A Rich History, a Present Gift, and a Future Legacy
SPRINGFIELD, MO. – Doling became a park in 1883, making it 162 years old. However, it dates back several years prior to that time. The land on which the park now resides was originally homesteaded by Alexander Giboney, for which the still-remaining Giboney Cave, was named. The cave provided ample storage and refrigeration on Mr. Giboney’s land, which was granted a patent from President Millard Fillmore in 1852.
Jenny Edwards, Public Information Administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, shared the well-known legend of Doling Park. The land, at that time, was north of Springfield. According to legend, there was a local businessman James Marshall Doling, owned a milk cow that went missing in the 1880s. Mr. Doling tracked the missing cow from his farmstead to what is now known as Giboney Cave. When he found the milk cow, near the cave’s entrance, he decided the land was a great piece of property with expansive potential. Being a businessman and possessing an adequate financial reserve, Mr. Doling proceeded to purchase the property from the Giboney Family and worked with his only son to develop the land into the parklike setting we know today.
The Doling’s damned the creek that cut through the land to successfully create the lake that now dots the property. By the early 1900s, the land had become an amusement park. The park included an arcade and several small county fair-like rides, bumper cars, a roller-skating rink, and several other crowd-pleasing attractions. There was a grandstand with a dance hall for those who desired to move to the popular live music of the day.
Swimming was a big attraction, and the lake provided the perfect atmosphere for those hot Ozark summer days. One could rent bathing suits and swim, boat, or enjoy the outlandish three-story wooden slide adjacent to the lake. Known as ‘Shoot-the-Chute’, this large wooden structure served as a slide going into the lake, utilizing flat-bottom boats that slid down the surface and landed in the lake below.
In 1929, before the legendary stock market crash, the Springfield Park Board bought Doling Park, including the cave, lake and amusement park. The on-site Doling Park Museum showcases several postcard pictures of the paddle boat rentals, largely stylish Victorian apparel, complete with big hats, ruffled dresses, and frilly umbrellas, in boats or on park benches, enjoying a day out on the lake or having a dockside picnic by the shore.
The lake on the premises remains quite popular today, encircled by a paved walking trail. There is a more nature-esque unpaved trail, located in the wooded area north of the lake.
Doling Park continues to provide a beautiful area of land for the public to enjoy. It is one of ten historic parks in the city of Springfield. With a rolling hillside, running creek, and shallow stream running through the cave.
Doling is the north terminus for Springfield’s north-south bike route, called The Link. In addition, there are several playground equipment areas, tennis courts, and the cave entrance. The Park Board offers periodic tours of the cave during the summer season.
Doling History Museum, which was opened in 2006, is a small space that is open seasonally (April – October). The Museum is free to enter and showcases hundreds of historic artifacts, photographs, and document history. There is a spiral-bound published book with Doling’s history for purchase at the Northview Center. This rich compilation is chock-full of every aspect of the park’s history, including newspaper clippings, photographs, and community stories.
Being one of ten historic parks in Springfield, the Park Board aims to preserve the historical look and feel of the park with respect to its unique heritage. Visitors note similar features found at all of the historic parks, such as the elements of field stone and structure. “The Park Board works hard to intentionally preserve the aesthetic of our parks’ rich history”, says Edwards.
It is this particular history which sets Doling Park apart from other local parks in Springfield. The landscape is simply breathtaking, with a hillside that slopes invitingly toward the lake. The historic roller-skating rink wall is a conversation piece for every patron that visits Doling. The natural cave offers a cool and inviting view into the magic of a century’s old natural phenomenon known in Missouri, and the shady valley and trail around the lake offers a gorgeous walkway to spend a sunny afternoon with family, friends, and pets.
The overall connection to the community’s history makes Doling a special place to visit. Particularly when an older resident uncovers memories of Doling in its younger years. The ten historic parks in Springfield have roots leading back before WWII. “Each of the parks has an individual story coupled with a unique feel, directly related to the length of time in the community”, says Jenny Edwards. She went on to say, “There are layers and years of events, from people learning how to swim in the public lake, to watching kids play, and then grandparents watching their grandchildren play in the same park in which they enjoyed such fun summertime adventures as a child.”. Doling Park is both rich in history as well as present-day adventure and family flavor. The memories of the past sustain the future memories presently made each day at Doling Park. And what a “nice place to make them”, says Edwards.
