The Lake Sarasota Community Blog

In the 1950's Lake Sarasota came to the world's attention as Sunshine Springs and Gardens, complete with Swan boats, water-skiing elephants, and a beach . . . These photos and more can also be found on our Facebook pages .

Lake Sarasota began as Sunshine Springs and Gardens, a kind of fairie world complete with water-skiing aqua-belles and aqua-beaux, and, yes, an aqua-elephant. There were swan boats, exotic plants, arching bridges, water-curtains and picnics. Here's a slide-show from that time, with thanks to Laura Blackman (better known to many as Laura Mathis), the former president of the Lake Sarasota Community Group: More about the attraction from the 50's and "Florida's largest man-made lake" here .

Some great shots of Sunshine Springs here from a man whose family lived in Sarasota in the 50s.

Lake Sarasota is at the lowest water level it's been in quite some time.  (Note: the water pumped into the canals has nothing to do with the depletion -- we just need rain.) Rougly 56 years ago, when it was Sunshine Springs and Gardens, the lake looked like this: And here's a view of the canal and resort that was built to attract buyers here in the mid 1950's: The video moves back and forth between Cypress Gardens and Sunshine Springs and Gardens . About 4:01 minutes in, you see our lake, and at about 4:15, the concrete grandstand that still can be seen at the lake, but here it's bright white, as is the sand that rings the lake: If you know anyone with more footage or photos or other recollections of the early days of Lake Sarasota, please get in touch with us at LakeSarasota@gmail.com . Thanks to Winter resident Beany for pointing us to the canal photo and the video.

This picture is from the archives of Sunshine Springs and Gardens , the original resort on Lake Sarasota, back when the lake was first built. The resort was a sales device to promote -- what else -- real estate. The question: Is the elephant real? An early shot of the lake and park - note the canals seemed to flow into the lake:

Few Sarasotans today remember the rather fanciful way Lakeview Park began, as a developer's come-on for lot sales in " Sunshine Springs and Gardens ": Until a few years ago, the waterways of the park were relatively clear, thanks to a deep well and a pump that kept the water moving. When a storm knocked out the power and the pump failed, things changed. A small group is looking at ways of restoring the park - not, mind you, to the days of swan-adorned boats, but simply to healthier, cleaner water. Have a look at some of the approaches outlined here . If you have ideas, interest and time, do get in touch - we'd love to hear from you. We'd love to see clear waters moving again.