Editing Marysville, California (section)

===Ellis Lake===

The centerpiece of Marysville is [[Ellis Lake]], a lake surrounded by greenery and sidewalks. It is bounded by 9th Street to the south, B Street to the east, 14th Street to the north and D Street to the west.

Before 1924, Ellis Lake was a swamp. It was not until then that the Women's Improvement Club of Marysville commissioned [[John McLaren (horticulturist)|John McLaren]], famed designer of the [[Golden Gate Park]] in [[San Francisco]], to turn the swamp into a "beautiful lake". The project was completed in 1939. It was recently renovated,  to the current mayor, Bill D. Harris, Sr.

On October 20, 2002, a car was found at the bottom of the lake, in seven feet of water. Inside the car was the skeletal body of [[Mary Jane Gooding]]. The Marysville Police Department believes that she accidentally drove her boyfriend's car into the lake on October 10, 1981. Her children thought she was victim of foul play; however, the Marysville Police Department maintains that there is no evidence to support that a crime was committed.

The lake, named for Marysville citizen W. T. Ellis, Jr., offers a pleasant walk, picnic areas, and fishing. For decades, Ellis Lake hosted a [[Independence Day (United States)|4th of July]] celebration every year, featuring power boat and cardboard boat races. Youths built boats out of cardboard and duct tape, then tried to cross the lake without sinking. An annual fireworks display was canceled in 2004 after a young girl lost part of her leg due to a rogue firework shot from the island in the center of the lake into the gathered crowd. That year they had twice as many fireworks than usual, which made shooting the fireworks more difficult and dangerous. The lawsuit finally closed 11 months later when the [[California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection]] released a report stating that mortar shells burst low into the crowd onto the other side of the lake from Gazebo Island.

In October 2007, the water fountain and lighting display was renovated and upgraded. The lights feature 37 colors and are viewable year round from 8 pm to midnight. This renovation was made possible by the combined efforts of a group of local citizens who have formed a group called Help Ellis Lake Prosper (H.E.L.P.).