The Establishment of Lake Park
Lake Park was established on November 19, 1951 with a ceremony attended by neighbors, City Councilmen, and Mayor Francis R. Smith. It was opened as a recreational area for the surrounding new developments in the Lake Park Heights area, and was centered around Shannon’s Pond. The pond was originally used for ranch irrigation, and is fed by the Highland Ditch (built in 1880) which flows from the Truckee River 12 miles to what is now Rancho San Rafael Park.
The developers of the Lake Park Heights subdivision, Wiechmann & Probasco, deeded Lake Park to the City of Reno. According to the Reno Evening Gazette on November 18, 1951, hundreds of yards of Truckee River gravel were brought in the form a solid bottom of the 3-foot deep lake. Featured activities in the newly-built park included fishing and ice skating.