Long ago on independence square (medium, houses, theater)

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

McComas Triple Lakes?

The "Lakes" part is correct.

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Today's tough trivia.

Dickinson lakes?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by Major Tom 58

Dickinson lakes?

Correct you are. Congratulations, you are the winner of absolutely nothing!

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

The "Lakes" part is correct.

Where these lakes Swimming Hole Doutt's type establishments? Fishing lakes?

Are they still around or filled in/deserted ?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Where these lakes Swimming Hole Doutt's type establishments? Fishing lakes?

Are they still around or filled in/deserted ?

I never visited Dickinson Lakes, so the others will have to provide it usage history. Here is the area around it in 1957, followed by the near-current view.

[Major Tom 58]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

I never visited Dickinson Lakes, so the others will have to provide it usage history. Here is the area around it in 1957, followed by the near-current view.

Off Dickinson Road there's a park appropriately calle Dickinson Park with a shelter house or two. If you venture to the back of the park there is some overgrowth which hides older brick BBQ grills and dry lake beds. I know some fishing was done there as I found dozens of sinkers while metal detecting there. I must admit this information is all based on my adventure there several years ago.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Dickinson Lakes was owned by "Mr. Dickinson." Bill McComas later took it over. I looked at that address and it is a ways north of the lakes. Maybe that was where Mr. Dickinson lived as he had a lot of land in that area.

A small part of that lakes area became a subscription swimming pool in the late fifties but the pool has been filled in and is now a small city park.

McComas also had an underground fishing lake in the underground area at M-291 and Truman.

Before I got my drivers license, I walked my girl friend home from William Chrisman by going through the back behind the school and into the lakes area. We were sophomores. I can't recall jumping a fence but we surely must have. We found we had to go through the lake's main "check in" and sales building to get to Dickinson Road. We just nonchalantly walked into the lakeside door and started through the rustic place like nothing was out of the ordinary but we were stopped and questioned. After she found out where we came from, a burly no nonsense gal (as I recall) got all over us for trespassing and told us never to come through there again. I thought we were going to be in a heap of trouble. Back then adults were authority and we were where we should not have been. We never went that way again. But, less than 30 days later I had my drivers license.

We would have walked through there in September '57 after our first day at school in the new William Chrisman. That would have been the same year the aerial was taken.

I think the pool was called the Sun 'n Fun or something like that. It was a subscription swimming pool and I dont know how long it lasted. It came about, I think, just after the time Dickinson died or just after a decision to close the lakes. McComas then came along for a while.

I was sitting in that park facing Dickinson Road early last year looking up the street and reminiscing about my Dickinson Road sweetie's house that was quite close.

The pool's name was Sun and Fun. When the lakes were open, the check in area building for the lakes was entered in the same driveway and was somewhere to the rear of the future pool area.

Other than cutting through the lakes to get to Dickinson Road from William Chrisman, I never paid those lakes much attention. I was surprised to see the extent of those lakes in the '57 aerial as I thought they were just in the immediate vicinity of the swimming pool.

[WCHS'59]

"This 8- pound lunker was caught by Charles Schroeder, 3709 South Spring, Independence, in the McComas fee lake in the northeast section of Independence, on a Lazy Ike lure. Although not stocked with bass, a few old-timers apparently still inhabit the lake."

From KC Star April 12, 1961.

[WCHS'59]

Allega v. Associated Theatres

295 S.W.2d 849 (1956)


[Associated Theaters owned the Granada, Englewood and Maywood theaters in 1953 when the land was rezoned. The Plaza on west Lexington was still vacant in 1953 having closed a year earlier. The Electric on north Main closed four years earlier. This legal challenge was against the area in question being rezoned and the court decided the rezoning was legal. I cannot remember what caused the drive in to finally "fall through" and only vaguely remember that a drive in was slated for this area. i also cannot seem to pinpoint the actual 20 acres that was rezoned.]



In May, 1953, an application was made to the council by the defendant Associated Theatres, Inc., and Mr. Dickinson, to rezone a certain area of approximately 20 acres and designate it District "E" (General Business). The purpose of this application was to permit the construction of a drive-in theater on the 20 acre tract.



There is no dispute about the general situation surrounding the rezoned tract. It is bounded on the north and south by land owned by the public school district. The school tract on the south contains 40 acres upon which is a junior-senior high school, stadium and playgrounds, and the tract on the north contains 13.9 acres, upon which is an elementary school with playgrounds. On the east of the rezoned tract is land owned and operated for public pleasure, such as fishing and picnicking, and known as "McComas Lakes", and also "Jensen's Kiddie Land", catering to the amusement of children.


