The City of Kirkland purchased the property from the King County Water District #1 in 2004 with funding provided by the voter-approved 2002 Kirkland Park Bond and Levy. Prior to the acquisition, spring-fed wells on the site provided the community of Yarrow Point with water since 1888, officially becoming King County’s first water district in 1916. Increasing urbanization of the Kirkland area led to concerns about contamination of the groundwater by polluted surface water, eventually resulting in decommissioning of the system.
In 2005, the City of Kirkland and Forterra (then the Cascade Land Conservancy) joined forces to address the declining health of forests and other natural areas in Kirkland parks. The result was the Green Kirkland Partnership, a program that draws on City of Kirkland resources, volunteers, and partners, to restore City-owned forests and other natural areas according to a 20-Year Forest Restoration Plan. Restoration work at this park has been ongoing since 2005.