The reservoir was created to address the increasing demand for water in Chittenden County.

A series of droughts in the early 20th century led the village of Essex Junction to procure land for water conservation.

[1] In 1957, the village hired Knight Consulting Engineers, Inc. to build a dam across Indian Brook and flood the valley.

[3] In August 1977, after a public bidding process, the village trustees sold the Indian Brook property for $167,000 to several private developers.

In November 1986, the town of Essex made a decision to purchase the land from private developers.