Big Boy perched in Bear Lake, approx. 1984
THE HISTORY OF BEAR LAKE
Most OU students know Bear Lake for its photogenic location where you can come and unwind between classes. But the history behind Bear Lake is far deeper than you might expect.
Transcript
Most OU students know Bear Lake for its photogenic location where you can come and unwind between classes. But the history behind Bear Lake is far deeper than you might expect. Here are four things you might not know about Bear Lake.
1. Over the years, multiple cars have been found at the bottom of Bear Lake. Beginning with a truck whose parking brake failed, more than one student has had the pleasure of leaving class only to discover that their car went for a swim. One car was intentionally put into the lake by a student in 1993 and wasn’t discovered and removed until 2002. Perhaps he couldn’t find a parking spot?
2. Bear Lake was originally known around campus as Beer Lake. No, not because the lake was composed of your favorite lager. Though the truth is murky like its waters, one story claimed a student threw a beer can into the waters and named it “Beer Lake.” Others say students used the lake to store their beer to keep it cool. Regardless of the truth, when the university changed their mascot to the Golden Grizzlies in 1998, the university rebranded the lake — Bear Lake.
3. Do you know and love your local Big Boy restaurant? Well, OU students apparently did, as over the years at least two Big Boy statues have been found on Bear Lake, including one found in 1984. On both occasions the Big Boy statue was returned to its original owners with the campus’s apologies. At the time, the Oakland University News quipped that the Big Boy was “perhaps a bit smarter after a day in school.”
4. Students used to swim, boat, ice skate, and canoe on Bear Lake. On a few occasions, members of the swim team were known to practice their racing starts by jumping off the bridge. The first swim allegedly took place in the summer of 66’ when a student fell out of a boat into the muddy waters and got sick the next day. Shortly after that, a 1968 Department of Health survey found that Beer Lake was unsuitable as a public beach because most of the water was from an established county drain filled with runoff from nearby subdivisions and septic tanks. In fact, that beautiful fountain you see spurting water into the cool morning air was installed to curtail the sludge and stench associated with the lake. Needless to say, please do not jump off the bridge and students no longer swim in the lake, but you can still enjoy the morning views.
And there you have it, four things you didn’t know about Bear Lake, I’ll bet you never look at it the same again.
For more information and Legends of OU, please visit oakland.edu/social/legendsofOU.
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Over the years, multiple cars have been found at the bottom of Bear Lake. Beginning in 1973, students would leave class only to discover that their parking brake failed and their vehicle was sitting in the lake. One student intentionally drove into the lake in 1993 and it was not discovered and removed until 2002.
Bear Lake was originally known around campus as Beer Lake. Though the truth is murky, one story claims a student threw a beer can into the waters and named it “Beer Lake.” Others say students used the lake to store their beer to keep it cool. Regardless of the truth, in 1998, the university rebranded it to Bear Lake.
At least two Big Boy statues have been found in Bear Lake. In both cases, students stole the statue and left it in the lake. At the time, the Oakland University News quipped that the Big Boy was “perhaps a bit smarter after a day in school.”
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Students used to swim, boat, ice skate and canoe on Bear Lake. On a few occasions, members of the swim team were known to practice their racing starts by jumping off the bridge. A 1968 Department of Health survey found that “Beer Lake” was unsuitable as a public beach because most of the water was from an established county drain filled with runoff from nearby subdivisions and septic tanks.
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