February 26, 2020

When Stanford’s Lake Lagunita had water

Usually at this time of year, Stanford’s normally dry Lake Lagunita has at least some water from winter storms. But an ongoing drought means the lake is dry. A collection of News Service photographs shows that it wasn’t always like that.

By Stanford News Service Staff

Usually by this time of year, Lake Lagunita, the mostly dry lake behind Roble Hall, is filled with at least a little water. But the lack of winter rains this year has left the lake bed and popular walking area dry, with little chance of substantial rainfall in sight.

Lake Lagunita was created in the late 1800s as a reservoir to provide irrigation for the orchards and alfalfa fields of the Palo Alto Stock Farm. For many years, it was maintained for recreational use by members of the campus community. Today, it serves as a flood control facility and as a habitat for the endangered California tiger salamander.

“Lake Lagunita was a part of the Stanford landscape even before the university was founded,” reads a 2010 Stanford magazine article. “From the Pioneer Class to the present day, Lake Lag has always been a focal point of student life. In its heyday, the lake hosted cherished campus traditions such as the Water Carnival (starting in the 1900s and later revived as Hydro/Aqua Follies) and the Big Game bonfire. Now dry most of the time, and never full, its shores continue to provide a venue for recreation, relaxation and reflection – not to mention a backdrop for countless romances.”

With nostalgia in mind, we offer this slideshow from the Stanford News Service archives of when Lake Lagunita had water.

Lagunita "Little Lake" — View from the hills behind campus, with Lagunita (“Little Lake”) in the foreground. Taken between 1903, when the church was completed, and 1906, when the great earthquake toppled the steeple and Memorial Arch.
Image credit: Courtesy Stanford University Archives

Water Carnival at Lake Lagunita boathouse in the 1920s.
Image credit: Courtesy Stanford University Archives

On May 6, 1938, the Lagunita Boathouse collapsed under the weight of spectators during the Water Carnival. As the left-side balcony collapses, a well-dressed spectator hangs on for a time.
Image credit: Courtesy Stanford News Service

In 1949, a low-slung red-and-white wooden structure replaced the collapsed boathouse.
Image credit: Courtesy Stanford News Service

The 1950 Water Carnival at Lagunita. Swimmers gather around a pirate ship platform as someone shoots water out of a fire hose.
Image credit: Courtesy Stanford News Service

Lake Lagunita, April 1972. Boaters enjoy a day out on the water.
Image credit: Chuck Painter

Lake Lagunita, 1984. Sunbathers, boats and rafts gather around the lake.
Image credit: Chuck Painter

A view from the hillside above Lake Lagunita in January 1995, with Hoover Tower in the background.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

In April 1995, student windsurfers enjoy a warm spring day and plenty of water in Lake Lagunita after winter storms dropped nearly 21 inches of rain on campus – double the amount that fell the previous year.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

In February 2003, then-sophomore Diana Ferrand took a cool-down lap in her kayak during practice with her team.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

In April 2011, rafters enjoy floating around Lake Lagunita.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Canada geese in Lake Lag — In February 2013, Lake Lagunita had enough water from winter rains to attract Canada geese.
Image credit: Kate Chesley

In early March 2013, the rains gave shape to Lake Lagunita. Dogs, however, today must be leashed when walked under the control of their human at the lake area.
Image credit: L.A. Cicero

Student studying at Lake Lag — Kemi Lijadu relaxes alongside a water-filled Lake Lagunita in February 2015.
Image credit: Aaron Kehoe

Photograph at Lake Lag — Students take a dusk photograph at Lake Lagunita in February 2015.
Image credit: Tamer Shabani

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