Lions Lake reflects the changing course of road building around Dwight, which began as a farming community on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. As automobiles replaced horses, demand grew for better roads, and borrow pits such as this one supplied raw material for major paved highways. In the early 1920s, construction of State Route 4 through Dwight, following the Pontiac Trail and using steam-powered equipment aided by mule and human labor, created part of what later became Route 66. In 1926, Route 66 linked Dwight to the nation, with part of its path following Route 4 while bypassing downtown to the northwest. In 1946, rising traffic led to construction of a four-lane Route 66 Bypass farther northwest, and this lake began as a borrow pit dug for road fill during that project. In the 1990s, the area became a community park and the water-filled pit was named Lions Lake. Many former borrow pits remain visible along the old highway. In 1977, Interstate 55 opened still farther northwest and ended the Route 66 era.