| Battle Ground Lake State Park history dates back to 1855, when local Indians were held at Fort Vancouver to prevent them from joining hostile Indians elsewhere in the area. The Indians held at Fort Vancouver escaped, and Captain Strong was sent with troops to bring them back. These troops found the Indians near the lake which is now called Battle Ground Lake. Captain Strong talked the Indians into returning to the Fort. In the meantime, there was a skirmish, and the Indian Chief Umtuch was killed, either by a soldier or one of his own men. Captain Strong returned to the Fort without the Indians after receiving a promise from them that they would return to the Fort after burying their chief. The Indians did return peacefully to the Fort. The area near the lake then became Strong's Battleground in derision of his act of returning to the Fort without the Indians. Chief Umtuch is buried in an unmarked grave on a farm about one mile east of Battleground. There are 35 campsites, 15 primitive walkin sites, 57 picnic sites, 1 camp-host site, comfort station, playground equipment, bathhouse, 3 kitchen shelters, two residences, concession building, shop/service buildings, contact station, four adirondack shelters located in the Group Camp, 7 pit toilets, boat launch ramp, unguarded swim beach and trailer dump station. Horse facilities include pit toilets, parking lot, a tiedown, and five miles of horsetrails. The park is largely evergreen forest with trails around the lake. Annual average rainfall is 35 inches. The lake's origin is volcanic, and is believed to have been formed as a "Maar" volcano. This type of volcano is the result of hot lava or magma pushing up near the surface of the earth and then coming into contact with underground water. This is thought to have resulted in a large steam explosion, leaving a crater that later formed a lake. |
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