Sloan's Lake

Infobox lake
lake_name = Sloan's Lake
image_lake =
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry=
location = Denver, Colorado
coords = coord|39.748876|N|105.047483|E|region:US-CO_type:waterbody_source:gnis|display=inline,title
type =
inflow =
outflow =
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = 177 acres
depth =
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation = convert|5308|ft|abbr=on
islands =
cities = Denver
frozen = sometimes in winter

Sloan's Lake, sometimes referred to as Sloan Lake (or, occasionally, Sloans Lake) is a body of water within the city limits of Denver, Colorado. The lake is the central feature of Sloan's Lake Park, which is managed by the Parks and Recreation division of the City of Denver.

Sloan's Lake is located on the western edge of the city limits of Denver, adjacent to the suburbs of Lakewood, Edgewater and Wheat Ridge. The approximate boundaries are Sheridan Boulevard to the west, 17th Avenue to the south, Lowell Boulevard to the east, and 26th Avenue to the north. There are no tributary rivers to the lake. The neighborhood immediately surrounding the lake itself, particularly the areas just to the north and east, is also referred to as Sloan's Lake. St. Anthony Central Hospital is southeast of this area, between 17th and Colfax Avenue.

The true history of the creation of Sloan's Lake may never be officially known, but during the settlement of the Denver area in the mid to late 19th century, the lake did not exist. A road connecting Denver and the western suburb of Golden crossed through where Sloan's Lake is now. A homesteader named Thomas F. Sloan received a patent for the land from US President Andrew Johnson in December 1866. He used the land for agricultural purposes, farming and raising cattle. A commonly accepted legend states that Sloan dug a well on the land, inadvertently tapping into an underground aquifer, and that when he awoke the next morning, part of his farm land was covered in water. [ [http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=HGR195-009 Description of legend at trails.com] ] This flooded what was known as South Golden Road, and eventually Colfax Avenue would become the major east-west thoroughfare in this part of the city.

The area surrounding the lake was once home to an amusement park and swimming facility known as Manhattan Beach, which was built in the 1890s; however, competition from other such attractions in the nearby vicinity (Elitch Gardens, Lakeside Amusement Park) led to its eventual closure. Cooper Lake, a separate body of water just southeast of Sloan's Lake, would fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Works Projects Administration in the 1930s, and a plan was developed which involved building channels beneath the surface of the water on both lakes. This essentially created one body of water that has commonly become known as Sloan's Lake. The size of the present-day combined Sloan's Lake and Cooper Lake is 177 acres.

Typical activities at Sloan's Lake include hiking, jogging and bicycling on the trails and sidewalks that surround the lake, and fishing and boating on the lake itself. There are basketball and tennis courts located in the park. An annual event known as the Dragon Boat Festival attracts thousands of visitors each summer, celebrating Asian American culture and civilization.

References

External links

* [http://www.denvergov.org/Northwest_Denver_Parks/SloansLakePark/tabid/391401/Default.aspx Denver Parks information at denvergov.org]
*gnis|202849