Kidd Springs Park is one of Dallas’s historic parks. Located at 700 W. Canty St. in north Oak Cliff, it is a popular community space for fishing, playing basketball, soccer, tennis, pickleball, swimming in the new aquatic center, and strolling through the Japanese Garden located within the park.

Like other historic parks, Kidd Springs got its start as a private entertainment venue. J.W. Kidd purchased the land in 1874 and his son Jim dammed the natural spring with a log to create a swimming area. The land was sold in 1887 to Edward P. Turner who created an even larger lake. In 1895, he opened a private club, the Kidd Springs Boating and Fishing Club. Many prominent Dallas and Oak Cliff citizens were members.

In 1910, Wirt Davis acquired the land. As nearby Lake Cliff Park declined in popularity, Kidd Springs became popular for entertainment. A large swimming pool and a pavilion used for dancing and other events were built. The City of Dallas purchased 31 acres in 1947. It closed some of the amenities, but rebuilt the swimming pool in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, Ethel Buell, an Oklahoma heiress, purchased several Japanese artifacts. After she died in 1964, her daughter offered the artifacts to the Dallas Parks Department. Three artifacts from the 17th century Edo Period remain in Kidd Springs Park today. In 1969, Dr. and Mrs. Jack Edwards provided funds to create a Japanese garden in the park. Sadly, the garden was destroyed by vandals, but the Dallas Parks Department restored it, and Lambert Nursery completed extensive landscaping and stonework.

Kidd Springs Park has always been popular with the local community, but over time it began to show its age. In 2017 bond funds were approved to restore the Japanese Garden. Construction  began in the spring of 2022.

The Japanese Garden is currently fenced and locked while two water features are restored. New bridges, an ADA pathway to connect the nearby playground to the recreation center, and new entrances at the north and south ends of the garden are being built. Despite ongoing construction, volunteers are working to maintain the cultivated beds. It’s a difficult task. The irrigation system is shut off in the midst of a serious drought; and volunteers can only work on Sundays and occasional Saturdays when the construction workers are not there.

Construction should be completed in the fall of 2022. Then the real work begins for the volunteers. Damaged trees will need to be trimmed or removed; and a number of new beds will need to be designed and built. Drought and kid-tolerant plants will be carefully selected to suit a busy public park with occasional irrigation issues. Interested Master Gardener volunteers will be engaged to create a western version of a Japanese Garden in Kidd Springs Park; with native and well-adapted species that can withstand a vigorous game of hide and seek or nosy dogs on the trail of an excellent scent.