It’s the jewel of Oakland, a National Historic Landmark and the home to Children’s Fairyland, but Lake Merritt has always been for the birds.

A recent dig through The Chronicle’s archive turned up long-hidden photos, some nearly a century old, of Lake Merritt, which holds the distinction of being the United States’ first government-sanctioned wildlife refuge, designated in 1870 to protect migratory birds from Bay Area hunters.

About 150 years ago, about the time The Chronicle was founded, Oakland Mayor Samuel Merritt proposed the building of a dam to fill a tidal lagoon and create a lake near his sprawling home. He financed the dam over San Antonio Creek, which is now known as the Oakland Estuary, and named it Lake Peralta. According to a Sept. 9, 1984, Chronicle column by Margot Patterson Doss, a local paper pushed to rename the body of water for its patron, calling it “a most Merrittorious project.”

In a 1869 Oakland Matters column, The Chronicle raved about the recently completed and renamed Lake Merritt. “Since the completion of the dam, this beautiful sheet of water has become one of the chief glories of Oakland. The road which is now being laid out around the lake will be one of the most delightful drives in the world.” Cars wouldn’t be commonplace for decades, so the drives must have been truly horse-powered.

The Lake Merritt area is situated below the Pacific Flyway, and birds of all kinds flock to its shores. In 1870, the Legislature passed a law creating the Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge, the first legally established wildlife sanctuary in North America.

In the 1920s, the first bird island was constructed. Three decades later, four additional islands were built. Hundreds of egrets, herons, geese, pelicans, ducks and other winged visitors stop off at the lake during migrations.

With budgets often thin, the sanctuary has survived major financial threats. In 1986, the City Council was trying to trim $8 million, and the refuge was a top target. Chronicle reporter Pearl Stewart wrote that a formal petition to save the center began making the rounds, and it helped city officials see the light.

“There was a tremendous response,” Karoline DeMartini, a member of the city manager’s staff, was quoted as saying. “I’ve got a shopping bag full of letters and drawings — the most wonderful collection of children’s artwork.”

In a July 26, 1970, article celebrating the lake’s 100th anniversary, The Chronicle’s Hal Gilliam summed up the appeal in a way that rings true nearly 50 years later: “Urban oases like Lake Merritt are sanctuaries, not only for birds, but for humans as well.”

More from Chronicle Vault

•What a ride: Peter Hartlaub retells the story of when President Richard Nixon rode a “futuristic” BART train and stopped at a gleaming Lake Merritt Station.

•Oakland overload: Did you know an Oakland holiday balloon parade used to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city every year? The pictures are priceless.

•Let’s get nuts : The Bay Bridge connects Oakland with San Francisco. These crazy cross-bay bridge ideas connect the absurd with the archive.

•A lost gem: How Hetch Hetchy’s natural beauty was sacrificed to quench San Francisco’s thirst.

•Man versus nature: Hetch Hetchy water travels a long way to make it to San Francisco’s faucets. This is how it first happened.

From the Archive is a weekly column by Bill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspaper’s archive. It’s part of Chronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by Tim O’Rourke, The Chronicle’s assistant managing editor and executive producer of SFChronicle.com. Sign up for the newsletter here and follow Chronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill at bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com and Tim at torourke@sfchronicle.com.

Dig deep into Chronicle Vault Read hundreds of historical stories, see thousands of archive photos and sort through 153 years of classic Chronicle front pages at SFChronicle.com/vault.