Lake Shetek is the largest 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 Murray County, Minnesota

Murray County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,165 people, 3,722 households, and 2,601 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 4,357 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...

, located a few miles north-northwest of Currie

Currie, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 225 people, 109 households, and 67 families residing in the city. The population density was 393.0 people per square mile . There were 127 housing units at an average density of 221.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.56% White, and 0.44%...

. Shetek means "pelican".

Geography

It is the headwaters of the West Fork of the Des Moines River

Des Moines River

The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...

. Lake Shetek contains three large islands: Valhalla, Keeley, and Loon. Dikes connect the first two to the western shore, and another connects the third to the eastern shore. Also connects to Bloody Lake and Armstrong Lake.

History

It is a short distance west of the site of what is locally termed the Shetek massacre

Dakota War of 1862

The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...

 in 1862. A monument on the east side of the lake built in 1925 commemorates those killed. A description of the event can be found in the John Baxter papers in letters by J. M. Duley and J. E. Eastlick.

The dikes were built by the WPA

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

. Plans for a dike connecting Keeley and Loon islands were abandoned when World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

closed the WPA.