Lake Phalen - History

History

Lake Phalen was named after an early Irish settler of Saint Paul, Edward Phelan. Phelan built a cabin near Phalen Creek in Swede Hollow. Phalen Creek travels from Lake Phalen and drains into the Mississippi River just north of Lambert's Landing. The lake that was drained by the creek became known as Phalen's Lake despite Phelan never living near its shores. The Saint Paul Water Company set up a supply plant at Lake Phalen in 1869 and the lake was used as Saint Paul's primary source of water until 1913. John Fletcher Williams, a local historian, wrote in 1876 "It is a disgrace, that the name of this brutal murderer has been affixed to one of our most beautiful lakes - one that supplies our households with water." Phalen had been accused of murdering his partner, John Hays in 1839, however another man later confessed to Hays' murder.

Soon after the park was acquired, in 1899, the Saint Paul Board of Park Commissioners attempted to "tame" the lake shore. Emergent vegetation and other plants, such as bulrush, grew all around the lake shore. The lake shore became almost constantly dredged and wetland areas around the lake were filled in to create lawn space. Eventually 400,000 cubic yards (305,822 m3) of vegetation and sediment was dredged from around the lake shore. In the 1920s, 50 percent of the shoreline was lined with riprap. Beginning in 1906 with a herd of sheep, the lawn space next to the lake was cut right up to the lake shore. As a result of these practices shoreline erosion became a problem. In 2001, the lake began a five year shoreline restoration program. The program converted a majority of the riprap to natural vegetation. The percentage natural vegetation around the lake changed from 28 percent to 74 percent.