It’s a large lake in the middle of a small town in Tulare County. But if you’re just passing through Woodlake, you might never see the town’s most prominent feature. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of Bravo Lake and the town of Woodlake.
First a geography lesson. The Kaweah River spreads out into different channels as it exits the foothills and enters the San Joaquin Valley. That’s why it’s called the Kaweah Delta. One of those channels is the St. Johns River, which flows just south of the town of Woodlake, before it skirts the northern suburbs of Visalia. And between the St. John’s River and the town of Woodlake sits Bravo Lake.
Not a lot is known about its early history. Bravo Lake isn’t directly fed by a creek or river, but it appears to be a natural feature. It’s thought that in flood years, the St. John’s River would overflow in this swampy area, creating a natural lake. In 1872 a local ditch company built a canal to fill the lake, turning the natural feature into a reservoir.
In 1912, Gilbert F. Stevenson arrived on the scene and founded the town of Woodlake. He envisioned the lake as a tourist destination, but he also raised the levee surrounding the lake. And it’s this levee you see today, blocking the view of Bravo Lake from the town.
And as for the name? The story goes that two men held an epic fight on the shore one day. Residents gathered, and when one emerged victorious, shouts of Bravo were heard, leaving us the name Bravo Lake, to this day.
