I'm 71 years old at Christmas 2024. My grandparents lived just across the railroad tracks to the West of Katy Lake. I vaguely remember the lake but I really remember Seminary South shopping center very well. My parents shopped there and used to take the family to the El Chico restaurant. As I became a teenager I remember the underground bowling alley at Seminary South. My grandparents used to drink coffee at the lunch counter in G.C.Murphy variety store. I remember circa 1963 watching the filming of a national TV commercial for Sears with Ed Reimer by the fountain at the West entrance of the store. As a high school junior I remember taking my girlfriend to the movies at the cinema near the northwest corner of the mall parking lot. After college and the death of my grandparents I remember coming back to Ft Worth to visit my family and I couldn't believe how Seminary South had declined. Several years later I remember my late mom telling me it was being revived as La Grand Plaza. Lots of good memories of the 1960s and '70s at Seminary South when it was at its peak.
I did not know that, I live off of morningside one block up from the tower. I've looked at the historical aerial map and saw that every thing from Rosedale and hwy 80b (ih35) to what is now hwy 30 were houses that the hwy runs through now. Hwy 80b ended at Rosedale and it was once called pecan street. I did a history on the people who lived in my house before my mother bought it from their grand niece. They moved in this house in 1939 when it was built and they moved from the east side off of beach and Lancaster. The husband was a projectionists at the theater downtown and the wife was a piano teacher at the Fort Worth piano competition school. I've been reading a lot of history on Fort Worth and the street names and it's fascinating. Fort Worth played a key role in the United States.
TRANSCRIPT KATY LAKE 1-1-11 The Water is still draining out of Katy Lake in Fort Worth. Its so shallow now the big fish are without a proper roof over their backs. Sleet was bouncing off the big fish last night, and the little ones that tried to make it down the drainage sluice met a freezing death in the wire trap built by the game and fish commission. Only a few small perch ventured out of the old fishing hole. The big uns are still out in the middle threshing around the ooze. Today two boating parties ventured out across the silt, and their efforts with the nets were highly rewarding . Just about every cast netted a fish----a big bass, a big cat or carp. The men in the boat say the fish were easy to see moving about in the shallow water, but the boats are difficult to maneuver...// The old Lake is being dried up to make way for a new shopping center. The owners of the land have kept the public from the lake site (PAGE 2 OF THE TRANSCRIPT MISSING/INDISTINCT) 3. Draining of the Lake has been going on for about a week and a half. The lake was built in 1908 by the Katy Railroad. Over the past weekend , thousands of persons turned out to view the drainage operations, perhaps in hopes of seeing some big fish taken from the Lake. But yesterday marked the first appearance of any fish of even frying size . (PAGE 4 IS MISSING BUT TEXT IS SAME AS PAGE 3) 5. KATY LAKE 2-2-2 it is drained and filled in. Its believed the lake will ---be emptied of water-- COMPLETELY DRAINED in about another 24 hours. MEN POSING WITH CATFISH This catfish in the center weighs about 40 pounds. The drum on the right will weigh about 15 pounds. The men who netted the catfish, construction company employees , say they will keep the cat (him) , but they turn over the nest of the catch to the Aquarium. Lawrence Curtins and Doc Smith of the aquarium staff brought in two big carp and a big drum in their boat. The bass average five to six pounds. some will go as high as eight pounds. PAGE 6 IS LOST/ TRANSCRIPT IS INDISTINCT
I'm 71 years old at Christmas 2024. My grandparents lived just across the railroad tracks to the West of Katy Lake. I vaguely remember the lake but I really remember Seminary South shopping center very well. My parents shopped there and used to take the family to the El Chico restaurant. As I became a teenager I remember the underground bowling alley at Seminary South. My grandparents used to drink coffee at the lunch counter in G.C.Murphy variety store. I remember circa 1963 watching the filming of a national TV commercial for Sears with Ed Reimer by the fountain at the West entrance of the store. As a high school junior I remember taking my girlfriend to the movies at the cinema near the northwest corner of the mall parking lot. After college and the death of my grandparents I remember coming back to Ft Worth to visit my family and I couldn't believe how Seminary South had declined. Several years later I remember my late mom telling me it was being revived as La Grand Plaza. Lots of good memories of the 1960s and '70s at Seminary South when it was at its peak.
Well, this is cool! My Mom said her Dad took them to watch this. Crazy!
I did not know that, I live off of morningside one block up from the tower. I've looked at the historical aerial map and saw that every thing from Rosedale and hwy 80b (ih35) to what is now hwy 30 were houses that the hwy runs through now. Hwy 80b ended at Rosedale and it was once called pecan street. I did a history on the people who lived in my house before my mother bought it from their grand niece. They moved in this house in 1939 when it was built and they moved from the east side off of beach and Lancaster. The husband was a projectionists at the theater downtown and the wife was a piano teacher at the Fort Worth piano competition school. I've been reading a lot of history on Fort Worth and the street names and it's fascinating. Fort Worth played a key role in the United States.
Thats cool! I remember growing up there where many farmer markets now all gone?
I wish I could of seen this back then
I remember Seminary South Shopping Center as a kid , in my 30s it was not a place to be after dark
Remember Seminary South in when it was really going and later but didn't know a lake was once there.
Is that how echo lake was made ? Can you show us echo lake ?
Why the hell would we get rid of a lake for Town center Mall? I personally think we should get rid of the mall and put a new lake there
TRANSCRIPT
KATY LAKE 1-1-11
The Water is still draining out of Katy Lake in Fort Worth.
Its so shallow now the big fish are without a proper roof over their backs.
Sleet was bouncing off the big fish last night, and the little ones that tried to make it down the drainage sluice met a freezing death in the wire trap built by the game and fish commission. Only a few small perch ventured out of the old fishing hole.
The big uns are still out in the middle threshing around the ooze. Today two boating parties ventured out across the silt, and their efforts with the nets were highly rewarding .
Just about every cast netted a fish----a big bass, a big cat or carp.
The men in the boat say the fish were easy to see moving about in the shallow water, but the boats are difficult to maneuver...//
The old Lake is being dried up to make way for a new shopping center. The owners of the land have kept the public from the lake site
(PAGE 2 OF THE TRANSCRIPT MISSING/INDISTINCT)
3. Draining of the Lake has been going on for about a week and a half. The lake was built in 1908 by the Katy Railroad. Over the past weekend , thousands of persons turned out to view the drainage operations, perhaps in hopes of seeing some big fish taken from the Lake. But yesterday marked the first appearance of any fish of even frying size .
(PAGE 4 IS MISSING BUT TEXT IS SAME AS PAGE 3)
5. KATY LAKE 2-2-2
it is drained and filled in. Its believed the lake will ---be emptied of water-- COMPLETELY DRAINED in about another 24 hours.
MEN POSING WITH CATFISH
This catfish in the center weighs about 40 pounds. The drum on the right will weigh about 15 pounds.
The men who netted the catfish, construction company employees , say they will keep the cat (him) , but they turn over the nest of the catch to the Aquarium.
Lawrence Curtins and Doc Smith of the aquarium staff brought in two big carp and a big drum in their boat. The bass average five to six pounds. some will go as high as eight pounds.
PAGE 6 IS LOST/ TRANSCRIPT IS INDISTINCT
I don't know I just think nature should be left alone if we have a lake leave it