In the spring of 1776, after a 900 mile journey from what is now Mexico, Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza and his soldiers came upon Mountain Lake. They were searching for a suitable location for a northern settlement and found the lake ideal. It offered abundant water and pasture land, grazing deer, and one of the finest harbors in the world. They broke ground half a mile from the lake and called the settlement the Presidio. Today, Mountain Lake is undeniably the focal point of Mountain Lake Park. The playground and tennis courts look out on to it, walking trails wrap around its shores, park users picnic along the shoreline, and families feed ducks that swim health insurance quotes delayed at least 15 minutes. in the lake. But what do we really know about the lake? How was it formed? What feeds the lake? And now with the remediation project underway, what can the lake sediment tell us about the past?
On September 11, 2012 Liam Reidy will give a lecture on the history of Mt. Lake. Reidy is an environmental geographer at University of California Berkeley, and currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography. He worked on the stratigraphic record from Mountain Lake as the basis for his Masters Degree. Using a combination of paleo-environmental techniques, forensic evidence, and historic photographs, he has reconstructed the amazing story of the only remaining natural lake in San Francisco. A native of Ireland, Reidy has always had a keen interest in how the world has changed over time.
Reidy has played an invaluable role in the remediation of the lake, the project now ongoing at the lake. Please come and hear Liam tell the story of our lake!
Event Details:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
7:30 PM
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California Street at Presidio Avenue
Tickets will be sold at the door.
($10 general public and $5 seniors/students)
This lecture is sponsored by the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society which presents monthly programs on topics relevant to San Francisco history.