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Offering panoramic views of the entire lake (as well as downtown Dallas, six miles distant), Winfrey Point is named for R. L. (Dick) Winfrey, who served as Dallas Police Commissioner during the second decade of the twentieth century. The attractive recreation building that sits atop this hill was designed by Paul E. Pressler and in 1941 Civilian Conservation Corps recruits began constructing it. After the CCC camp was closed in January 1942 due to the outbreak of war, the Dallas Park Board was obliged to take over the work. The structure was completed in August 1942. Like all the recreation buildings located within the bounds of White Rock Lake Park, the Winfrey Point building may be rented for wedding receptions, parties and other functions. (See Dallas Park Dept. Reservations web page.) This is a great spot for a picnic or just to sit and watch the sailboats, the birds or the sun as it sets over the tall buildings of downtown Dallas, clearly visible on the horizon.
From 1942 to 1943, when the Army Air Corps used the old CCC camp as an induction center for new recruits, the building was used as an officers' club and recreation building. Later, from 1944 to 1945, Capt. Willard Wood, commanding, had his personal living quarters in this building during the period when a German POW camp occupied the former CCC facility.
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