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Lake George (Anoka County)
Encyclopedia
| Lake George | |
|---|---|
| Lake George Statistics | |
| Littoral Littoral The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to... Area |
391 Acres |
| Diameter Diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle... |
1 mile |
| Water Water Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a... Clarity |
13.75 ft (4.2 m) |
Lake George is a small lake
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,...
in Anoka County
Anoka County, Minnesota
Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest.As of 2010, Anoka...
, 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...
. Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
tracks the lake by the name George and the identifier 02-0091-00. The USGS tracks the lake by the ID 644081 and the coordinates of 45°21′25"N 93°20′10"W
The lake is roughly circular in shape with two marshes encircling Greenwald Island on the Southern shore; Lake George Regional Park covers much of the North shore. The park has picnic areas, a boat launch, and a large roped-off swimming beach. The lake is used during the summer and winter for water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
, canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing, and snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
. With the exception of a few vacant lots, a wetland area in the southeast corner at the lake outlet, a new development on the west end, and the County property, there are homes located along the entire lake.
The regions around the lake are known as: Paradise Alley, Beaver Shores, Lake George Regional Park, Cattail Oak, Shady Oak, South Bay, Greenwald Island, Indian Ridge Road.
History
Lake George was formed about 20,000 years ago when glacial ice receded. The first recorded mention of the lake comes from an IndianNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
battle which occurred in 1845. The battle followed a peace conference between the Lakota and the Ojibway at Fort Snelling. Following the conference, the Ojibway began returning home up 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...
and then up the Rum River
Rum River
The Rum River is a slow, meandering channel that connects Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake with the Mississippi River. It runs for through the farming communities of Onamia, Milaca, Princeton, Cambridge, and Isanti before ending at the Twin Cities suburb of Anoka, roughly 20 miles northwest of downtown...
, and the Lakota set on their way up the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
. It is reported that the Ojibway took a Lakota woman with them and when the Lakota discovered this they pursued the Ojibway to their camp on the south shore of Lake George. The battle that ensued lasted for three days and resulted in over 200 dead.
After the settlement of the area, Lake George began to become popular for urban dwellers looking to find summer recreation. By the turn of the century, many cabins and, just prior to World War I, a few resorts were built. Vacationers first came by rail via the depot in Cedar
Cedar, Minnesota
Cedar is a community within the city of Oak Grove in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Cedar is found on Cedar Drive, on the south side of Viking Boulevard.-History:...
and later by car. The main resorts on the lake were Hopper’s (northwest shore), Yost's (North shore), Tillbergs (now the Shoreside), Day’s (later the By George Inn) and Fleet’s Inn (northshore). Fleet’s Inn was located not too far from the present day county beach. It was said that gangsters from nearby St. Paul would check in when the heat was on in town. The Chicago mob would occasionally visit them to make business deals.
Anoka, Minnesota
At the 2000 census, there were 18,076 people, 7,262 households and 4,408 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,709.0 per square mile . There were 7,398 housing units at an average density of 1,108.7 per square mile...
where he found work as a miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
in one of the local flour mills. Aaron and wife, Ann, had two sons: William born August 8, 1859 and Louis on Oct 10, 1860. It is possible that Aaron was the first man to enlist for the Union cause.
In the late 1930s the Lake George Conservation Club was formed. At the time most of the lakeshore residents were seasonal. In the 1970s the face of the lake’s neighborhoods began to change with permanent homes replacing the summer cabins. The clubs activities began to dwindle until 1981 when an issue regarding horsepower regulation on the lake united the lake’s residents and the club was reconstituted. In the summer of 1998 there was a dead body found in the lake.
In January 2004, the two marshes were dredged to open a channel.
Ecology
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
(<15’ deep). However, since Lake George exhibits very clear water, plants grow to a deeper depth in the lake. The maximum and mean depths are 32 feet (9.8 m) and 5 feet (1.5 m) respectively. Lake George in an oval shaped lake with two dredged channels on the south side. Most of the lake has a sandy bottom, but there are areas of soft muddy sediments. The shoreline length is 4.5 miles. Lake George Regional Park, an Anoka County park, is located on the north side of the lake. The public access is within the park. Twenty-eight (28) different species of aquatic plant life were found in the lake.
Sport Fish
Lake George is known to have:- Walleye of unknown abundance and average size. Walleye were first stocked in 2001 and these fish generally become acceptable to Metro-area anglers after their third summer (2004).
- Northern Pike of above average abundance, average size and some larger pike.
- Largemouth Bass of average abundance, all sizes present including some real trophies.
- Bluegill of above average abundance, average size.
- Crappie of above average abundance, average size.
Milfoil
Eurasian watermilfoil, which is scientifically known as Myriophyllum spicatum, was first confirmed in Lake George in 1998 by a DNR biologist and as of the summer of 2006 is forming nuisance mats in large areas of the lake; the native plant community and recreational use of the lake is threatened by the spread of this invasive exotic species. In addition to Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweedCurly-leaf pondweed
Potamogeton crispus, the curly-leaf pondweed, is a species of aquatic plant native to Eurasia but perhaps better known as an introduced species and often a noxious weed in North America....
(8 locations), another non-native species is also in Lake George. However, August is not the best time to conduct a survey for curly-leaf pondweed. It should be surveyed earlier in the season.
Because Lake George exhibits very clear conditions, it may be more prone to the spread of milfoil to deeper water. The average Secchi disk
Secchi disk
The Secchi disk, created in 1865 by Pietro Angelo Secchi SJ, is a circular disk used to measure water transparency in oceans and lakes. The disc is mounted on a pole or line, and lowered slowly down in the water. The depth at which the pattern on the disk is no longer visible is taken as a measure...
transparency from 2000 -2005 ranged from 9.0 – 11.5 feet (CLMP data). With the clear water, light can penetrate into deeper waters and promote plant growth beyond the 15’ depth. Milfoil was recorded on the data sheets only if it was found at the survey point.
Lake Improvement District
After a majority of the property owners within the proposed Lake George Improvement District filed a petition with Anoka County requesting the establishment of the improvement district, the Oak Grove's City Council unanimously approved the creation of a "Lake Improvement District" (LID) on On January 26, 2009. The LID will further extend the efforts of the Lake George Conservation Club to keep the lake clear of invasive weeds. An initial Board was appointed in March 2009.Nearby communities
- Anoka, MinnesotaAnoka, MinnesotaAt the 2000 census, there were 18,076 people, 7,262 households and 4,408 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,709.0 per square mile . There were 7,398 housing units at an average density of 1,108.7 per square mile...
- Cedar, MinnesotaCedar, MinnesotaCedar is a community within the city of Oak Grove in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Cedar is found on Cedar Drive, on the south side of Viking Boulevard.-History:...
- Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
- Oak Grove, MinnesotaOak Grove, MinnesotaOak Grove is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. It is north of Minneapolis. The population was 8,031 at the 2010 census. The city was formerly Oak Grove Township before it was incorporated on December 20, 1993.-History:...
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- St. Francis, MinnesotaSt. Francis, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2009, there were 7,298 people, 1,638 households, and 1,300 families residing in the city. The population density was 210.6 people per square mile . There were 1,686 housing units at an average density of 72.3 per square mile...
Uncited References
- Oak Grove residents oppose Lake George senior housing, townhomes, Anoka County Union, February 26, 2004
- Letter to the Editor about Eminent Domain issues, Renee Beckum, February 27, 2004, Anoka County Union
- 1996 Lake George History Update by Will Ridge