Explore Chattanooga Summer 2022

O n June 1, 1925, opening day at Lake Winnepesau kah brought 5,000 guests to the Chattanooga lakefront property for swimming and picnics. Named with the Native American word for “bountiful waters,” the area had seen many moments in history. At a time known as McAfee Lake and Green’s Spring Lake, it had served as a campground for Confederate President Jefferson Davis the night of the battle of Missionary Ridge in 1863. Carl O. Dixon, famous as an automobile race car driver and sportsman, purchased the property with his wife, Minette, in 1924. The vision: family friend ly recreation. Now owned and operated by Dixon’s granddaugh ter, Adrienne White Rhodes, and great-granddaughters Talley Green and Tennyson Dickinson, Lake Winnepesaukah is one of only a few multigenerational amusement parks remaining in the U.S. “Many of those started in the northeast as trolley stops at the

With Dixon at the helm in the 1920s, the first ride to be added to Lake Winnepesaukah was the Boat Chute, now recognized as the oldest mill chute water ride in the United States by the National Amusement Park Historical As sociation. “My great-grandfather was not an engineer. It was just his idea on paper that local labor ers brought to life,” Green says. A simple mechanical concept pow ered by a paddlewheel, Dixson’s design was ingenious and quickly mimicked in other parks around the country. Part of what makes Lake Winnepesaukah so special is the way the park incorporates nods to the past in its current design. In 1941, Dixon added Auto Scooters (later known as Lussie Bumper Cars) to the property. Today the building is home to Scooter’s Pizza on Kiddie Hill. The Showboat, once a function ing boat on the 9-acre lake in the 1950s, is now shored up next to the main walkway and used as an

end of the trolley line,” Green says. “Slowly but surely, they have disappeared. But there are a few left. I think the ones that remain have done so through community ownership, meaning you’re just a vital part of the community. Not only do you provide jobs and entertainment, but you also give back. That creates a place that lasts for generations.”

ice cream stand. For details on Lake Winnepesaukah hours of operation and a list of attractions including The Cannon Ball Roller Coaster, the Ferris Wheel, the Antique Carrousel, carnival games, and SOAKya Water Park, visit www.lakewinnie.com.

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