Tom Lee Park

Tom Lee Park, a long, narrow grassy park that faces the river, is a popular venue for summertime festivals [1] and events. It is also used year-round for walking and jogging, and by people who simply want to look out at the Mississippi River.

The park is named for Tom Lee, an African-American man who saved the lives of 32 people when the steamboat they were on sank in the river in 1925. Lee, who pulled people out of the river and into his boat, “Zev,” could not even swim. A dated monument erected at the park in 1954 calls Lee “a very worthy negro.”