Ellis Lake, Man-made lake

Ellis Lake is a man-made reservoir in downtown Marysville with walking trails circling the water and picnic areas along the shore. The roughly 1.2-mile path passes small islands in the lake, including one with a gazebo that visitors can view from the banks.

Ellis Lake began as a spillway of the Feather River. In 1924 the Women's Improvement Club of Marysville commissioned John McClaren, designer of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, to convert the swamp into a lake, and the work was completed in 1939. The lake is named for Marysville citizen W. T. Ellis, Jr. Construction during the Great Depression was carried out under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and included landscaping, two tennis courts, a judging stand, a 20-ft concrete and native stone bridge to an island, a dock and boat landing, rubble rock electroliers and an ornamental fountain.

The lake is named for Marysville citizen W.T. Ellis, Jr., and was created on a former Feather River spillway by the Women's Improvement Club of Marysville, which in 1924 commissioned designer John McClaren. Visitors can look for the 20-foot concrete and native stone bridge linking the mainland to an island, plus rubble rock electroliers installed for night illumination.

The lake sits between 9th and 14th Streets and B and D Streets in Marysville, with the water covering about 0.23 square kilometres. A 20-ft concrete and native stone bridge links the mainland to the island in the lake, and a dock and boat landing give access to the water. Benches along the bank allow a pause beside the ornamental fountain and rubble walls.

A woman's car was found at the lake bottom in 2002 after disappearing decades earlier in the 1980s, adding to local lore. A modern lighting system on one of the islands displays 37 colors and illuminates the water from dusk until midnight.