Lake Chicot
Encyclopedia
Lake Chicot is a lake
located near Lake Village, Arkansas
. It is the largest oxbow lake
in North America
and the largest natural lake in Arkansas
, formed 600 years ago by the meandering of the Mississippi River
.
The name Chicot, French for stumpy, is after the many cypress
stumps and trees along its banks. The lake is approximately 3/4 miles wide and 21–22 miles long from end to end, forming a traditional "C" shape (when viewed from overhead, with top being north and bottom being south and the open end of the "C" facing east).
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism operates Lake Chicot State Park
on the northern end of the lake, Chicot County
also operates a county park on the eastern side of the lake across from Lake Village. Located at the State Park is a bait shop, fish cleaning station and a pier. The bait shop also has boat rentals. At the State Park Visitor's Center there are cabins for rent and camping spots. There is also a wildlife museum, featuring creatures found in Lake Chicot.
The state Tourist Information Center at Lake Village is built on a pier extending out into the lake; it is the only Center in the state completely heated and cooled by solar energy. However, it is scheduled to be replaced by a more modern center.
Charles Lindbergh
made his first ever nighttime flight over Lake Chicot and Lake Village in April 1923.
According to legend, Hernando De Soto
is buried in Lake Chicot.
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 near Lake Village, Arkansas
Lake Village, Arkansas
Lake Village is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,823 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Chicot County.Lake Village is named for its location on Lake Chicot, an oxbow lake formed from the Mississippi River...
. It is the largest oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and the largest natural lake in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, formed 600 years ago by the meandering 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...
.
The name Chicot, French for stumpy, is after the many cypress
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
stumps and trees along its banks. The lake is approximately 3/4 miles wide and 21–22 miles long from end to end, forming a traditional "C" shape (when viewed from overhead, with top being north and bottom being south and the open end of the "C" facing east).
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism operates Lake Chicot State Park
Lake Chicot State Park
Lake Chicot State Park is one of 52 state parks operated by the State of Arkansas.The park is located on Highway 144, eight miles northeast of Lake Village in Chicot County, Arkansas, on the north end of Lake Chicot....
on the northern end of the lake, Chicot County
Chicot County, Arkansas
Chicot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 11,800. The county seat is Lake Village. Chicot County is Arkansas's tenth county, formed on October 25, 1823, and named after Point Chicot on the Mississippi River.Landmarks around the county include...
also operates a county park on the eastern side of the lake across from Lake Village. Located at the State Park is a bait shop, fish cleaning station and a pier. The bait shop also has boat rentals. At the State Park Visitor's Center there are cabins for rent and camping spots. There is also a wildlife museum, featuring creatures found in Lake Chicot.
The state Tourist Information Center at Lake Village is built on a pier extending out into the lake; it is the only Center in the state completely heated and cooled by solar energy. However, it is scheduled to be replaced by a more modern center.
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
made his first ever nighttime flight over Lake Chicot and Lake Village in April 1923.
According to legend, Hernando De Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
is buried in Lake Chicot.