06/12/2026
High today 96 ยฐ ๐ฅต letโs go swimming ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ๐
If you ask longtime Coulterville and Greeley Hill folks about the swimming pool, they probably wonโt start by telling you when it was built.
No, theyโll tell you about somebody.
Theyโll tell you about Grandma So-and-So, who lived on Water Street, made the best apple pie in the county, and always had some sort of ice-cold drink waiting on the porch. Theyโll tell you about a best friend named Barbara, a favorite lifeguard, or the time somebody got chased out for horseplay.
Theyโll tell you about summer in Coulterville.๐
And if theyโre lucky enough to have spent their childhood here, chances are the Coulterville Pool is somewhere in that story.
Thanks to longtime resident Helen Bauman, we discovered that the pool officially opened in June of 1959. According to a Fresno Bee article and information shared by Gail Tyler the land was donated by local merchant Ed Sackett, proprietor of the historic Hotel Jeffrey, and the park was dedicated to founder George W. Coulter.
But on opening day, none of that was what the kids were thinking about.
The speeches couldnโt end fast enough.
They were waiting and watching, bouncing on their toes, eager for the grown-ups to finish talking so they could finally hit the water. ๐ฆ
And when the moment came, young Trudy Keller made history by being the first one in. In the opening-day photograph, sheโs proudly holding up one finger to let everyone know exactly who got there first.๐ฅ
Beside her was lifeguard Joanne Wagner, who just happened to be the younger sister of Grace Shimer.
Now, if you talk to people who grew up around the pool, youโll hear a lot about Grace Shimer.
According to Lyle Turpin and her son, John Shimer, Grace seemed to be everything all at once - administrator, swimming instructor, lifeguard supervisor, and guardian of all things pool-related. She was known for keeping the pool sparkling clean and making sure every child learned how to swim.
Back then, swimming wasnโt considered an activity.๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
It was considered a life skill.
Before anybody jumped in, they marched through the wooden bathhouse. Folks remember simple locker rooms, one shower on the boysโ side and one on the girlsโ side. You showered before getting in the pool, and you showered again after getting out.๐ฟ
Mrs. Shimer made sure of it.
Some remember the old fencing being hog wire before improvements came along. Others remember getting booted out for one reason or another. After all, a swimming pool full of kids and teenagers is bound to produce a few stories.
John Guisto, according to local recollections, was one of the poolโs young daredevils. He loved showing off jumps and flips that seemed just a little too close to the edge.
The girls were impressed.
The lifeguardsโฆ maybe not quite as much.๐ก
Many remember being a lifeguard as their first job.
Virginia โMcLeanโ Deutsch remembers spending summers at her best friend Barbaraโs nanaโs house and walking to the pool. What she remembers most is how the water sparkled in the sunshine. She remembers the lights coming on at night and the excitement of night swimming. ๐ก
โIt was so much fun,โ she recalls.
And maybe thatโs the phrase that comes up most often.
It was so much fun.
This was before air conditioning was common. When the summer heat settled into the foothills, the pool became the place to be.๐ฅต
Kids got their chores done early because the pool didnโt open until afternoon. When all the chores were done, then came the reward. ๐
A towel over one shoulder and a swimsuit under their clothes, kids headed to the pool.๐ฉฑ๐ฉณ
Moms gathered in the shade at the park, reading books, visiting with neighbors, and keeping an eye on everybody elseโs children, too. During lifeguard breaks, picnic lunches appeared. Sometimes there was a trip to the ice cream parlor. Everybody knew everybody, and summer days seemed to stretch on forever.๐ฆ๐ฅช
Lyle Turpin laughs that gas was about three gallons for a dollar back then. Nobody seems to remember exactly what it cost to swim, but somehow it always seemed affordable enough for another day at the pool.๐ฐโฝ๏ธ
Talking with these longtime residents, one thing becomes clear.
Nobody remembers the pool simply as a pool.
They remember happiness.
They remember friendships.
They remember freedom.
They remember the sound of splashing water, the smell of sunscreen and chlorine, the laughter echoing across the park, and the feeling that summer vacation had finally arrived. ๐
And here we are, nearly 70 years later.
The first day of summer is just around the corner. The foothill heat is returning. The pool opens June15th. The water still sparkles, and families still gather around its edge.
Today, admission is still just $2 per person or $5 for an immediate family.
Some things have changed.
But the best things havenโt.
Because for generations of Coulterville and Greeley Hill families, the pool has never been just a pool.
It has been summer.
It has been joy.
It has been laughter.
It has been memories.
And for nearly seven decades, it has been one of the happiest places in town. โค๏ธ
