 The lake was named for Marysville citizen W.T.Ellis, Jr..

Work on the lake was completed during the Great Depression through President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal Plan.Work included landscaping, construction of two tennis courts and a judging stand, a 20-ft. concrete and native stone bridge connecting the mainland with an island in the lake, a dock and boat landing 39, rubble rock electroliers for night illumination; and the installation of an ornamental fountain and rubble walls on the banks.