New Kingman Splash Pad has a familiar sight

Those who check out the new Kingman Splash Pad at Cecil Davis Park in Kingman, Arizona, may see a familiar sight — a replica of the old water tower that greets Route 66 travelers going into town.

The water park opened last weekend after months of fundraising and work by Desert Construction, Fripps Mohave Construction and AB Concrete Construction, according to the Kingman Daily Miner.

Friday became a first test run of the splash pad, and city officials said they’re still tweaking it. But the sounds of the delighted children from this video by the newspaper indicates it’s a hit:

Hours run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and likely will be extended next summer. According to National Weather Service data, Kingman temperatures during daytime highs rise well into the 90s from June through September.

Cecil Davis Park is less than a mile east of Route 66, north of Hualapai Mountain Road.

As for that gushing water tower, it’s a dead ringer for one of the three towers in Kingman along Route 66. The “Welcome to Kingman” tank with a Route 66 shield remains the best-known. But the splash pad clearly takes its look from the old-school tower of the trio.

According to an earlier story, all three water tanks — once used by the railroad — date more than 100 years ago. A preservation effort during the mid-1980s by residents prevailed against plans to tear them down.

The Kingman splash pad’s water tower also resembles one in Bourbon, Missouri. The water tower — built in 1853 — remains one of the most photographed because of the word “Bourbon” across it. The tower, however, always has held water and nothing else.,

(Image of Kingman Splash Pad by Lori Chambers via Facebook; Kingman water tower by Aidan Wakely-Mulroney; Bourbon water tower by Haydn Blackey)