Lake Boren is located just south of downtown Newcastle, Washington. Lake Boren Park is located on its southwestern shore.
| Lake Boren | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lake Boren viewed from the fishing dock | |
  Lake Boren  Lake Boren | |
| Location | Newcastle, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°31′58″N 122°09′55″W / 47.532707°N 122.165249°W |
| Primary inflows | China Creek |
| Primary outflows | Boren Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 16.20 acres (6.56 ha) |
| Max. depth | 34 ft (10 m) |
| Surface elevation | 387 ft (118 m) |
History
editLake Boren, once named Etta Cartney Lake,[1][2] was once much larger and deeper than it is now, with a depth of 90 feet (27 m) in 1883. It is fed by China Creek, which originates on Cougar Mountain. The creek was named for Chinese coal miners, who had racial confrontations with white miners.[3] The lake overflowed onto a floodplain during the winter, which was used for grazing livestock during the summer. Before 1950, the lake had salmon runs that migrated from Lake Washington.
Sediment from China Creek reduced the depth of the lake to 34 feet (10 m). The creek was channelized in the 1960s, stopping flooding and allowing for development near the lake. A culvert mostly stopped salmon migration in the 1950s.[4][5][6]
Description
editLake Boren Park has many amenities, including a fishing dock, tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a play area and picnic shelters. It is home to community events, such as concerts, Fourth of July fireworks, and Newcastle Days.[7][8][9]
There are many hiking trails near Lake Boren. The Waterline trail travels just to the west of Lake Boren Park, connecting it to the May Creek Trail and downtown Newcastle.[10] The CrossTown trail runs east from Lake Boren Park, connecting to the large trail network of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park[11]
The lake is popular for fishing. It has been stocked with rainbow trout by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife since the salmon run was cut off.[6] Other fish species in the lake include brown bullhead, coastal cutthroat trout, largemouth bass, and yellow perch.[12]
Lake Boren has 660 acres (270 ha) of watershed area. It is a mesotrophic lake.[13]
References
edit- ^ Wydoski, Richard. "Annotated Bibliography on the Ecology of the Lake Washington Drainage". Oregon State University. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Snoke, Rupert (1908). Design for the Hydroelectric Development of Etta Cartney Lake and May Creek. University of Washington.
- ^ Lange, Greg. "Miners force Chinese from Newcastle mine on June 3, 1876". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "CONSERVATION FUTURES (CFT) 2017 ANNUAL COLLECTIONS APPLICATION FOR FUNDS". King County. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Crispo, Rich. "China Creek – Lifeblood of Lake Boren". Newcastle (Washington) Historical Society. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Crispo, Rich. "Lake Boren: The old swimming hole". Newcastle (Washington) Historical Society. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Park Amenities and Usage". City of Newcastle, Washington. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Lake Boren Park". Renton Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Newcastle Days set Friday, Saturday". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Waterline Trail". Washington Trails Association. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "CrossTown Trail - Newcastle". Washington Trails Association. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Lake Boren". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ "Lake Boren". King County. Retrieved December 21, 2023.