Last weekend, I joined in on a walking tour of the Richmond District’s Mountain Lake Park given by Woody LaBounty of the Western Neighborhoods Project (one of the great perks of a WNP membership). In addition to his deep historical knowledge of the western part of San Francisco, Woody has a personal interest in the park. He grew up just a block away; Mt. Lake Park was his backyard.
Mt. Lake is one of those parks that many San Franciscans either don’t know about or have never set foot in. It’s tucked away off of Lake Street, running from 8th Avenue to Park Presidio. We started our tour from the backside of the park, entering in by the Presidio on 14th Avenue.
We stopped just inside the Presidio to learn about the Marine Hospital that was built there in 1875 and served sailors from around the world. It later became the Public Health Hospital which closed in 1981 and this summer, the Presidio Landmark apartments will open up there.
On the Marine Hospital ground was a cemetery for sailors that didn’t survive their illnesses or injuries. In the 1920s or 1930s, the cemetery was paved over by the Army for tennis courts and a parking lot. It’s estimated that 500 graves are still located there. Later in the tour, Woody held up a newspaper article from 1895 that described a coffin found floating in Mountain Lake, due to either a dense grave robber (the sailors buried there were indigent), or a medical student looking for extra credit.
As we made our way over to the park, we got a panoramic view of it across the Park Presidio/Highway 1 roadway. The “back entrance” into the park is a best kept secret of Richmond District residents, and there were plenty out enjoying the nice day. Dog owners particularly enjoy the car-free route.
The “mountain” in the park’s name comes from the hill that juts up behind the lake. It used to be more prominent but the installation of the MacArthur tunnel along Highway 1 reduced its stature. But in the 1800s when there was hardly any vegetation in the area, the hill would have been more reminiscent of a mountain.
The earliest known visit to Mountain Lake Park came from Juan Batista de Anza, a Spanish explorer who camped at the lake in 1776. There is a plaque in the park commemorating his visit; coincidentally our tour was on the 234th anniversary. Despite the abundance of fresh water in the lake, de Anza would eventually move on because of the lack of timber.
Mountain Lake Park was officially added to the city of San Francisco in 1874. In 1890, 20,000 trees were planted to spruce up the habitat. The park includes one of the few natural, fresh water lakes in San Francisco. According to a sign in the park, “Native people, Spanish expeditions, Mexican military, and the US Army all relied on the lake as an important source of fresh water.” You can even spot an old pump that was part of the irrigation system the US Army used to water the Presidio Golf Course.
Along our tour we heard stories of park legends like the rope swing where kids would fly out over the lake and back to shore, and the “old man shack” where men in suits and hats would gather to play cards under a shelter that is still in the park today. And on occasion, you’ll still see people utilizing the par course.
In the 1990s, one visitor to the park made big headlines. On July 29, 1996, a neighbor reported seeing a three foot alligator swimming in the lake. Sure enough, others spotted it and the hunt was on. The gator ignited a coverage war between the two local papers that summer, and the Chronicle even imported “Trapper Jim” from Florida to try and catch the elusive reptile. He didn’t succeed – the gator wouldn’t be caught until October.
Another person on the tour told the story of a horse that perished in the park in the late 1950s after getting stuck in the “blue mud” that lined the lakeshore. The poor fella had to be lifted out by crane after his demise.
If you haven’t visited Mountain Lake Park, add it to your list. It’s got a nice playground for kids, tennis courts, a large meadow perfect for frisbee tosses and picnics, plus a quaint lakeshore where you can enjoy the view and feed some ducks and seagulls.
Special thanks to Woody and the Western Neighborhoods Project for a great tour. Check out the video below for highlights of Mountain Lake Park – yet another gem of the Richmond District.
Sarah B.
Not mentioned is a fantastic dog run area inside 8th Ave. When my mom worked on the Bridge, my dad would drop her off there then drive me and the dog to MLP. We’d hang out at the dog run for an hour or two every day during the summers, and then walk back to 25th Ave, via the weird little “trail” along Park Presidio to Geary, or along Lake or even through the Presidio, behind the WWII monument.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/troymccluresf/tags/mountainlakepark/
Wow…this brought back memories–thanks! I spent many a summer day at Mountain Lake Park when I was a YMCA Day Camp kid in the 70s…our “counselors” were hippies who spent lots of time in the bushes not really supervising us..LOL! My most vivid memory was a “marathon walk: from the playground at the entrance near California Street (?), along the trails to and through the Presidio, across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. That was quite a hike for an 8 year old!! Glad to see the park is still so beautiful.