Timber Crew Begins Work

Source: Nemaha County Courier Tribune

Seneca, KS

October 11, 1934

Actual operations in creating the Nemaha county park-lake began early this week when Superintendent R. H. Pennartz sent a crew of 50 CCC boys into the woods to fell trees and burn brush at a point just east of the dam site.

Another group of the boys is helping the carpenters on camp construction and still another is filling in dirt around the buildings. The camp cannot be made shipshape until the water ditches are filled in. The ditches cannot be filled until pressure is applied to the water pipe to see if there are leaks. All this waits the installation of pump equipment.

Mr. Pennartz has made requisitions for two elevator graders, for tractors and for the other machinery necessary for construction of the dam and work throughout the park. He said yesterday it is his intention to begin work on the dam just as soon as machinery and state highway department plans can be procured. He is even hopeful that construction of the spillway itself can be started this fall.

Mr. Pennartz is a Topeka engineer. He is affable, obliging and eager to cooperate with county commissioners and all other persons who are seeking to create a magnificent park in Nemaha County. He was formerly connected with the Kansas highway department and while it is outside the strict line of his duty, he has used his influence to secure early surfacing of 63 highway from Seneca to the dam and has tried to do what he could to have a transmission line built to the camp. He came to Seneca from similar work on Reading State Park at Emporia.

As general superintendent of park construction, Mr. Pennartz will have the assistance of a splendid corps of 11 assistants. These will include two engineers, eight foremen and one mechanic. 

We would like to give special thanks to the Courier Tribune, Seneca, Kansas for granting permission to web publish this article.