Lyman Lakes - c. 1925

Built in 1916-1917, Lyman Memorial Lakes were the gift of Carleton Trustee and Mrs. George R. Lyman of Minneapolis in memory of their son, George Huntington Lyman.

In the fall of 1916 a Duluth dredging outfit worked 24 hours a day digging the lake beds, creating the islands out of dirt thrown up by the dredge, and damming Spring Creek. Provision was made for bathing beaches on both lakes which, for many years, offset the lack of outdoor swimming facilities in town.

According to a 1922 campus article: "Perhaps there is no spot on the campus more popular, perhaps there is no place that serves more varied purposes." From "fussing" to freshman-sophomore tugs of war, from Mai Fete to latter-day bonfires, the locale has been witness to a broad spectrum of college life. Before a skating rink was constructed each winter on the Bald Spot, the College maintained skating and hockey facilities on the upper lake.