Soon after establishing the city of Temple, the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad Company built a dam on nearby Bird Creek to create a reservoir and ready water supply. By 1900 a group of investors formed an association to develop a park at the site to be named in honor of railroad general manager L.J. Polk. The park offered such recreational opportunities as boating, fishing, croquet, and tennis. Local citizens assisted in landscaping the area and enjoyed the facilities for a ten-cent admission fee. The area eventually became a private club and, later, a city park. (1991)