It sits on the banks of the Big Sioux River and served a popular bathing beach in the early 19th century.

At the turn of the century, the City of Dell Rapids began drawing up plans for a public park along the Big Sioux River.

[4] Although the beach closed in 1960 after the construction of a dedicated swimming pool,[5] the bathhouse has survived and now functions as a covered picnic shelter.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1986, for its architectural detail and its association with the Civil Works Administration.

Originally, it had no roof, but the top of the main body has now been covered with fiberglass to shelter the picnic area underneath; two flanking wings, both measuring 28 by 24 feet (8.5 by 7.3 m), remain open-air.