Picture the local legend: Thomas Sloan plowing this field in 1861 when he struck an underground spring, and by morning a lake had appeared. According to local legend, Thomas Sloan was plowing his field here in 1861 when he struck an underground spring, and by the next morning a lake had appeared. The city purchased the lake and surrounding land in 1880, making it the site of Denver's first public park.
At the turn of the twentieth century the shores were lined with amusement parks, boat rentals, and summer pavilions — a lakeside resort in the middle of a prairie city that had very little natural water. The amusements are long gone, replaced by a three-mile paved loop that is one of the most heavily used recreational paths in the city. On a clear day from the west shore you can see the full profile of the Front Range — from Pikes Peak in the south to Longs Peak in the north — reflected in the water.
The neighborhoods surrounding the lake are among Denver's most ethnically diverse, a mix of longtime Hispanic families, recent immigrants, and newer arrivals drawn by the park and relatively affordable housing.