Grindstone Lake
Encyclopedia
Geographical and General Information
Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in the Town
Political subdivisions of Wisconsin
The definitions of the political subdivisions of the U.S. state of Wisconsin differ from those in some other countries or even other U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area....
of Bass Lake
Bass Lake, Sawyer County, Wisconsin
Bass Lake is a town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,244 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Northwoods Beach is located in the town.-Geography:...
, Sawyer County, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to west and two miles (3 km) north to south. Grindstone Lake is 3116 acres (12.6 km²) in size (including islands) with a maximum depth of 60 feet (18.3 m) and a shoreline of 10.5 miles (16.9 km). The lake has a small inlet stream (Grindstone Creek) that enters on the east shore of the lake and that originates from a series of springs (Upper Grindstone, Grindstone, Graveyard, and Lower Grindstone Springs) that are located a short distance northeast of the lake. There is an outlet on the southeast shore of the lake that leads through a small stream (also called Grindstone Creek) to Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
.
Grindstone Lake is located approximately six miles southeast of the city of Hayward, the primary commercial and retail center of the area, and is one of three large natural lakes (Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
, Grindstone Lake, and Round Lake) located to the south and east of the city. There is a small unincorporated residential community on the south side of the lake commonly referred to as Northwoods (or North Woods) Beach. The eastern part of the lake is located in the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe are one of seven federally recognized Wisconsin bands of Ojibwa. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, at in northwestern Wisconsin, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles...
. The shore of the lake is principally occupied by seasonal lake cabins and homes.
There are two public boat landings on Grindstone Lake: an improved landing at the southwest corner and a small, unimproved landing at the southeast corner near the outlet stream. A large commercial Cranberry
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
bog is located on the southwest shore of the lake near the improved boat landing. Grindstone Lake is a popular resort area drawing cabin owners and visitors from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
metropolitan areas.
Origin of name
The Dictionary of Wisconsin History on the Wisconsin Historical Society Website states that the name "Grindstone Lake" originates from the Chippewa word Gaa-zhiigwanaabikokaag meaning "a place abundant with grindstones." However, the lake has not always been referred to as "Grindstone Lake" in the past. SchoolcraftHenry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
in the report of his expedition through this area in 1831 called it "Lac du Gres" which means "Sandstone Lake" in French. Captain James Allen who accompanied Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
on the expedition in the following year (1832) to the source 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...
produced a detailed map of the northern 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...
/Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
area after that trip. On this map he labels Grindstone Lake in English as "Sandstone Lake."
History
Prior to European exploration, the area of Grindstone Lake was inhabited by the OjibwaOjibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
Indians. The first known visit by Europeans to the area was around 1660. Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...
and Médard des Groseilliers
Médard des Groseilliers
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson who was about 20 years his junior...
travelled from Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior southward through the area in 1659 and stayed for a period at an Indian village that has been identified as being located on the nearby Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
.
Grindstone Lake was apparently well travelled by Indians and early traders and explorers who used it as part of the route from Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
in the Chippewa River
Chippewa River (Wisconsin)
The Chippewa River in Wisconsin flows approximately 183 miles through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. It was once navigable for approximately 50 miles of its length, from the Mississippi River, by Durand, northeast to Eau Claire. Its catchment defines a portion of the northern boundary...
watershed, through Grindstone Lake and Windigo Lake
Windigo Lake
Windigo Lake is a freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, range 9 west. The lake is irregular in shape, with numerous peninsulas and bays, and is approximately one mile in diameter. Windigo Lake is in size ...
and over the Namekagon Portage
Namekagon Portage
The Namekagon Portage was a well known canoe portage connecting the St. Croix River watershed to the Chippewa River watershed and was located about five miles south of the present day city of Hayward in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The portage ran approximately two and one-half miles from the...
, to the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
in the St. Croix River watershed. A later explorer, Jonathan Carver
Jonathan Carver
Jonathan Carver was an American explorer and writer. He was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts and then moved with his family to Canterbury, Connecticut. He later married Abigail Robbins and became a shoemaker. He is believed to have had seven children.In 1755 Carver joined the colonial militia at...
, passed through the area in 1767 and specifically travelled through what the editor identifies as Grindstone Lake on June 29, 1767 on his way from the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
to the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
. The area was later visited by Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
in 1831 who described crossing from the St. Croix River watershed to the Chippewa River
Chippewa River (Wisconsin)
The Chippewa River in Wisconsin flows approximately 183 miles through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. It was once navigable for approximately 50 miles of its length, from the Mississippi River, by Durand, northeast to Eau Claire. Its catchment defines a portion of the northern boundary...
watershed by ascending the Namekagon River
Namekagon River
The Namekagon River is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is approximately 95 mi long and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway....
, crossing the Namekagon Portage
Namekagon Portage
The Namekagon Portage was a well known canoe portage connecting the St. Croix River watershed to the Chippewa River watershed and was located about five miles south of the present day city of Hayward in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. The portage ran approximately two and one-half miles from the...
, and passing through Windigo Lake
Windigo Lake
Windigo Lake is a freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, range 9 west. The lake is irregular in shape, with numerous peninsulas and bays, and is approximately one mile in diameter. Windigo Lake is in size ...
(called by him Lac des Isles) and Grindstone Lake (called by him Lac du Gres) to Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles
Lac Courte Oreilles is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in Sawyer County in townships 39 and 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. It is irregular in shape having numerous peninsulas and bays, being approximately six miles long in a southwest to northeast direction and with a...
.
The Sawyer County Historical Society Website contains an interesting article regarding early "fishing clubs" that were located on Grindstone Lake around the turn of the 20th Century."