In 1871, escaped convicts hid out at what was, at that time, known to the Europeans as Mount Diablo, and the Paiute in the area as Wit-sa-nap.
The convicts were eventually apprehended but instead of being taken back to prison, they were instead lynched. Many of the posse had died in the shootout. The area was renamed due to this unfortunate history. More can be read about this lake in a very interesting Wikipedia article. According to the article, Paiutes described the lake as such:
“The streams which flowed from the mountains were supposed to be filled with Pot-sa-wa-gees, water babies, who lived in spirit, but were visible to the eye, having the face of an Indian child and the body of a fish.”
If you catch the lake on a windless day, the reflection of the mountain is glorious.
