In the frenzy of fetes for Ebby Hallidays 100th birthday, Dallas hasnt forgotten the citys other new centenarian: White Rock Lake. The lakes history is a microcosm of how Dallas transformed from farmland to urban playground over the last hundred years. If the clock suddenly spun backward, the paved jogging paths and sailboat docks anchoring the lake would gradually disappear. German POWs, imprisoned at the Winfrey Point barracks, would flash by. The land would become less developed, more wild. As time reversed to 1911, the year of the lakes birth, thousands of gallons of water would suddenly rush back over the dam. On the bottom would be two family farms, shuttered due to Dallas desperate need for water. Such is the price paid for urbanization. An exhibit at NorthPark Center pays homage to the lakes long history. Celebrating 100 years of White Rock Lake: An Urban Oasis is on display through May 1 between Nordstrom and Barneys New York at NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway.
April 13-May 1, 2011