Road firm and good , gently ascending for a mile or more from the lake ; then uneven , occasionally sandy , to Temescal . As a result of the Great Flood of 1862 , the level of the lake was very high , and the Union Army created a post at the lake to graze and water their horses . In the great 1862 – 65 drought , most of the cattle in Southern California died and the lake level fell , especially during 1866 and 1867 , when practically no rain fell . However , the lake was full again in 1872 , when it overflowed down its outlet through Temescal Canyon
Great Flood of 1862
Great Flood of 1862
Lake Elsinore