As the legends say, Sloan’s Lake sprung up overnight after farmer Thomas Sloan tapped into an aquifer.
Since then, the lake and its shores have lived many lives. It has been home to an amusement park, a shooting club, steamboats, and stories of organized crime. Now, it’s one of Denver’s most bustling public parks.
“The history is amazing and crazy and storied, and there’s just so many ridiculous stories about this place,” said Kurt Weaver, the executive director of the Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation.
That history now has reached a critical phase. The lake may be shallower and unhealthier than ever before, with advocates like Weaver ringing the alarm bell over the impact of climate change and development on Denver’s largest body of water…