“Where the waters do agree, it is quite wonderful the relief they give.”

~ Jane Austen

It’s summer! Really? Not much going on to indicate the fact, except for the weather. The weather goes on in its usual and, most of the time, expected manner. Most days reach into the 90s and nights drop to the 60s. Throw in a few heatwaves, hot nights and a thunderhead over Mount Lukens and you’ve got summer. But there’s something sorely missing. The season’s associated activities are almost non-existent! Except for one, which even pre-dates Jesus. Swimming!

Although not documented, I would surmise the local indigenous people – the Tongva – had favorite natural pools and hot springs. Spanish diaries, dating to the 1700s, made reference to the Tongva’s twice daily bathing rituals; they were deemed immoral by the Catholic Church. No doubt, especially on hot days, water use went beyond the utilitarian. It provided relief from the heat and a bit of fun.

The concept of using public swimming pools for recreation in the United States began in the late 1800s. In general, the way people swam was defined by class: the wealthy élite visited beaches and pools for lounging and socializing while the middle class used pools for swimming and the lower class went to pools for “bathing.” Historians claim pools were a Victorian-era attempt to promote cleanliness and decorum to the urban poor. They were called “bathing pools” or “plunge baths” rather than swimming pools.

No other region in America has more swimming pools than Southern California. The affluence of the 1920s gave rise to the backyard pool. The names Mary Pickford, William Randolph Hearst and Frank Lloyd Wright are often associated with the most extravagant of these. Suburban pools depicted in movies and TV led to an explosion of pools built in the 1950s and 1960s. Their popularity has not waned.

A warming trend begins tomorrow making for perfect pool weather. Did you know a properly maintained pool makes for a nearly COVID-19-free activity? Two caveats: you must remain in the pool and say the magic words “Marco Polo!”

Sue Kilpatrick is a Crescenta Valley
resident and Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service Reach her at suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.

  Sue Kilpatrick