The original name of the southern or Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir was
Laguna Grande, a natural lake that disappeared with the creation of the reservoir, which has a California Historical Marker ("NO. 94 Ohlone-Portolá Heritage Trail, Laguna Grande). The
Portolà Expedition of 1769 camped here on November 5th. From the journal of Fray Juan Crespí, "We stopped close to a lake where there are countless ducks, geese, and so forth, in the same hollow at a half past one in the afternoon; and we have made three leagues in four hours and a half. Here in this hollow tracks have been encountered of large livestock, which some said were made by bears; others, by buffalo (
elk). Also a great many
deer have been seen together, while the scouts aver that when they explore here, they saw whole bands of deer, and counted so many as fifty deer together in one. As we were upon the point of setting out from the spot, three very well-behaved heathens came over from the villages here, seeking us out laden with a good share of black pies and a sort of cherries that they made a present of, and they followed us along well pleased, giving us to understand we should go to their village [and] they will give us food. (A great many madroños, small and large, have been met with during these two days' march, laden with fruits the size of so many beads off our rosaries.)" The Expedition found the native people to be most gracious, offering food and guidance. The
Lamchins were a large group, probably about 350 people. Their lands in the south-central part of the Peninsula included the present cities of
Redwood City and
Woodside, as well as the Phleger Estate portion of the
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Their known villages, Cachanigtac, Guloisnistac, Oromstac, and Supichom, cannot be precisely located. Today Laguna Grande is covered by the Upper Crystal Springs Lake located south of
Crystal Springs Dam on Cañada Road. The Laguna Grande place name is also shown on the 1840s diseño del
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo and an 1856 plat of the
Rancho de las Pulgas. The two Crystal Springs lakes and
San Andreas Lake used to be known as
Spring Valley Lakes for the Spring Valley Water Company which owned them. The Spring Valley Water Company named the lakes, the Spring Valley Lakes, after the company. The original Spring Valley was between Mason and Taylor Streets, and Washington and Broadway Streets in San Francisco, where the water company started. When the company went south for more water, the Spring Valley name was carried south too.
Crystal Springs village Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir now covers the town of
Crystal Springs which grew up around a little resort town of the same name, founded in the mid-19th century and located just northwest of the present-day dam. The Crystal Springs Hotel tract was constructed around the 1860s on leased land, located from the
San Mateo train depot and along a
stagecoach stop, and around this hotel a small town developed including a dairy and farms. In 1875, the town of Crystal Springs lost its population and business and by 1887, the location of the town was underwater because of the dam construction. There is speculation if any of the town structures were left prior to the dam completion, however according to a 1922 publication by the Spring Valley Water Company, "In the end, the entire of catchment area were swept clean of all human habitation." ==Description==