Location

The park is located on the shores of Lake Metigoshe in the Turtle Mountains, 14 miles northeast of Bottineau

Bottineau, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,336 people, 979 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,230.0 people per square mile . There were 1,114 housing units at an average density of 1,063.4 per square mile...

, along the US/Canadian border.

History

The name Lake Metigoshe is derived from the Chippewa phrase "metigoche washegum," meaning clear water lake surrounded by oaks." The area was also once home to the Blackfoot, Hidatsa, and Assiniboine peoples.

The park was constructed in the 1930s as a part of President Roosevelt's "New Deal

New Deal

The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...

" programs during the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. It was formally established and approved on February 17, 1937.

Activities

In the summer, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, water-skiing, and other water sports are popular. Lake Metigoshe has northern pike, walleye, and perch for fishing. There are modern and primitive camping areas as well as picnicking areas.

In the winter, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, skating, sledding, and ice fishing are popular.

The park's Turtle Mountain Outdoor Learning Center offers ecology, conservation, and outdoor recreation programs.

The Club de Skinautique is a water-skiing club that practices and performs on Lake Metigoshe. The "Skinautiques," as the club is informally called, have been performing water skiing shows every summer since 1958.