Lac Courte Oreilles
Encyclopedia
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 maximum width of about two miles (3 km). Lac Courte Oreilles is 5039 acres (20.4 km²) in size with a maximum depth of 90 feet (27.4 m) and a shoreline of 25.4 miles (40.9 km). The lake has a small inlet stream (Grindstone Creek) that enters on the northeast shore of the lake and that flows from Grindstone Lake
, a short distance away to the north. There is an outlet on the southeast shore of the lake that leads through a very short passage to Little Lac Courte Oreilles, then via the Couderay River
to the Chippewa River
, and ultimately to the Mississippi River
at Lake Pepin
.
Lac Courte Oreilles is located approximately eight and one-half 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, Grindstone Lake
, and Round Lake) located to the south and east of the city. There is a small unincorporated residential community on the north 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
. The shore of the lake is principally occupied by seasonal lake cabins and homes.
The lake has an abundance of northern pike
, muskie
, walleye
, bass
and other fish
, and is a popular fishing destination. Lac Courte Oreilles is now a popular resort area drawing cabin owners and visitors from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Chicago
metropolitan areas.
. In the Ojibwe language the lake is called Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing, "Ottawa Lake" and it was often referred to as such (or as "Ottowaw Lake") in early descriptions of the area. The name Lac Courte Oreilles was given to the lake by French fur trappers who were the earliest European explorers in the area. The French term "Lac Courte Oreilles" translates as "Lake Short Ears," as the trappers believed the Ottawa
Anishinaabe
peoples living in the area cut off the edges of their ear[lobe]s. An alternative explanation is that some tribes in the region had a practice of distending their earlobes by earrings or other ornaments. However, the Indians of the Lac Courte Oreilles area did not practice that custom and hence had naturally shaped "short" ears.
Indians. The first known visit by Europeans to the area was around 1660. Pierre-Esprit Radisson
and Médard des Groseilliers
travelled from Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior southward through the area in 1659 and stayed for a period at an Indian village on a lake that has been identified as Lac Courte Oreilles.
Jonathan Carver
passed through the area in 1767 travelling north from the Mississippi River
up the Chippewa River
. He reported staying at the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles (he referred to it as Ottowaw Lakes) from June 22 through 29, 1767. He described the village as being on either side of a channel between two lakes which he referred to as the Ottowaw Lakes. He then travelled to the St. Croix River (by way of Grindstone Lake
, Windigo Lake
, the Namekagon Portage
, and the Namekagon River
) and thence northward to Lake Superior
. In describing their visit to the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian village, the journals of Carver
and another member of the expedition (James Stanley Goddard) state that they were the first white people to have visited the area. This claim would be contrary to the speculation described above that Radisson
and Groseilliers
visited the village in about 1660, more than one hundred years before.
The area was later visited by Henry Schoolcraft
in 1831 who described the trip from the Namekagon River
to Lac Courte Oreilles by way of the Namekagon Portage
, Windigo Lake
, and Grindstone Lake
. Schoolcraft
visited the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles and described it as being located at the outlet of the lake. From Carver's
and Schoolcraft's
descriptions, it appears that the Indian village was located on either side of the channel between Lac Courte Oreilles and Little Lac Courte Oreilles.
Lac Courte Oreilles and this village were well known to traders and explorers of the time and the village was one of the larger Indian settlements in the area. Schoolcraft
listed its population as 504 persons in the statistical report arising out of his 1832 exploration to the sources of the Mississippi River, one of the largest Indian settlements in the region. The village's importance may have arisen from Lac Courte Oreilles's strategic place on the route between its location in the Chippewa River
watershed over to the St. Croix River watershed. The latter watershed was reached from Lac Courte Oreilles by travelling north and west through Grindstone Lake
, Windigo Lake
, and over the Namekagon Portage
to the Namekagon River
in the St. Croix River watershed.
The Sawyer County Historical Society Website contains an interesting article regarding early "fishing clubs" that were located on Lac Courte Oreilles around the turn of the 20th Century."
