Windigo Lake
Encyclopedia
Windigo Lake is a freshwater lake
located in north central Wisconsin
in the Town
of Bass Lake
, Sawyer County, United States
, in township 40 north, range 9 west. The lake is irregular in shape, with numerous peninsulas and bays, and is approximately one mile in diameter. Windigo Lake is 529.6 acres (2.1 km²) in size (including islands) with a maximum depth of 51 feet (15.5 m) and a shoreline of 9 miles (14.5 km). The lake does not have an obvious inflow or outflow stream and is classified as a seepage lake, i.e., a lake without an inlet or an outlet.
Windigo Lake is approximately six miles south of the city of Hayward, the primary commercial and retail center of the area. The shore of the lake is principally occupied by seasonal lake cabins and homes. There is one public boat landing on the southeastern shore of the lake. Windigo Lake is a popular resort area, drawing cabin owners and visitors from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago
metropolitan areas.
) which is a mythological cannibalistic creature in Ojibwa
and Ottawa folklore. However, the lake has not always been referred to as "Windigo Lake." Schoolcraft
, in the report of his expedition through this area in 1831, called it "Lac des Isles," which means "Lake of the Isles" in French. Captain James Allen who accompanied Schoolcraft
on the expedition in the following year (1832) to the source of the Mississippi River
produced a detailed map of the northern Minnesota
/Wisconsin
area after that trip. On this map he labeled Windigo Lake in English as "Lake of the Isles." The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources lake map for Windigo Lake gives "Bass Lake" as an alternative name for the lake; and an article from the Sawyer County Historical Society also indicates that Windigo Lake was formerly known as "Bass Lake."
Indians. The first known visit by Europeans to the area was around 1660. Pierre-Esprit Radisson
and Médard des Groseilliers
traveled from Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior southward through the area in 1659 and stayed for a period at an Indian village that has been identified as being located on nearby Lac Courte Oreilles
.
Windigo Lake was apparently well traveled by Indians and early traders and explorers who used it as part of the route from Lac Courte Oreilles
in the Chippewa River
watershed, through Grindstone Lake
and Windigo Lake and over the Namekagon Portage
, to the Namekagon River
in the St. Croix River
watershed. A later explorer, Jonathan Carver
, passed through the area in 1767 and traveled through what the editor identifies as Windigo Lake on June 29, 1767 on his way from the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles
to the Namekagon River
. The area was later visited by Henry Schoolcraft
in 1831 who described crossing from the St. Croix River
watershed to the Chippewa River
watershed by ascending the Namekagon River
, crossing the Namekagon Portage
, and passing through Windigo Lake (called by him Lac des Isles) and Grindstone Lake
(called by him Lac du Gres) to Lac Courte Oreilles
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
located in north central Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in the Town
Political subdivisions of Wisconsin
The definitions of the political subdivisions of the U.S. state of Wisconsin differ from those in some other countries or even other U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area....
of Bass Lake
Bass Lake, Sawyer County, Wisconsin
Bass Lake is a town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,244 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Northwoods Beach is located in the town.-Geography:...
, Sawyer County, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in township 40 north, range 9 west. The lake is irregular in shape, with numerous peninsulas and bays, and is approximately one mile in diameter. Windigo Lake is 529.6 acres (2.1 km²) in size (including islands) with a maximum depth of 51 feet (15.5 m) and a shoreline of 9 miles (14.5 km). The lake does not have an obvious inflow or outflow stream and is classified as a seepage lake, i.e., a lake without an inlet or an outlet.
Windigo Lake is approximately six miles south of the city of Hayward, the primary commercial and retail center of the area. The shore of the lake is principally occupied by seasonal lake cabins and homes. There is one public boat landing on the southeastern shore of the lake. Windigo Lake is a popular resort area, drawing cabin owners and visitors from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
metropolitan areas.
Origin of Name
Windigo Lake is named after the Indian term "Windigo" (sometimes spelled WendigoWendigo
The Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans...
) which is a mythological cannibalistic creature in Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
and Ottawa folklore. However, the lake has not always been referred to as "Windigo Lake." Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
, in the report of his expedition through this area in 1831, called it "Lac des Isles," which means "Lake of the Isles" in French. Captain James Allen who accompanied Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
on the expedition in the following year (1832) to the source of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
produced a detailed map of the northern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
/Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
area after that trip. On this map he labeled Windigo Lake in English as "Lake of the Isles." The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources lake map for Windigo Lake gives "Bass Lake" as an alternative name for the lake; and an article from the Sawyer County Historical Society also indicates that Windigo Lake was formerly known as "Bass Lake."
History
Prior to European exploration, the area of Windigo Lake was inhabited by the OjibwaOjibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
Indians. The first known visit by Europeans to the area was around 1660. Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...
and Médard des Groseilliers
Médard des Groseilliers
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson who was about 20 years his junior...
traveled from Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior southward through the area in 1659 and stayed for a period at an Indian village that has been identified as being located on nearby Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
.
Windigo Lake was apparently well traveled by Indians and early traders and explorers who used it as part of the route from Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
in the Chippewa River
Chippewa River
Chippewa River may refer to:* Chippewa River * Chippewa River * Chippewa River * Chippewa River...
watershed, through Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
and Windigo Lake and over the Namekagon Portage
Namekagon Portage
The Namekagon Portage was a well known canoe portage connecting the St. Croix River watershed to the Chippewa River watershed and was located about five miles south of the present day city of Hayward in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The portage ran approximately two and one-half miles from the...
, to the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
in the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
watershed. A later explorer, Jonathan Carver
Jonathan Carver
Jonathan Carver was an American explorer and writer. He was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts and then moved with his family to Canterbury, Connecticut. He later married Abigail Robbins and became a shoemaker. He is believed to have had seven children.In 1755 Carver joined the colonial militia at...
, passed through the area in 1767 and traveled through what the editor identifies as Windigo Lake on June 29, 1767 on his way from the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
to the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
. The area was later visited by Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
in 1831 who described crossing from the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
watershed to the Chippewa River
Chippewa River
Chippewa River may refer to:* Chippewa River * Chippewa River * Chippewa River * Chippewa River...
watershed by ascending the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
, crossing the Namekagon Portage
Namekagon Portage
The Namekagon Portage was a well known canoe portage connecting the St. Croix River watershed to the Chippewa River watershed and was located about five miles south of the present day city of Hayward in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The portage ran approximately two and one-half miles from the...
, and passing through Windigo Lake (called by him Lac des Isles) and Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
(called by him Lac du Gres) to Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
.