The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department decided to change the name of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park to Blue Heron Lake. William Stow was a Nineteenth Century politician who was exceptionally anti-Semitic. Growing up I spent a lot of time around Stow Lake. My grandparents liked to take us to the boathouse. I always wanted pink popcorn. Sometimes they would rent a boat to ride around the lake. When I got older, I frequently walked to the lake to climb Strawberry Hill and look at the remains of Huntington Falls and the Sweeney Observatory.
After protests about his effect on Native Californians, Caltrans removed the statue of Gaspar de Portolá at the park and ride lot by the Community Center. I hope the monument at Sweeney Ridge is still there.
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