The Tenino Stone Company Quarry, at City Park in Tenino, Washington, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983.
Also known as the Memorial Swimming Pool or the Veteran's Pool, the site is a sandstone quarry from which stone was removed in a box shape. It is used as a swimming and diving pool and the basin split into two sections, a shallow area and a deeper pool, large enough to be considered an inland lake.
History.
The Tenino Stone Company closed in 1918 and when quarry operations ended in the 1920s, the formation filled with spring water. There are two proposed causes to the cavities filling with water - that workers in the quarry opened up a natural spring or that personnel turned the pumps off as they left the job in a labor protest.
The area was closed and was deemed a no-trespassing zone, but the quarry became an unofficial pool in the community. The quarry was placed on the NRHP in 1983.
Tenino Quarry Pool.
Tenino purchased the quarry and surrounding acreage in 1946. The area was officially opened as a pool, known as the Tenino Memorial Pool or as the Veteran's Pool, by the city on June 8, 1950 and remained without any significant upgrades until a 2018 renovation project funded in part by a grant of $200,000 from Thurston County. The remodeling was completed in 2023 with the addition of a splash park and a combined retaining wall and walkway, and betterments were completed to the decks, docks, and filtration systems. Further renovations were undertaken into 2024 which included additional safety measures and access for disabled people; a large reopening of the facility was in June 2024 as part of the city's Tenino Family Fun Day event.
Features.
The box-shaped quarry measures about long, wide, and deep.
The site contains two separate swimming areas. A deep shallow pool also contains a spray area. The large pool, used for swimming and diving is measured up to in depth and is deep enough to be considered an inland lake. The site also contains picnic areas and outdoor shower facilities.
References.
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