Indian Lake (Nobles County, Minnesota)
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| Indian Lake | |
|---|---|
 Topographic Map of Indian Lake, Minnesota | |
  Indian Lake  Indian Lake | |
 Indian Lake scene circa 1890s | |
| Location | Nobles County, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 43°30′30″N 95°30′10″W / 43.50833°N 95.50278°W |
| Lake type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | Several small creeks |
| Max. length | 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) |
| Max. width | 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) |
| Surface area | 204 acres (83 ha) |
| Average depth | 4.48 ft (1.37 m) |
| Max. depth | 6 ft (1.8 m)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 468.17 m (1,536.0 ft) |
Indian Lake is a small lake located in Indian Lake Township, Nobles County. The lake is an oblong body of water that extends north-to-south for approximately 3/4 mile. The width is approximately 1/2 mile. The lake area is 204 acres (0.83 km2). The average depth is 4.48 feet (1.37 m), and the maximum depth is 6 feet (1.8 m). The elevation of the lake is 1,536 feet (468 m), or 468.17 meters. Nobles county won't take care of it. So it's full of seaweed .
The lake was named Indian Lake due to the fact that settlers found Native Americans encamped along the lake's shores when they first arrived in 1869.[2] A dozen years earlier, a band of Indians led by Inkpaduta, the group responsible for the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre, lived along the shores of the lake. Indeed, the women and children of Inkpaduta's band were camped at Indian Lake when the massacre was taking place.[3] Inkpaduta later fled westward, joining up with the Lakotas. He became a close friend of Sitting Bull, and participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the defeat of George Armstrong Custer. It is believed that Inkpaduta died in Canada in 1881 or 1882.[4]
Issac Horton, a pioneer settler, was the first to take up permanent residence along the shores of Indian Lake. He had been renting a farm near Spirit Lake, Iowa and frequently came to the Indian Lake region to hunt elk. On May 6, 1869, he filed a preemption claim to the eastern half of section 34 of Indian Lake Township. His claim included the eastern shore of Indian Lake. He erected a cabin of logs cut from his claim, and resided there for 17 years. Horton eventually sold his claim and purchased the southwest quarter of Indian Lake Township section 22 where he resided until his death in 1892.[5]
Throughout the years, Indian Lake has remained entirely rural. It is surrounded by farm land, and several farm families have built homes overlooking the lake. Nobles County maintains one park, Hawkeye Park, along the shores of Indian Lake.
