Upper Onondaga Park: A Stroll Down Memory Lane

An Excerpt from Exploring Green in the ‘Cuse Written By: Paul Pflanz

Onondaga Park was given birth by the 1894 opening of Woodland Reservoir on South Geddes Street, three blocks to the west. Woodland made the area’s old Wilkinson Reservoir obsolete, and in 1898, the 71 acres surrounding the latter was acquired by the city to form Onondaga Park. In 1903, a large, wooded area known as the Olmstead Grove was added, expanding the park and creating a popular picnic area at its southeast corner that is still used today. Wilkinson Reservoir was reconfigured in 1911 and renamed Hiawatha Lake, the landscaped centerpiece of today’s Onondaga Park. The larger part, lying west of Onondaga Avenue, is called Upper Onondaga Park. The reservoir, with rip-rapped stone sides, and adjoining oak and hickory grove was used for swimming and picnicking with little change over the years. John McCarthy, a funeral director, had built - at his own expense - two wooden piers 50 yards apart with a bathhouse at each pier, and a wooden building for guards and attendants.

The reservoir was soon transformed into a lake and lagoon containing over 15 acres of great scenic beauty. The lake also afforded facilities for swimming, and an annual fish derby for younger folk. A bandstand on an island near the edge of the lake is the scene of many enjoyable concerts. There is also a lovely grove used for picnics. The current configuration of the park was created in 1911. Designed by famed urban planner George Kessler, the park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. In May 2017, the Mountain Goat Foundation placed a mountain goat sculpture by local sculptor Sharon BuMann to commemorate the 39th running of the race, which winds through the park. The sculpture sits on a hilltop overlooking the city. Inscribed on its base are the Mountain Goat Race Hall of Fame Inductees. From 1915 to the mid-1950’s, Onondaga Park was known for its major flower beds, and the entire lake was used for swimming in the summer and ice skating in winter.

Upper Onondaga is a beautiful park, to say the least, and has been enjoyed by many over the years.