It was the late 1950s, and the sound of earthmovers droned across the corner of 103rd and Pulaski streets. Such sounds were not unusual here. After all, the Sisters of Mercy had just recently moved Saint Xavier College to this location, and the freshly touched land was accustomed to the sounds of construction.
The current task, however, was not the construction of a new building, but the creation of a landfill, most likely to be used as a place to deposit materials from the construction of future residence halls. As digging crews burrowed into the swampy area near what is now Pacelli Hall, however, they hit a natural underground spring.
As water gushed out, the surprised construction workers doubtless realized that the landfill wasn’t to be. Instead, Lake Marion was born.
Today, a picturesque walking path encircles the peaceful waters of our university pond. Dog owners, children and even the occasional SXU student can be observed taking the time to enjoy this little piece of nature right on our campus.
But these serene images betray Lake Marion’s long and eventful history. Indeed, much has transpired here, and some of it will likely never be told, much less discovered. But I have managed to collect a number of stories, some happy, some tragic and some outright bizarre that will most likely surprise you.
In this first part, you will learn of the lake’s earliest years and some of the recreational activities that used to regularly take place there—activities that would cause Saint Xavier’s legal team to develop ulcers if they went on today.
Prior to Lake Marion’s accidental discovery, it had been a network of underground springs located underneath a bog which rested on lands traversed by the Potawatomie, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes for centuries.
In the late 1800s, the land passed to the family of George Bigelow, a U.S. Admiral during the Civil War, becoming farmland. His descendants eventually died out, and the land was sold at auction to Saint Xavier College in the 1950s (Xavierite 10/12/83, pg. 3).
As mentioned, SXC dug the bog out as a landfill, but the underground spring destined the newly created ditch to become a pond. It didn’t take long for SXC students to find multiple uses for this campus gem (Xavierite 11/08/76, pg. 2-3).
Sister Marion Johnson, for whom the lake is named, fondly recalls swimming, fishing and boating as being regular activities for students at the lake during the 1960s. “It was a really nice place to be,” says Johnson as she explains that one time sand was even brought in to create a mini “beach” along the shoreline.
In addition to having a lifeguard standing ready to rescue any student finding herself in trouble while swimming, Lake Marion, at that time informally known as SX Sea, had a wooden dock from which to attach boats, fish or simply sit with one’s feet in the water.
The fun did not stop in the winter, however. Sister Joy Clough, who was an SXC student in the 1960s, recalls, “I do remember ice-skating on the lake – a rare treat for young sisters. And of course, we did it in the full habit (the old floor length one) over which we wore sweaters and shawls in cold weather, not coats.”
Jumping in the lake was so commonplace back then that on a cold winter’s night in 1973, a student named Frank Burns dove into the freezing waters allegedly to save a “poor fat duck that had got stuck on the thin ice” (Essex 1973).
Accounts vary on how the duck was ultimately rescued, but all seem to indicate that it was. The story became a fond memory, one of many created at the lake at that time.
This age of innocence was not to last, however.
Even as students continued to enjoy the various activities on the lake into the 1970’s, trouble was literally on the horizon.
Tony Bara
Viewpoints Correspondent
About Post Author
