Poison Lake - What's in a name? - Lassen County - 2010

What a pretty lake! We had to stop... What's not to like? Blue sky, blue water...

Later we learned this is Poison Lake! I love this photo, from sagebrush to pine trees.

Why would anyone name such a beautiful lake "Poison Lake"? I had to find out... and discovered the answer in 1500 California Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning.

A traveler and writer, Alonzo Delano, left this clue in one of his books: "It was [so] called, from the innumerable quantity of animalculae and frogiponiana in its waters, which could only be rendered drinkable by filtration." Animalculae are microscopic animals, but I haven't found a definition for frogiponiana. In fact, I Googled the word and this quote is the only occurrence of that word on the Internet! Perhaps the word has fallen out of favor.

In any case, be forewarned, this should be filtered before drinking, should you happen to be thirsty when you pass by.

Spending time next to this lovely lake was a shade-blessed delight, and because of my research I've discovered an amazing author of California lore and history, Alonzo Delano. I've got a copy of one of his books now and am preparing it for posting on this site. He lived from July 2, 1806 to September 8, 1874. He was here for the Gold Rush, contributed to the founding of Grass Valley, California, and became known as "Old Block" and "A Nomad Denizen of the World."

...and he knew how Poison Lake got its name and left a record so we could know too, so that makes him special and worth reading. (In my opinion!)