What is now Southside Park Lake was then a larger marshy pond that extended further south toward what is now Broadway and further north toward R Street.
The area around what is now the park is a natural low spot (the lowest in what is now the Central City) and was subject to seasonal flooding.
The population included Portuguese, Japanese, Italians, Slavs, Africans, and others; non-whites were not allowed to live in certain other parts of the city until the late 1960s.
In fact, the Fong Mansion across from the park's playground at 6th & U was built in 1936 by a Chinese diplomat who was not allowed to build where he originally wanted to in East Sacramento.
[1] The amphitheater was built in 1934 and was named after Robert Callahan, former Southside Improvement Club member and County Supervisor.
More than 50 structures constructed especially for Roaring Camp were built, many based loosely on actual buildings located in Sacramento or other California cities.
For years, the city held its Fourth of July celebrations in Southside Park, sending up fireworks from the island.
Cesar Chavez' historic United Farm Workers march from Delano to Sacramento in 1966 came to Southside Park and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church across the street.
The park currently hosts the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)'s annual Cesar Chavez Day march and rally, which is centered on the Amphitheater.