In the “good old summertime” as they say (and whoever says that apparently has forgotten how HOT it was!), Memphians could hop in their cars and take their pick of three places on Lamar to escape the withering heat. Closer into town was Rainbow Lake, complete with a huge outdoor swimming pool, skating rink, and Rainbow Terrace restaurant.
Farther out, just across the state line, was Maywood, famous for its ice-cold jets of water and white sand beaches.
Just about halfway between the two, at the intersection of Lamar and Winchester, was Clearpool, and the name said it all. It was a massive pool — a huge oval pool when it first opened, and later configured (though I don't know why) into the smaller rectangle you see here. But round or rectangular, it still offered a deep pool of clear and COLD water. Even if the only place to spread your towel was on the hard concrete around the pool, as some folks have done here, it was a nice place to take the entire family.
Well, that summertime heat hasn’t gone away, but all these places have. Maywood is now a subdivision. Rainbow Lake went through various industrial phases (at one time it was home to Pancho’s manufacturing plant), but it was torn down. And if you drive by the southwest corner of Lamar and Winchester, some of Clearpool’s old buildings have survived, but don’t try to cool off by searching for the pool. All you’ll find is asphalt.
Does anybody recognize a friend or family member in the old postcard shown here?
