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.
golden gate park: views from the thicket 
the waterfall still works, I use it everyday to fill the lake. It is however occasionally dry since it runs off the park water supply that is turned off from time to time.