Lake Boon was originally formed by a melting glacier hundreds of years ago; for most of its life it was a simple body of water hiding in the woods. But in the late 1800s, it suddenly took on a very exciting existence as a summer resort for several reasons: first, the lake was enlarged in order to provide waterpower to a nearby mill and was left in this enlarged state when the mill switched to electric power; second, two different railroad lines with connections to Boston were built that passed within a few miles of the lake; and third, the lake was just the right distance from Boston to attract many of its residents to the lake's shore during the summer.