Kissena Lake, 1880.

In the 19th century, most of what is now Kissena Park was the nursery of famed horticulturist Samuel Parsons. (He introduced the Weeping Beech trees to America). Parsons, a native American enthusiast, gave the lake here the name Kissena, which is the Chippewa word for 'cold water' or 'it is cold' (mind you the Ojibwe or Chippewa are in Michigan). The lake is fed by a series of springs. In the late 1800s, it was used for an ice harvesting plant. The Kissena Lake Ice Company manufactured huge blocks of ice (with a massive 23-ton ice making system), which were in great demand at the time for both homes and businesses.

In 1904, the city purchased the lake from the ice manufacturing family. Between 1906 and 1927 the city bought up the land that became Kissena Park. Much of the land that has been the Parsons Nursery was sold to the city in between 1906 and 1907, and in 1908 the park was dedicated with the same name as the lake.