Okamanpeedan Lake
Encyclopedia
Okamanpeedan Lake, partially located in Martin County, Minnesota
, and Emmet County, Iowa
, is also known as Tuttle Lake. Okamanpeedan Lake is a roughly 2,300-acre (9.3 km²) riverine lake located on the East Fork of the Des Moines River
. It has an average depth of about four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8 m). The lake has a contributing watershed
of approximately 120,056 acres (486 km²) and watershed:lake ratio on the order of about 50:1. The lake is situated in a glacial till plain and is generally in an area dominated by loam
y, poorly drained soils. The area is primarily level but does have some rolling hills.
Okamanpeedan Lake was explored by Joseph Nicollet
during his 1838 expedition. He recognized the native American
name for the lake, which means "nesting place of the herons", because of the large number of herons nesting in tall trees along its shores. Calvin Tuttle was the first settler along the lake, thus that became another name for this body of water.
Okamanpeedan Lake houses a number of seasonal cabins mainly along the southwest shoreline. Permanent homes are located along the south shoreline. Okamanpeedan also boasts a large campground with a boat launch on the lake's southwest most shoreline with modern facilities. A state park maintained by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is located on the body's southeast shoreline. The state park is home to Tuttle Lake Days generally in June or July of each year where local residents and cabin owners congregate on a Saturday of the month with food and prizes awarded. The lake usually has several residents who exhibit fireworks on the 4th of July each year which are enjoyed by all who attend.
Fish found in Okamanpeedan Lake include walleye, northern, crappie, yellow perch, bullhead, catfish and American Grass carp.
Martin County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 9,067 households, and 6,047 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 9,800 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
, and Emmet County, Iowa
Emmet County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,302 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,758 housing units, of which 4,236 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, is also known as Tuttle Lake. Okamanpeedan Lake is a roughly 2,300-acre (9.3 km²) riverine lake located on the East 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...
. It has an average depth of about four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8 m). The lake has a contributing watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of approximately 120,056 acres (486 km²) and watershed:lake ratio on the order of about 50:1. The lake is situated in a glacial till plain and is generally in an area dominated by loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
y, poorly drained soils. The area is primarily level but does have some rolling hills.
Okamanpeedan Lake was explored by Joseph Nicollet
Joseph Nicollet
Joseph Nicolas Nicollet , also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s....
during his 1838 expedition. He recognized the native American
Native 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...
name for the lake, which means "nesting place of the herons", because of the large number of herons nesting in tall trees along its shores. Calvin Tuttle was the first settler along the lake, thus that became another name for this body of water.
Okamanpeedan Lake houses a number of seasonal cabins mainly along the southwest shoreline. Permanent homes are located along the south shoreline. Okamanpeedan also boasts a large campground with a boat launch on the lake's southwest most shoreline with modern facilities. A state park maintained by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is located on the body's southeast shoreline. The state park is home to Tuttle Lake Days generally in June or July of each year where local residents and cabin owners congregate on a Saturday of the month with food and prizes awarded. The lake usually has several residents who exhibit fireworks on the 4th of July each year which are enjoyed by all who attend.
Fish found in Okamanpeedan Lake include walleye, northern, crappie, yellow perch, bullhead, catfish and American Grass carp.