There are two principal streets frequently referred to by the witnesses as land marks. These are: Independence Avenue or U. S. Highway 24, a four-lane trafficway, which extends east and west through the northern part of the city and immediately south of the high school tract; and Noland Road, which is a north and south two-lane paved street and immediately west of the school and theater tracts. These streets intersect ¼ mile south of the entrance to the theater grounds. Noland Road south of Highway 24 carries the traffic of U. S. Highway 71 By-pass. Highway 24 is a national east-west road, and No. 71 By-pass is a national north-south road. The average daily traffic volume at this point is approximately 17,000 vehicles, and increases on Sundays to a flow of 21,500.
Between Noland Road (north) and the theater site is a short street referred to as "North High Street", which extends north and south for two or three blocks. There are lots on both sides of this street, 140 feet in depth. All the lots on the east side are vacant and owned by the Dickinson Estate. On the west side of this street are 6 homes, 2 of which have been there several years, but the other 4 were constructed in 1953.


The entrance to the theater will be from Noland Road. The width of the entrance will be 80 feet, and is at the southwest corner of the tract. At the southeast corner there will be an exit road 50 feet in width and extending south to Highway 24. The theater grounds proper will accommodate a maximum of 750 automobiles. The theater company plans to exhibit two shows each evening, from about 7:30 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. From experience of other outdoor theaters, it is anticipated that the theater will never have more than 50% of its capacity at a particular time, because patrons will be arriving and leaving continuously.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Allega v. Associated Theatres

295 S.W.2d 849 (1956)


[Associated Theaters owned the Granada, Englewood and Maywood theaters in 1953 when the land was rezoned. The Plaza on west Lexington was still vacant in 1953 having closed a year earlier. The Electric on north Main closed four years earlier. This legal challenge was against the area in question being rezoned and the court decided the rezoning was legal. I cannot remember what caused the drive in to finally "fall through" and only vaguely remember that a drive in was slated for this area. i also cannot seem to pinpoint the actual 20 acres that was rezoned.]



In May, 1953, an application was made to the council by the defendant Associated Theatres, Inc., and Mr. Dickinson, to rezone a certain area of approximately 20 acres and designate it District "E" (General Business). The purpose of this application was to permit the construction of a drive-in theater on the 20 acre tract.



There is no dispute about the general situation surrounding the rezoned tract. It is bounded on the north and south by land owned by the public school district. The school tract on the south contains 40 acres upon which is a junior-senior high school, stadium and playgrounds, and the tract on the north contains 13.9 acres, upon which is an elementary school with playgrounds. On the east of the rezoned tract is land owned and operated for public pleasure, such as fishing and picnicking, and known as "McComas Lakes", and also "Jensen's Kiddie Land", catering to the amusement of children.


There are two principal streets frequently referred to by the witnesses as land marks. These are: Independence Avenue or U. S. Highway 24, a four-lane trafficway, which extends east and west through the northern part of the city and immediately south of the high school tract; and Noland Road, which is a north and south two-lane paved street and immediately west of the school and theater tracts. These streets intersect ¼ mile south of the entrance to the theater grounds. Noland Road south of Highway 24 carries the traffic of U. S. Highway 71 By-pass. Highway 24 is a national east-west road, and No. 71 By-pass is a national north-south road. The average daily traffic volume at this point is approximately 17,000 vehicles, and increases on Sundays to a flow of 21,500.
Between Noland Road (north) and the theater site is a short street referred to as "North High Street", which extends north and south for two or three blocks. There are lots on both sides of this street, 140 feet in depth. All the lots on the east side are vacant and owned by the Dickinson Estate. On the west side of this street are 6 homes, 2 of which have been there several years, but the other 4 were constructed in 1953.


The entrance to the theater will be from Noland Road. The width of the entrance will be 80 feet, and is at the southwest corner of the tract. At the southeast corner there will be an exit road 50 feet in width and extending south to Highway 24. The theater grounds proper will accommodate a maximum of 750 automobiles. The theater company plans to exhibit two shows each evening, from about 7:30 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. From experience of other outdoor theaters, it is anticipated that the theater will never have more than 50% of its capacity at a particular time, because patrons will be arriving and leaving continuously.

Is this the group that then built the Twin?