. But it gets hot in the summer.
To outsiders, Cody Park is probably most famous for the train museum at the southeast corner of the park, featuring the "challenger" locomotive. It's really fucking big. it's black. you can see it in the photo on top. it's really not that interesting.
We took a preschool field trip to the museum when I was three. It was May and there was an early heat wave. I touched the black metal surface of the engine and burned the epidermis off my right palm. Good times.
My uncle led the Union Pacific softball team to a state championship on the parks softball fields. (Well, okay, contributed.)
The northwest corner of the park, by the "nature trail" is the prefered spot for homosexual cruising in the upper Platte Valley.
3 comments:
killer memories. i walked through north platte on the way to helena, mt, several years ago and am writing about the course of the trip. did a little fact checking and found you really cool blogo on cody park. good on you.
I understand where you are coming from, however I would ask you to change a comment in your article. Being a rescue diver I can tell you that drowning IS NEVER IMPOSSIBLE, No matter the depth or current.
You're right, and it has happened. Perhaps I was going for effect instead of reality. Damned noble work you do, by the way.
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