Words by Dylan Lanier
Where Highway 92 intersects with 280, an expansive pair of oak-lined lakes shimmer beneath the bright California sun. The beautiful and functional Crystal Springs Reservoir offers one of the Peninsula’s most signature views. Its story begins with the Spanish Portolá Expedition of 1769, the first-ever land exploration of California by Europeans. The voyagers stopped at a lake called Laguna Grande—now covered by Upper Crystal Springs—where they feasted with the local native tribe. A century later, the Spring Valley Water Company (SVWC) held a tight monopoly on the San Francisco water supply, including Laguna Grande and Crystal Springs, a town that had developed just to the north. The town grew around the luxurious Crystal Springs Hotel, a popular getaway for rich city folk.
HISTORIC Photography: COURTESY OF Division of Engineering and Industry, National Museum of American History
In 1875, the SVWC demolished the hotel and built the Crystal Springs Dam to create an additional water source for San Francisco. By the time construction concluded—resulting in Lower Crystal Springs in 1887—the town had long emptied. While tantalizing rumors suggest that the town’s remnants lie in a watery grave, the SVWC maintained that all structures were “swept clean” prior to completion. Today, the reservoir is controlled by the city of San Francisco and functions as a backup to the Hetch Hetchy water supply. Additionally, the area serves as a State Fish and Game Refuge, providing sanctuary for animals like the endangered San Francisco garter snake. While public access to the reservoir is currently limited to a handful of paths, local groups are working with the city to construct more trails, expanding the ways to engage with this spectacular setting.
"Dylan Lanier, mwandishi wa ""The New York Times,"" aliandika: ""Pia, ambapo barabara kuu ya 92 hukutana na 280, ziwa mbili kubwa zilizo na miti ya mwaloni zinaangaza chini ya jua la California." Hifadhi ya maji ya Crystal Springs yenye kupendeza na yenye kutumika hutoa mojawapo ya mandhari zenye kuvutia zaidi za Peninsula. Historia ya eneo hilo inaanza na safari ya Uhispania ya Portola ya mwaka 1769, ambayo ilikuwa safari ya kwanza ya Ulaya ya kugundua California. Wasafiri hao walisimama kwenye ziwa lililoitwa Laguna Grande - ambalo sasa limefunikwa na Upper Crystal Springs - ambako walikula pamoja na kabila la wenyeji. Mwaka wa 1900, kampuni ya Spring Valley Water Company ilianzisha kampuni ya maji ya San Francisco, ambayo ilianzisha mji wa Crystal Springs, huko Laguna Grande, huko California. Jiji hilo lilikua karibu na Hoteli ya Crystal Springs yenye anasa, mahali pa kupumzikia panapopendwa na matajiri wa jiji hilo. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika taarifa ya ""Special Investigation Report"" ya mwaka 1875 ya Shirika la San Francisco, ""SVWTC"" ilibomoa hoteli hiyo na kujenga bwawa la Crystal Springs ili kuunda chanzo cha maji cha ziada kwa ajili ya San Francisco." Kufikia wakati ujenzi ulipomalizika - na kusababisha Lower Crystal Springs katika 1887 - mji ulikuwa umekosa watu kwa muda mrefu. Wakati uvumi unaosababisha uvumi unaonyesha kwamba mabaki ya mji huo yapo katika kaburi la maji, SVWC ilisisitiza kwamba miundo yote ilikuwa "imepambwa safi" kabla ya kukamilika. Leo, hifadhi hiyo inasimamiwa na jiji la San Francisco na inafanya kazi kama msaada kwa usambazaji wa maji wa Hetch Hetchy. Kwa kuongezea, eneo hilo hutumika kama Hifadhi ya Nchi ya Samaki na Mchezo, ikitoa kimbilio kwa wanyama kama nyoka wa San Francisco aliye hatarini mwa kutoweka. Wakati upatikanaji wa umma kwa hifadhi ya maji kwa sasa umepunguzwa kwa njia chache, vikundi vya mitaa vinafanya kazi na jiji kujenga njia zaidi, kupanua njia za kushiriki na mazingira haya ya kuvutia.