More than 20 names have been submitted for the rechristening of Stow Lake. When I look through the list, I have to admit I don’t see many I love. I’m realizing how hard it is to name a place in a meaningful way.
Not to be churlish but do Dianne Feinstein, long-time park superintendent John McLaren or anti-slavery author Harriet Beecher Stowe really need more recognition? We already have a Dianne Feinstein Elementary School, and McLaren Park, McLaren Lodge and who knows how many places honoring this more honorable Stowe.
Mikva Lake seems weird: has anyone ever dunked themselves in those shallow, murky waters for ritual purification? Swan Lake too. It’s proposed in honor of the ballet, not the birds, which at any rate, haven’t been regulars there for a long time. Emperor Norton was an iconic character, but I don’t know that he had any connection to the park.
Polar Bear Lake? It’s a nice idea to draw attention to animals endangered by the climate crisis. But why go to the Arctic when there are lots of local species also at risk, including the California red-legged frog, and several birds commonly found in the park, such as white-crowned sparrows, Allen’s Hummingbirds, Chestnut-backed chickadee and dark-eyed Juncos, all of which are be found in the Park.
If we must name it for a person connected to the park, I’m inclined to go for either William Hammond Hall, the park’s original designer, or Patrick Quigley, one of the early laborers who helped build the park. But I’m hesitant about attaching anyone’s name to a place anymore, even those as deserving of the honor as poet Maya Angelou or Feng Shan Ho, the Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews by issuing them visa during the Holocaust.
In the end, I keep coming back to the idea that the best way to honor a place is by recognizing the things that make it special. The lake is home to turtles and blue Herons (as well as lots other wildlife). It encircles a hill that once upon a time was thick with strawberry plants. It sits on land inhabited for centuries by the Ramaytush Ohlone people. Naming it for any of those would be just fine with me.
The San Francisco Standard is running a poll to crowd source a winner. Cast your vote! The results are non-binding but may guide the Recreation and Parks Commission, which will meet to select the name on Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. in City Hall Room 416.
Here’s the full list of names:
Angelou Lake: In recognition of poet, memoirist and activist Maya Angelou's many accomplishments, including becoming San Francisco's first African American female streetcar conductor
Blue Heron Lake: To celebrate the great blue herons that have nested at Stow Lake since 1993.
Cissie Swig Lake: To honor Jewish community leader and arts advocate Roselyne “Cissie” Swig.
Feng Shan Ho Lake: To recognize Chinese diplomat Feng Shan Ho, who risked his career by issuing many visas to Jewish refugees during World War II.
Emperor Norton Lake: In honor of mid-1800s San Francisco resident Joshua Abraham Norton, who proclaimed himself the emperor of the United States, bringing notoriety and business to the city.
Golden Gate Pioneers Lake: To highlight the pioneering spirit of San Francisco's past, present and future.
Gordon E. Moore Lake: In honor of Intel Corporation co-founder Gordon E. Moore, who was an environmental conservationist, protecting and preserving land in California and all over the world.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Lake: In honor of an anti-slavery author and hero, who educated Northerners on the horrors of slavery happening in the South.
Joan Davenny Lake: In memory of a native San Franciscan killed in a Jerusalem bus bombing attack.
John McLaren Lake: In honor of the horticulturist and esteemed Golden Gate Park Superintendent John McLaren.
Lake Dianne: To honor Dianne Feinstein's lifelong love of the city, her leadership as mayor during a time of trauma and unrest, and her impact on the country while in the U.S. Senate.
Lake Hall: In recognition of civil engineer William Hammond Hall, who designed Golden Gate Park.
Larry Griffin Lake: In recognition of Larry Griffin, who was a longtime San Francisco public servant and parks advocate.
Mary Ellen Pleasant Lake: In recognition of Mary Ellen Pleasant, who was the first self-made African American millionaire, an abolitionist and a San Francisco resident.
Mikveh Lake: In reference to a Jewish purification practice.
Mirror Lake: In celebration of the beauty of Stow Lake's flat water.
Patrick Quigley Lake: In recognition of Patrick Quigley, who was one of the first employees of Golden Gate Park and a curator of the park for 40 years.
Phoenix Lake: To symbolize San Francisco's storied history of overcoming immense challenges.
Polar Bear Lake: To highlight the rapidly changing global environment that has placed the polar bear species on the brink of extinction.
Ramaytush Ohlone Lake: In recognition of the Ramaytush Ohlone, the Peninsula’s original peoples.
Strawberry Lake: In recognition of the lake's Strawberry Hill.
Swan Lake: In reference to the internationally known ballet "Swan Lake," which is sometimes put on by the San Francisco symphony and the San Francisco ballet.
Turtle Lake: To highlight the lake's turtle residents.
Turtle Mile Lake: In celebration of the lake's walking loop and the myriad positive values associated with turtles across many cultures.
What a treat to witness this renaming, I hope you follow up with the final result!
I think simply Heron Lake would be nice, because the night herons are also still around -- though, since they're shy, you have to look harder for them. But given the choices, I'll go with Blue Heron Lake.