Viewing through the window to the past, the beauty of water gardening appeared in Colorado about the turn of the last century. Written history, in word and pictures, tells us that during the first three decades of the 1900’s, three major public water garden displays were created in the Metro area.

Denver City Parks – City Park, Washington Park, Others

Denver City Park supervisor, J. L. Russell, visited Rexleigh in 1916 and left with an armload of lilies for a barren, mosquito-infested City Park Lake. It was Russell’s visit that spurred Houghton to start his commercial venture at Rexleigh.

In 1917, an additional $500 in lilies were purchased from Rexleigh to increase the number of blooms in the lily pond. Tropical lily varieties were included in the purchase. It was said to be the largest collection west of the Mississippi.

In 1919 the pond, located near the 17th Avenue entrance, was overtaken by motor oil washed from the streets during a storm, killing all the lilies. A new lily pond was built in 1925, east and north up the rise from the large lake. Within a year, growth of the lilies filled in to equal the beauty of the original pond. Thousands of blossoms covered the surface daily.

This pond survived until 1970, when minimal maintenance was available for their care. It became a shaded, quiet pond with a boundary of trees and shrubs. Cement foundations in the pond, for placement of the potted lilies, are still visible in the shallow water. Several renovation and restocking projects over the years failed due to continued lack of maintenance by Parks and Recreation staff, and only wild plants exist today.

At this writing (April 2007), the City and County of Denver is nearly finished with a total re-build of City Park Lake and the surrounding pools as part of a major drainage project. No plans are known at this time to restore the water plants and marginals.

This short history and photos were obtained from the various sources available at the Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Genealogy Department. Researched by John Mirgon, and Cyndie Thomas, Colorado Water Garden Society.