Cypress Lake is a two-acre swamp-like lake in the heart of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus that started as a buffalo wallow. Today it is a unique university landmark that is a habitat for native irises, alligators, turtles, birds and fish, as well as a hangout for students and a point of interest for tourists visiting Lafayette, Louisiana. A freshwater swamp This article is about the wetland type (a landform). ... The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also known as UL Lafayette, is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana. ... Binomial name Bison bison Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies B. b. ... Binomial name Iris versicolor L. Iris versicolor, also commonly known as the Harlequin Blueflag the Blue Flag Iris and other varitations of those names, is a species of Iris naive to North America where it is common in sedge meadows, marshes, and along streambanks and shores. ... This article refers to the large reptile. ... Suborders Cryptodira Pleurodira See text for families. ... Lafayette is a city located on the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

In prehistoric times, buffalo herds wandering through the area stopped in the shade of the cypress grove, pawing and stomping at the ground. Eventually a depression in the ground formed from the buffalos. The grove, called a trou de taureau in Cajun French, or “bull hole,” began to retain water and form a pond. Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... Cajun French is a variety or dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, particularly in Lafayette Parish, Evangeline Parish, St. ...

UL Lafayette (est. 1900) grew up around the pond. Initially the university fenced it in to use as a pig pen and feeding area for its instructional farm. In the early 1920s, the pig pen was drained to return the 63 cypress trees into the newly named Cypress Grove. The university used the grove as an open-air theater for Shakespearean productions, music and dance programs. Commencement exercises were held beneath the cypress canopy in 1935 for the first time and several subsequent years when the weather permitted. 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ... HI This article is about the broader pig genus. ... The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Binomial name Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. ... See also Academic dress Categories: Education | Academia ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In the early 1940s, some agriculture faculty members proposed converting the grove back into a pond, because they were concerned a lack of water could harm the cypress trees. A pump was installed, the pond was refilled, and Cypress Grove became Cypress Lake. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ...

Alternate Theory^[1]

An alternate theory exists to explain why the grove was converted back to a small lake. This one is counter to the theory that the trees were dying and needed water. Either could be correct.

The differing view is that the university created the lake as a precautionary measure during World War II. Two women with strong ties to the university, Maria Mario Mamalakis and Vesta Bourgeois, participated in the oral history project in which their memories of Cypress Lake were recorded in the mid-’80s. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 30s - 40s - 50s - 60s - 70s - 80s - 90s - 100s - 110s - 120s - 130s 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 Note: Sometimes 80s is used as shorthand for the 1980s, the 1880s, or other such decades in different centuries. ...

“People didn’t realize that we were so near the gulf and had a lot of German submarines in the gulf area,” said Mamalakis, explaining why the university decided to create the lake. “It was a worry that we could even be bombed. It was Cypress Grove for many years, but they were afraid that we might need extra water in case of fire if a bomb had been dropped on campus.” Bourgeois concurred, adding that female students filled the swamp and conducted fire drills. Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... October 1939. ...

“They realized that if the Germans came to the gulf south of Abbeville they would bomb not us, but the vulnerable place, Baton Rouge,” Bourgeois explained. “If they had to come back with bombs (in their airplanes), they would not go back to the ship, but would drop them at some vulnerable place, and Southwestern would have been one. The small city of Abbeville is the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, in the US state of Louisiana, 150 miles (241 km) southwest of New Orleans. ... Capitol Building Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. ...

“So they began preparing for this type thing, and they saw that there was no water. So they put water (in the grove), and we began teaching girls at the gym bucket brigades. So we had ladders, and an obstacle course for the girls to run, realizing that all of our men went into the service, and the others were in the National Guard or volunteers, so that the women would have to do these sorts of things. That’s how Cypress Grove was filled. Not many people knew that.”

Although the grove was a popular gathering place and was even used as a “lovers’ lane,” students accepted the swamp because it was part of the war effort, according to Bruce Turner, a UL Lafayette history professor and head of the special collections at Edith Garland Dupré Library.

“I’m sure if they made the case that it was being done for war preparedness, then for patriotic reasons, people would accept that,” Turner said. “It was right in the middle of World War II, and everyone was concerned. Everybody was willing to make sacrifices for the war.”

Trivia

• Cypress Lake is casually called The Swamp, which is also the nickname of the Louisiana-Lafayette stadium, called Cajun Field.
• An oak tree located south of Cypress Lake was designated to honor Edwin Stephens, the first president of Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, for his efforts as president, environmentalist, and visionary.
• In 1962, Life magazine photographed students ice skating on the lake when it froze over.
• In the late 1980s, Cypress Lake was a question on the game show Jeopardy! under a category of college landmarks.

1. ... The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also known as UL Lafayette, is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana. ... Cajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. ... The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, also known as UL Lafayette, is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Jeopardy! is a very popular international television game show, originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Wheel of Fortune. ...

Sources

External links

• University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• 1930 Cypress Grove photo - central cypress
• 1930 dance performance
• 1936 Cypress Grove photo
• 1936 dancer in the Legend of the Spanish Moss

more photos at the Louisiana Digital Library