Today it is a unique university landmark that is a habitat for native irises, alligators, turtles, birds and fish, as well as a hangout for students and a point of interest for tourists visiting Lafayette, Louisiana.

In prehistoric times, bison herds wandering through the area stopped in the shade of the cypress grove, pawing and stomping at the ground.

The grove, called a trou de taureau in Cajun French, or “bull hole,” began to retain water and form a pond.

In the early 1940s, some agriculture faculty members proposed converting the grove back into a pond, because they were concerned a lack of water could harm the cypress trees.

An oak tree located south of Cypress Lake has a plaque paying tribute to Edwin Stephens, the first president of the university, which was then called Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute.

Two women with strong ties to the university, Maria Mario Mamalakis and Vesta Bourgeois, participated in the oral history project in which their memories of Cypress Lake were recorded in the mid-1980s.

Not many people knew that.” Although the grove was a popular gathering place and was even used as a lovers' lane, students accepted the swamp because it was part of the war effort, according to Bruce Turner, a UL Lafayette history professor and head of the special collections at Edith Garland Dupré Library.

[1] Views of Student Union terraces around the lake Following the demolition of the former Student Union Complex (Olivier, Corona & Guillory Halls) located along Hebrard Boulevard and Boucher Street, a new green space was completed in that area in early 2018, and named “Cypress Lake Plaza.” The Plaza includes an amphitheater with a podium and stage that affords speakers and presenters a scenic spot to address campus crowds.