El Paso Almost Lost Another Lake

The recent drama around "Cement Lake" on the west side was the first time many El Pasoans ever even heard of the lake. (Video above.) Did you know El Paso used to have other lakes?

If the dam at Cement Lake had actually broken, it could have spelled the end for the lake and it would have been the 4th time El Paso lost a lake. (That I know of.) El Paso used to have a pretty big one in Central, near the El Paso Zoo.

It was, apparently, fed by irrigation canals. I'm pretty sure, (at least a couple of them), are still there, and have always wondered where the water I sometimes see in them came from and why. They're on the zoo side of Paisano, opposite the Coliseum.

READ MORE: Texas' Deepest Lake Is In The Desert

According to the Facebook post below, the lake was:

Leased and built up in the early 1900s by former Sheriff James H. Boone, this vanished lake served as a crucial recreation hub for early El Paso families before later park restructuring and the growth of the El Paso Zoo phased out the water feature entirely."

The link here and the link that is here are pretty much the only bits of info I could find on the lake. The photo in the post below looks like it may have been an old post card.

What Happened To Washington Lake?

As both the city and the El Paso Zoo expanded, the lake was ultimately drained.

Apparently, It Also Had A Big - Ass Pool

You can see a few more pics of the lake at Washington Park here. Other lakes that El Paso once had include one that was located in Memorial Park ... seriously, that's why there is a bridge in the middle of the park ... and Mountain Shadow Lake which dried up and was abandoned in the late 80's.

It was the site of the first couple of KLAQ Balloon Fests, one of which featured Stevie Ray Vaughan in one of his last performances. He was killed in a helicopter crash about a year later.

Buildings Lost Or Demolished In El Paso

Gallery Credit: Dubba G

Lost El Paso - Abandoned Mt. Franklin Country Club

Check Out The Ruins Of The Lost Mt. Franklin Country Club

Gallery Credit: Dubba G