Chariton's West Lake, aka "the big pond," completed

Here's a piece of waterborne trivia that floated to the surface this morning --- Chariton's West Lake (formally Crystal Lake; before that, C.B.&Q. Reservoir) celebrated its 117th birthday earlier this month, the anniversary of the date that construction was completed back in 1905.

Although recreational now, the lake was created to collect water that was pumped to a tower at the C.B.&Q. rail yards in northwest Chariton at a time when steam-driven energy powered the nation's economy --- and its locomotives.

During 1910, the Chariton Gun Club leased for recreational purposes the shoreline and christened it Crystal Lake; now, for the most part, it's known as West Lake 

Here's the brief news item noting project completion that was published in The Chariton Patriot of Nov. 23, 1905, under the headline, "The Big Pond Finished."

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 Messers. Fred Jones and C.C. Edgington, the contractors who built for the Burlington railway the large water reservoir located just west of town on land purchased of W.A. Eikenberry, completed the work on Friday, Nov. 17, and shipped their excavating machinery and tools to Ottumwa the same day. The work was commenced August 25, last, and pushed with energy and success by the enterprising contractors.

The reservoir is one and one half miles long and one fourth of a mile wide and, when filled, will cover an area equal to 85 acres, draining about 2,400 acres, and have an estimated capacity of 250,000,000 gallons of water. The height of the embankment is 28 feet, rip-rapped throughout and the whole work completed in the most substantial and thorough manner.

The average number of men employed was 45 and the number of teams, 23; the estimated amount of earth moved being 40,000 cubic yards. The whole work, including 250 acres of land with tank line and pumps, will cost about $50,000. It is a valuable and permanent improvement and will insure for all time an ample supply of water for the uses of the railway at this point, being one of the largest artificial surface reservoirs in the state constructed for railway purposes.