Fireman’s Pond
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 20, 2017
- Colby Brown / SpokesmanORIGThomas Nichols, 12, fishes at Fireman's Pond. The pond was stocked with thousands of fish for the 2016 annual Redmond Fish Fair. The event, hosted by the Redmond Fire Department and volunteer firfighters, was open to children 13 years and younger and the disabled. In addition to fishing, volunteer firefighters provided soda and hotdogs for lunch.
In 1912, Fireman’s Pond was a watering hole for sheep brought into town to await shipment via the nearby railroad. In the early 1950s, with a collapsed sheep industry, it became the irrigation pond for the original Juniper Golf Course, located nearby. Along the way it also served as an ice-skating venue, where the community could gather around the frozen pond and build campfires for warmth as well as toasting marshmallows and hot dogs.
The water body got the name Lion’s Pond after the Lions Club adopted it and promoted its use as a fishing spot for kids. The club kept the cattails at bay and maintained the pond and its banks.
Eventually Redmond’s volunteer firefighters took over, stocking the pond with fish and holding an annual fish fair for kids. The name changed to Fireman’s Pond, although in some places it is referred to as Fireman’s Lake. In recent years, an effort to rehabilitate the pond has been underway to decrease erosion on the banks and provide a healthy habitat for fish.
Today, Fireman’s Pond, 1100 SW Lake Court, is the center of a 5.77-acre city park, with a walking path, picnic tables, and ADA-accessible fishing for children 13 and under and the disabled. It’s also home to waterfowl and other migratory birds. www.ci.redmond.or.us
