Toluca Lake, Silent Hill’s largest tourist attraction, covers an estimated 60 acres. Its north shore is lined with the Paleville, District, and the south shore is home to the South Vale, making it a vast expanse of water.
Many tourists who visited Silent Hill must have enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset over Toluca Lake during their stay.
Silent Hill’s tourism industry began in the early 1900s. The vacations spent along the shores of Toluca Lake were particularly popular, and at its peak, the lake was known as a picturesque destination for families and couples.
Newspaper articles from the time reflect the lake's popularity, and according to A Brief History of Toluca Lake, a historical book found in our museum, boat cruises and ferries were among the lake’s top attractions.
However, a shocking incident dealt a blow to this thriving tourism business.
In 1918, the steamship Little Baroness mysteriously disappeared while cruising the lake.
All the passengers aboard vanished without a trace.Afterward, rumors spread that anyone who ventured out onto Toluca Lake would disappear as well, causing a steady decline in the number of tourists.
The Steamship Little Baroness