In the early 1960s, a park that stretches adjacent to I-180 and perpendicular to Adams Street was created. It served the Belmont and West Lincoln communities, and served as a beautiful landscape when entering Lincoln on I-180. This park was aptly named Interstate Park. As the Belmont area grew in population, Interstate Park was a haven for families along with students at nearby Belmont Elementary and West Lincoln Elementary schools.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Interstate Park was continuously beautified and improved, with multiple tree plantings and constant improvements from the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department. In 1967, Lincoln was projected to grow exponentially in the area near Belmont and West Lincoln, and the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Director, Jim Ager, made improvements to Interstate Park a priority due to this projected growth.
Eventually Interstate Park became more accommodating to a diverse range of recreation activities, from picnic areas and walking trails to snowmobile tracks and Frisbee golf. Even though ideas of recreation and relaxation changed throughout the years, Max E. Roper helped oversee the city’s parks and recreation operations as a citizen volunteer. In 1946, Roper was appointed to the City Recreation Advisory Board, which was later merged to create the City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. During Roper’s 31 years on the Advisory Board, he aided in the acquisition of acres and acres of park land, including Holmes, Mahoney Wilderness, and Interstate Parks. Roper believed that the parks system was an essential part of any city, but especially a place of growth like Lincoln.
Roper passed away in February of 1993. After decades of service to the Parks and Recreation Department, Lincoln City Council unanimously voted to rename Interstate Park after the devoted city volunteer. The park was officially renamed Max E. Roper Park in May of 1993. Today, Roper Park serves a variety of interests, just as it did in Roper’s time as a volunteer for the city’s parks. While snowmobile tracks have gone by the wayside, Frisbee golf, walking trails, and picnic shelters are still popular options for activities. A new dog park was erected in the area to replace the nearby Oak Creek Dog Park. Roper Park still serves as a beautiful corridor along Adams Streets and I-180, welcoming any visitors to Lincoln, along with providing a haven for community members in the Belmont and West Lincoln areas.