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 in north central 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...
in Sawyer County
Sawyer County, Wisconsin
Sawyer County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 16,196. Its county seat is Hayward.-History:The county is named for Philetus Sawyer, who represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in the 19th century.-Geography:According to...
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 maximum width of about two miles (3 km). Lac Courte Oreilles is 5039 acres (20.4 km²) in size with a maximum depth of 90 feet (27.4 m) and a shoreline of 25.4 miles (40.9 km). The lake has a small inlet stream (Grindstone Creek) that enters on the northeast shore of the lake and that flows from Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
, a short distance away to the north. There is an outlet on the southeast shore of the lake that leads through a very short passage to Little Lac Courte Oreilles, then via the Couderay River
Couderay River
The Couderay River is a tributary of the Chippewa River in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Via the Chippewa River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. It flows for its entire length in Sawyer County...
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...
, and ultimately to 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...
at Lake Pepin
Lake Pepin
Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake, and the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River, located approximately 60 miles downstream from Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is a widening of the river on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. The formation of the lake was caused by the...
.
Lac Courte Oreilles is located approximately eight and one-half 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, Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
, and Round Lake) located to the south and east of the city. There is a small unincorporated residential community on the north 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.
The lake has an abundance of northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, muskie
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and other fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and is a popular fishing destination. Lac Courte Oreilles is now 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 name Lac Courte Oreilles is shared by the nearby Lac Courte Oreilles Indian ReservationLac 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...
. In the Ojibwe language the lake is called Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing, "Ottawa Lake" and it was often referred to as such (or as "Ottowaw Lake") in early descriptions of the area. The name Lac Courte Oreilles was given to the lake by French fur trappers who were the earliest European explorers in the area. The French term "Lac Courte Oreilles" translates as "Lake Short Ears," as the trappers believed the Ottawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
peoples living in the area cut off the edges of their ear[lobe]s. An alternative explanation is that some tribes in the region had a practice of distending their earlobes by earrings or other ornaments. However, the Indians of the Lac Courte Oreilles area did not practice that custom and hence had naturally shaped "short" ears.
History
Prior to European exploration, the area of Lac Courte Oreilles 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 on a lake that has been identified as Lac Courte Oreilles.
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 travelling north from 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...
up 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...
. He reported staying at the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles (he referred to it as Ottowaw Lakes) from June 22 through 29, 1767. He described the village as being on either side of a channel between two lakes which he referred to as the Ottowaw Lakes. He then travelled to the St. Croix River (by way of Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
, 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 ...
, 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 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....
) and thence northward to Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. In describing their visit to the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian village, the journals of 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...
and another member of the expedition (James Stanley Goddard) state that they were the first white people to have visited the area. This claim would be contrary to the speculation described above that 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 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...
visited the village in about 1660, more than one hundred years before.
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 the trip from 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....
to Lac Courte Oreilles by way of 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...
, 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 Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
. 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...
visited the Indian village on Lac Courte Oreilles and described it as being located at the outlet of the lake. From Carver's
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...
and Schoolcraft's
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...
descriptions, it appears that the Indian village was located on either side of the channel between Lac Courte Oreilles and Little Lac Courte Oreilles.
Lac Courte Oreilles and this village were well known to traders and explorers of the time and the village was one of the larger Indian settlements in the area. 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...
listed its population as 504 persons in the statistical report arising out of his 1832 exploration to the sources of the Mississippi River, one of the largest Indian settlements in the region. The village's importance may have arisen from Lac Courte Oreilles's strategic place on the route between its location 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 over to the St. Croix River watershed. The latter watershed was reached from Lac Courte Oreilles by travelling north and west through Grindstone Lake
Grindstone Lake
-Geographical and General Information:Grindstone Lake is a large freshwater lake located in north central Wisconsin in the Town of Bass Lake, Sawyer County, United States, in township 40 north, ranges 8 and 9 west. The lake is roughly oval shaped being approximately three miles in length east to...
, 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.
The Sawyer County Historical Society Website contains an interesting article regarding early "fishing clubs" that were located on Lac Courte Oreilles around the turn of the 20th Century."