Colour postcard showing boat and boathouse on Silver Lake (1913). Click the photo for more details.

Silver Lake was also home to a variety of other water-based activities. After the lake became part of the park, Charles Moogk, town engineer, supervised the construction of a boat house that cost the city $800. The boat house was used to store several rowboats, which could be rented for outings on the lake. In 1928, the boat house was condemned and was subsequently torn down in the early 1930s.³⁵

In addition to the summer activities, Silver Lake was also well-used in the winter. One of the more entrepreneurial uses was ice harvesting. Before the lake became part of the park, two local breweries, Huether and Kuntz, would bid on the ice and the winner would pay William Snider (original owner of the property) for the rights to harvest. The ice was used with their beer in local hotels and taverns.³⁵ After the town bought the lake, the town contracted the work out to the Foell brothers and constructed its own ice storage house where the Perimeter Institute now stands. Residents of the town could purchase ice directly from the storage facility or by travelling wagon.³⁶

Waterloo Colts hockey player (c.1910). Click the photo for more details.

The ice in Silver Lake wasn’t only harvested, of course, it was used as a skating rink. The ice provided many hours of recreation and a spot for Sunday afternoon hockey games. The Park Board kept the ice cleared of snow, and often the Waterloo Band played by the rink for entertainment.³⁷

Tobboggan run in Waterloo Park (date unknown). Click the photo for more details.

In 1926, a toboggan run was constructed. The slide was one-sixth of a mile long and slid out onto Silver Lake. The superintendent was in charge and was supposed to reduce the risk of accidents.³⁸ In 1959, a second slide was added:

“Sleds and toboggans were dragged up a gently sloping stairway to the top of a 10-foot-wide wooden structure. From here the riders could shoot 300 feet along a 19-inch wide iced runway and out into The Oval.” ³⁹