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Larsen Lake Farm 700-148th SE/14812 SE 8th
The Larsen Lake Farm, located east of 148th Avenue and north of SE 8th Street, is situated among several wetlands. It gets its name from the lake in the area also known as Blueberry Lake. Larsen Lake was named for a Danish couple, Ove and Mary Larsen, who homesteaded in the area in 1890. Their house stood where a K Mart was built in later years. The surrounding wetlands were known for its abundance of wild blue huckleberries and cranberries. Ove and Mary Larsen's children gathered these fruits and took them to market along with their farm produce. In 1918, Larsen decided he gotten too old to maintain his farm and sold half the property to the four Aries brothers. They produced large crops of lettuce, peas, cauliflower, carrots, and celery. The farm expanded into the largest in the area. Lettuce was shipped away in carloads and a packing shed operated 24 hours a day. The Aries brothers continued their operation until 1960 when they sold the farm to developers. Earlier, during the 1940s, Louis Weinzirl acquired another portion of Larsen Lake land and began planting domestic blueberry plants. Once these plants began bearing fruit, residents in the area enjoyed shopping at Weinzirl's fruit stand for fresh fruit. The farm, which is now owned by the City of Bellevue Parks and Recreation Department, represents the study unit theme of agriculture. |