Cypresses at Metson Lake, Pastel on Paper, 10 x 13, by Heath Massey

Metson Lake, south-east of the Polo Field, is an out-of-the-way gem in Golden Gate Park.  Built in 1908 and intended as a reservoir to hold irrigation water for the park,   it opened in conjunction with the Murphy Windmill, a mile away, which pumped water to fill the lake from an underground aquifer near the beach.  Originally, water spilled into the lake via a waterfall and if you take the path around the lake you can still spot remnants of artificial rock work and speculate about the former waterworks.

William H. Metson, a prominent San Francisco lawyer and financier, was the head of the Park Commission at the time of the lake’s construction.