Lake Temescal
Encyclopedia
Lake Temescal is a small lake in the northeastern hills section of Oakland, California
. It is the centerpiece of Temescal Regional Park
(originally, Lake Temescal Regional Park). It is part of the greater East Bay Regional Park District
.
. Prior to being dammed, Lake Temescal was a sag pond
, a depression caused by the Hayward Fault
. The bulk of the manual labor of removing soil and digging to bedrock was provided by Chinese immigrants
, who probably immigrated to work to build the railroads. Herds of wild mustangs
were used to compact the tons of dirt that were brought to create the dam. The dam is 600 feet (182.9 m) long and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and rises 105 feet (32 m) above the creek.
The shores of the lake were a popular camping spot with bohemian artists and writers in the late 1800s. The British painter J.H.E. Partington lived here in a tent with his family when they arrived in Oakland in 1889.
During the first half of the 20th century, the tracks of the Sacramento Northern Railroad ran along the eastern side of the lake. At that time, an electric train called the Comet crossed directly over the lake.
In 1936, Lake Temescal opened to the public as one of the first three parks established by the East Bay Regional Park District
. Its early amenities included a beach-like shore for swimming, a boathouse built by the WPA
, a well established trail around the lake, and numerous picnic benches.
, largemouth bass
, redear sunfish
, bluegill
, and catfish
. The park is open to all visitors from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and receives around 200,000 visitors a year.
The lake is constantly becoming shallower due to sediment runoff and must be periodically dredged. Today it is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) at its deepest point; previously it was 80 feet (24.4 m) deep.
Since the dam crosses the Hayward fault, there is a possibility of dam failure in the event of an earthquake, which would cause serious flooding in parts of Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville. However, due to the additional fill placed between the dam and Highway 24, any hydraulic failure is now unlikely.
During the 1991 Oakland firestorm
, water-equipped helicopters refilled at Lake Temescal, largely draining it.
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. It is the centerpiece of Temescal Regional Park
Temescal Regional Park
Temescal Regional Park formerly Lake Temescal Regional Park is an East Bay Regional Park District regional park in Oakland, California.The park has Lake Temescal as its main attraction in addition to trails, picnic sites, forest, and wildlife....
(originally, Lake Temescal Regional Park). It is part of the greater East Bay Regional Park District
East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area...
.
History
The lake received its name from the stream which is its source, Temescal Creek, which was dammed in 1868 to create a reservoir to provide drinking water for the greater East Bay area, pumped by the Contra Costa Water Company, owned by Anthony ChabotAnthony Chabot
Anthony Chabot was a nineteenth-century businessman and entrepreneur, notable for his contribution to developing hydraulic mining and for building water systems, especially in the Bay Area, so much that he became known as the "Water King".-Biography:Chabot was raised on a farm in La Presentation,...
. Prior to being dammed, Lake Temescal was a sag pond
Sag pond
A sag pond is a body of water, which forms as water collects in the lowest parts of the depression that forms between two strands of an active strike-slip fault. The relative motion of the two fault strands results in a stretching of the land between them, causing the land between them to...
, a depression caused by the Hayward Fault
Hayward Fault Zone
The Hayward Fault Zone is a geologic fault zone capable of generating significantly destructive earthquakes. This strike-slip fault is about long, situated mainly along the western base of the hills on the east side of San Francisco Bay...
. The bulk of the manual labor of removing soil and digging to bedrock was provided by Chinese immigrants
Chinese immigration to the United States
Chinese American history is the history of Chinese Americans or the history of ethnic Chinese in the United States. Chinese immigration to the U.S. consisted of three major waves, with the first beginning in the 19th century. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century worked as laborers, particularly...
, who probably immigrated to work to build the railroads. Herds of wild mustangs
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
were used to compact the tons of dirt that were brought to create the dam. The dam is 600 feet (182.9 m) long and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and rises 105 feet (32 m) above the creek.
The shores of the lake were a popular camping spot with bohemian artists and writers in the late 1800s. The British painter J.H.E. Partington lived here in a tent with his family when they arrived in Oakland in 1889.
During the first half of the 20th century, the tracks of the Sacramento Northern Railroad ran along the eastern side of the lake. At that time, an electric train called the Comet crossed directly over the lake.
In 1936, Lake Temescal opened to the public as one of the first three parks established by the East Bay Regional Park District
East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. Its early amenities included a beach-like shore for swimming, a boathouse built by the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, a well established trail around the lake, and numerous picnic benches.
Present day function
The lake currently supports an artificial recreational beach and is stocked periodically with rainbow troutRainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, redear sunfish
Redear sunfish
The redear sunfish , also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch, is native to the southeastern United States, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, and catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
. The park is open to all visitors from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and receives around 200,000 visitors a year.
The lake is constantly becoming shallower due to sediment runoff and must be periodically dredged. Today it is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) at its deepest point; previously it was 80 feet (24.4 m) deep.
Since the dam crosses the Hayward fault, there is a possibility of dam failure in the event of an earthquake, which would cause serious flooding in parts of Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville. However, due to the additional fill placed between the dam and Highway 24, any hydraulic failure is now unlikely.
During the 1991 Oakland firestorm
1991 Oakland firestorm
The Oakland Firestorm of 1991 was a large urban fire that occurred on the hillsides of northern Oakland, California, and southeastern Berkeley on Sunday October 20, 1991, two years after the Loma Prieta earthquake...
, water-equipped helicopters refilled at Lake Temescal, largely draining it.