In the summer of 1930, farmer, rancher, and large landowner Jake Kurtz set aside four acres of his property on the west side of the newly paved Texas State Highway 95 between Shiner and Moulton to build a large concrete swimming pool and recreational area. He named it Sulphur Park after the sulphur-laced mineral water from a newly dug 73-foot well beside the property on the north bank of nearby Ponton Creek. George Jassen excavated the pool that summer with horse- and mule-drawn scrapers and heavy equipment, and the Shiner Light Plant spent two months extending electrical lines to the property. The 120-foot-by-40-foot pool had a deep side for diving and a shallow side for wading, and the grounds included picnic tables under large shade trees, bath houses, a concession stand, an adjoining baseball field, a covered concrete dance floor, and a country store. Its grand opening, called Splash Day, was held on Sunday, August 31, 1930, when hundreds attended for barbecue, a turkey shoot sponsored by the Shiner Gun Club, a baseball tournament, and music by the Schultz Band. Open during the summer months, with the park area available continuously in good weather, it drew thousands of people, sometimes in a single day. As the area's only pool and a family-oriented gathering place, Sulphur Park became a haven for the community during hard times and for more than sixty years served as a country oasis for the Shiner and Moulton communities, contributing to the area's recreational history.