Swan City Park in the community of Beaver Dam has a lush history, with ancient mineral springs that first attracted Native Americans and early settlers to the area.  When Dr. George Swan arrived in 1876 to launch a medical practice, he purchased a swath of land containing these natural springs, enthusiastic about their medicinal qualities. In the 1880s, an elegant pavilion was constructed to house the source of the spring — the very structure that exists yet today at the southeast corner of Swan Park. Eventually, Dr. Swan led the development of a grand community park upon the property, including new spring-fed lagoons, areas for tennis and croquet, playgrounds, and a new, four-story hotel — complete with bath house, greenhouse, boathouse and music pavilion. Ultimately, the hotel fell into disrepair and the City of Beaver Dam purchased the property in 1893, creating the community’s first official city park — Swan City Park.

Between 1915 and 1940, a number of improvements came to fruition, including bolstering Swan Park’s lagoons, establishing new wading pools and upgrading bridge stonework. Years later, modern playground equipment was installed and the original Vital Spring Pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places — the lone remaining element of Dr. Swan’s infamous health spa.

Deteriorating conditions along the park lagoons

Today, Swan Park has undergone significant restoration to revitalize the historic property. Upgrades were constructed in stages, all stemming from the Swan Park Master Plan developed by MSA in 2019-2020. MSA landscape architects and park and recreation specialists conducted a comprehensive analysis of the park and led a robust public engagement program to collect resident opinion about the future of Swan Park. It was clear; the community wanted to restore the crumbling lagoons and funnel park users back to the water’s edge for a more intimate experience. It also wanted to decommission the deteriorating public pool and replace it with a new splash pad, extend trails throughout the property, improve ADA access, and make future upgrades to the park’s pavilion and shelter.

With the restoration of the lagoons complete, visitors now find a beautiful new aesthetic to replace the crumbling masonry stone lagoon walls, this time constructed from regional limestone blocks. Stepping stones bring park goers down to the water’s edge and a cascading stone waterfall now inhabits the central island of the western lagoon. The waterfall replaces a fountain that had fallen to disrepair and provides a new aesthetic focal point, while also improving lagoon aeration and water quality. Within the eastern lagoon, a floating fountain has been added to assist with aeration, as the prior lagoons were prone to unhealthy algae and weed growth. Two new launch ramps are available for those interested in kayaking or canoeing through the lagoons’ waters, and (weather permitting) the community intends to open the lagoons for ice skating once again in the winter — something they have not been able to do for years due to extensive reed growth and resulting unstable ice formation. The upgraded park landscape has been thoughtfully planted with sod and native perennials which provide a lush and low-maintenance complement to the stands of large cottonwood trees that surround the ponds. And the infrastructure improvements have also been fully wired with electric to support ambient lighting, holiday and event lighting display opportunities.

Before, during and after reconstruction of Swan Park lagoons.

Phase two of the project constructed a new splash pad at the site of the old public wading pool, which has been removed. The splash pad is a recirculating design, which provides the ability to reuse water in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective way. In addition, because splash pads have a zero-depth entry (as opposed to a pool), they provide communities members of all ages and abilities the means to have a safe and refreshing aquatic experience. Phase three will improve and extend trails throughout the property and will make upgrades to Swan Park’s playground, park pavilion and shelter.

Construction of the first two phases was completed in 2023. The community celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of the splash pad on July 26, 2023.