That Lake is History

Some cattails I found growing along the marshy shore of the lake

The lake has been closed for so long that the sign has gotten tired

The ducks seem to love it here, they take to the lake and the sound like… ducks to water

Capitol Lake has been around since 1951. It was originally an estuary that was dammed to provide a water recreation space, a reflecting pool for the capitol building, and to beautify Olympia. Before the estuary was dammed, the mud flats were home to Little Hollywood, a shantytown that started sometime in the 1920s. Little Hollywood housed people down on their luck as well as those running from the law and in the late 1930s- early 1940s, the buildings of Little Hollywood were condemned and burned down to make way for the lake.  Capitol Lake has since been cemented in Olympians’ minds as a part of the city. Over the years, however, it has shown signs that perhaps it should not stay a lake, but be returned to its natural state as an estuary. In 1985, the Capitol Lake Park swimming area was closed and the water has been deemed unsafe to swim in. In 2009, the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan (CLAMP) Steering Committee came to the conclusion that removing the dam an allowing the lake to revert back to an estuary would be the most economically and environmentally sound option of lake management. Recently, there have been ideas to create a thriving area for recreation and business around the lake if it were returned to an estuary, such as the renewed ability to kayak and a boardwalk with shops. However, it is unclear what the future holds for Capitol Lake.

Below is a 1908 shoreline of my research area, according to the Sanborn Overlays. My starting place for my site is usually the little hill with the spiral path in Heritage Park. In 1908, that little hill was about 69 meters from shore and was under water.

One of the last remaining float houses from Little Hollywood, surrounded by the debris leftover from burning the others. Merle Junk photograph, 1940s, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives

View of 5th Avenue dam construction from the Percival Mansion Unknown photographer, 1949, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives

The 5th Avenue dam being built Unknown photographer, around 1950, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives

The Deschutes Estuary at high tide before the creation of Capitol Lake. Merle Junk photo, 1949, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives

Aerial view of the Capitol Lake swimming area (when it had one) Merle Junk photograph, Susan Parish Collection, Washington State Archives, around 1968

All historic photos found here.

to Future Part I