Burke Lake Park Boat Launch Platform, circa 1963

Burke Lake Park Boat Launch Platform, circa 1963

Burke Lake Park is an example of county and citizens groups working together to create a recreational area. In the late 1950s, sport fishing leagues and conservative groups suggested to the Fairfax County Park Authority that a public fishing lake be created. The Park Authority found a suitable location in Burke and initially purchased 218 acres. The lake began to fill in 1961 after dam construction. Stocked with fish for opening day, May 25, 1963, nearly 2,000 anglers attended the opening ceremony. Including the lake, Burke Lake Park occupies nearly 900 acres on land that Fairfax County acquired from the federal government, after local citizens defeated a plan to build an international airport near Burke.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive