History
Lake Restoration Program
Between 1983 and 1985 ENTRANCO, an engineering firm studied and restored Pattison Lake and Hicks Lake. The final report was published January 1987. During that timeframe, aluminum sulfate (alum) was applied to the lake to make the water more clear. The extensive report resides in a state office.
Between 1987 and 1992, North Pattison Lake had a Lake Management District. The South basin opted not to be involved.
Pattison Lake and Area Lake Treatment Plans
Pattison Lake Management District begins Jan. 1, 2024. The website will be ready by early February 2024.
Two lakes in our lake water quality system have formed Lake Management Districts (LMD). Other lakes in our region have LMDs or a Special use District (SUD). The LMD and SUD are the two options to manage a lake.
From 1987 to 1992, North Pattison Lake (the South basin declined to participate) operated a Lake Management District to remove submerged aquatic plans from the lake by a mechanical harvester. The LMD also called for regular water quality testing, and it published a newsletter.
Long Lake has had a Lake Management District for about 35 years. Initially it was to treat the noxious and invasive weed, Eurasian watermilfoil. The LMD continues to operate today.
Hicks Lake has a Lake Management District with the City of Lacey to treat and remove noxious float-leaved plants (overgrown nonnative waterlilies), native nuisance submersed plants (common water-nymph, and noxious emergent plants (Japanese knotweed, reed canarygrass and yellow flag iris).
Also in our region, for about 35 years the Lawrence Lake LMD has operated to improve native nuisance-weed control practices including mechanical harvesting and herbicide treatments. They also monitor and control noxious weeds.
Black Lake has a Special Use District (SUD) to non-native fragrant waterlily and yellow iris, plus the submersed water nymph. (Hand-pulling by residents was not sufficient to reduce nuisance plant growth throughout the summer recreational season. Eurasian watermilfoil has been aggressively managed since 2006 and satellite populations around the lake are regularly removed.
Offut Lake is in the process of forming a Lake Management District in 2022; it should be finalized in 2023 to begin in 2024.
Remembering the History of Pattison Lake
Pattison or Patterson?
While the lake was always called Pattison Lake, in the 1850s the lake was misspelled to Patterson on a map, so people continued to call it Patterson Lake. The inconsistency was addressed by a descendant of one of the original settlers, Deloris Downing, who came forward in 1978 to officially ask the United States Board on Geographic Names to recognize the name as Pattison Lake.
The Pattison brothers and their families at one time owned about 2,000 acres on the shores of Pattison Lake. “Two of the brothers, William and James, helped in the building of the stockade . . . in the spring of 1855. Eight families occupied the stockade that summer of 1855, and the oak tree that marked the Pattison Lake section was still standing when we visited there some years ago,” according to a letter by Melville Pattison, written in December 1978.
Having fun at Mullen’s Resort, 1929.
Mullen’s Resort had a big slide on the North basin.
Lacey once major destination for Washington vacationers.
History of Pattison Lake
Pattison Lake is the middle lake in the series of three lakes: Hicks, Pattison and Long lakes. Lake water flows from Hicks into a culvert that flows under Mullen Road and into Pattison and through a wetland stream into Long Lake. From Long Lake, the lake water flows into Lois Lake, then to Woodland Creek, and finally into Puget Sound. Pattison Lake is south of Mullen Road and north of the Yelm Highway in the Lacey urban growth area.
Historically the lake was called Patterson Lake, but this lake is named after early Thurston County settler James Pattison who, along with his wife, Jane Willey Pattison, crossed the Oregon Trail in 1849 and staked their donation land claim on the southwestern side of the lake.
With a surface area of 265 acres, Pattison also receives inflow through groundwater connection in addition to the Hicks Lake input. The lake is shallow with an average depth of 14 feet and a maximum depth of 22 feet. With an elevation of 154 feet above sea level, Pattison Lake is eight feet lower than Hicks Lake.
Pattison Lake has two basins, the smaller north basin that is 75 acres and the south basin of 190 acres. The lake was divided when lake was filled to construct the railroad trestle that divides the lake. There are two sets of tracks across the trestle and the Amtrak station is nearby. It is the main travel line that travels the West coast. Water flows through a shallow channel which allows passage of boats between the two basins.Pattison Lake is a popular fishing lake and is regularly stocked with rainbow trout. There are native largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and rock bass in the lake. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) provides public access on the northeast side of the lake (south basin) accessed via Kagy Street. Unlike Hicks and Long lakes, Pattison has a speed limit of 5 miles per hour, so no jet skis or water skiers are present. Pattison is a popular canoeing and kayaking lake. It is also popular for sailing, stand-up-paddle boarding and paddleboats. A Discover Pass is required to park at the WDFW boat launch and WDFW fishing regulations apply.
In the early 1900s, Pattison Lake featured popular resorts which were destinations for tourists from the 1910s through the 1930s as people from Tacoma and Seattle sought recreational opportunities. Five resorts were on Pattison during those years: Mullen’s Resort (north basin), LaVista Pavilion (south basin), Cedar Beach, Kelly’s Beach (south basin) and Forest Beach. The most prominent resort was Mullen’s Resort, near Mullen Road. Owned and operated by Frank and Ruby Mullen, Mullen’s Resort featured 15 rental cabins for anglers and others seeking rest and relaxation. There were more than 100 rental boats available to guests. There was a large wooden water slide, a high dive platform and a diving board. It was 88 steps to the top of the platform. The Northwest Amateur Athletic Union competitive dive team practiced on this colossal tower.
The LaVista Pavilion, with its glistening maple floors, could seat 268 diners. Later in the evening, the fine orchestras attracted dancers to the fine dance floor. In 1938 the pavilion was converted into a roller rink where skaters could show their skating skills. The building is there today. Like other area resorts, the gas rationing brought on by World War II signaled the beginning of the end for these destination beach resorts. Today, small cabins, often rental units, remain on the shores of Pattison Lake, a reminder of earlier times. Some of those small cabins have been remodeled and enlarged to year-round homes.
Editor’s note: If you find any of this information to be incorrect, please notify the association and provide proof of accurate information.
Pattison Lake shipwreck map created and posted with permission from Pattison Lake resident Jay Wallerstedt.
This is the legend to the Pattison Lake Shipwreck map created by Pattison Lake resident Jay Wallerstedt.