I took my dog for a walk at Golden Gate Park today and stopped by the Blue Heron Lake Boat House to buy a drink. I looked at the T-shirts and was struck by how boring and indistinctive “Blue Heron” Lake is. How – and more importantly, why – does an iconic San Francisco landmark have such a generic name?
William W. Stow, the lake’s original namesake, was a State Assemblymember between 1854 and 1857 and served on the City’s park commission in the 1890s. He was also an antisemite who openly wished to rid California of its Jewish population, and attempted to tax Jews in order to discourage them from opening businesses.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 