MEEKER | In March 1935, the people of Meeker sought federal funding to construct a new pool using water from a well in Alkali Flat, east of Meeker. The well in Alkali Flat was not as warm as the one drilled by the Marlan Company in 1925, but it still had an output of 70 degrees. There is no evidence the public endeavor was ever funded.
However, a private enterprise was proposed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Peterson. In 1935, eight years after the closing of the Meeker Dome pool, Henry announced plans for a new outdoor pool christened “Happy Landing Pool.”
Henry’s plan was to construct a new pool farther down the hill, closer to the White River. To supply hot water, Henry planned to redevelop the old Marlan oil well on the Meeker Dome. He planned to revitalize the old Scott No. 1 well and paid Vern Underwood to bring in a drill rig and redrill the well in November and December 1935.
The flow and temperature were then tested. Underground pressure would no longer push the water all the way to the surface, and pumping would not be economical. The Scott No. 1 well was abandoned once again.
In February 1936, Henry Peterson leased land from Robert C. Russell and made plans for a second pool. The pool was to be located south of the old Dome Pool at the foot of the hill. Water would be piped from a different artesian well through 1,000 feet of wooden pipe to a triangular area on the lower end called Alkali Flats, just north of the existing County Road 8.
The Petersons opened the new pool in August 1936, charging a daily fee. The pool was lined with lumber on both the sides and bottom, and the water ran at 70 degrees.
The new pool was a success and, in 1939, Henry opened a 50-by-70-foot dance hall and roller skating rink at a separate site. They held water carnivals with water sports and beauty contests.
On June 3, George Oglesby and his “Cavaliers” played for the opening dance. Peterson had installed a new type of dance floor and added a light generator for the new pavilion to provide plenty of lighting. Peterson was open to creative ideas, including cages with raccoons and rattlesnakes.
After a few years, the sides of the pool became water-soaked and the hill slid in. Henry gave it up as a lost cause. It became unprofitable, in part because of new competition for local entertainment dollars.
He negotiated with Robert Russell to end the lease and surrender all the buildings on the land on Sept. 6, 1941.
In 1945, the Lions Club paid a crew to clean out the Alkali Flats well to restore the flow, with the idea that the hot water could be used for a pool in Meeker itself. After testing, it was decided that any plan to pipe water into Meeker was not feasible.
The Peterson pool held water for years afterward. In 1949, the Lions Club once again cleaned rocks and debris from the pool so local children could swim there.
Tragedy struck in 1957. Ralph Sterry and friends were swimming in the pool. Ralph dove into the pool and never came back up. It was determined that Ralph had struck his head on a rock.
The drowning was ruled accidental, but some members of the community called for the pool to be filled in as a safety issue. There was also concern about local teenagers using the pool as a midnight rendezvous.
In 1969, the original Marlan well was plugged to a depth of 550 feet by the Bureau of Reclamation. The justification was that seepage from the well, flowing at three cubic feet per second, was adding enough salt to the Colorado River drainage system to become a concern.
The government spent more than $3 million on three abandoned wells on the Meeker Dome.
Jere Taylor of Meeker helped cap the two lower wells. He was a young man working at Meeker Iron Works when Wiland Peace got the contract to cap the Peterson well and needed an extra hand who could weld. Wiland “borrowed” Jere at $4 per hour.
Well “mud” was pumped down to the 400- to 500-foot level. This slurry of mud and concrete was called the “kill load” and effectively stopped the flow much like a cork. Water could still leak from fissures at lower levels, but it did stop most of it.
I am sure it was a wise use of taxpayer money. Although the fish did not seem to care one way or the other.
If you take the time for a short drive, you can visit the new historical marker placed 1.4 miles upriver. It is on the north side of County Road 8. Go past the first two bridges and look on your left for the turnout and sign.
The sign and this article are the product of the Rio Blanco Historical Society, Kay Bivens, Kevyn Mack and others. Our thanks to the Rio Blanco County Road and Bridge Department.
Sources: Rio Blanco Historical Society; Meeker Herald archives; researched by Kay Bivens; co-writer Ed Peck
