Lac Vieux Desert
Encyclopedia
Lac Vieux Desert is a lake
in the United States
divided between Gogebic County, Michigan
, and Vilas County, Wisconsin
. Fed primarily by springs in the surrounding swamps, it is the source of the Wisconsin River
, which flows out of its southwest corner. The lake contains a number of small islands, especially in its northeastern lobe, including Draper Island in Michigan and Duck Island, in Wisconsin.
Lac Vieux Desert has a surface elevation 1680 ft (512.1 m) above sea level
, and a maximum depth of about 40 ft (12.2 m). The surface area is 4260 acre (17.24 km²; 6.66 sq mi), of which, approximately two-thirds is in Wisconsin and one third in Michigan.
Located in the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, the lake is a popular boating and fishing resort.
The name was given by French fur trappers, who were some of the first Euro-Americans in the region, who literally translated the name from the Anishinaabe language, Gete-gitigaani-zaaga'igan, meaning "Lake of the Old Clearing" or "Old Garden."
The Michigan shore of Lac Vieux Desert is the only part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
that is part of the drainage of the Mississippi River
.
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
divided between Gogebic County, Michigan
Gogebic County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,370 people, 7,425 households, and 4,581 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 10,839 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, and Vilas County, Wisconsin
Vilas County, Wisconsin
Vilas County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 21,033. Its county seat is Eagle River.-Settlement:Vilas County was set off from Oneida County on April 12, 1893 and named for William Freeman Vilas...
. Fed primarily by springs in the surrounding swamps, it is the source of the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, which flows out of its southwest corner. The lake contains a number of small islands, especially in its northeastern lobe, including Draper Island in Michigan and Duck Island, in Wisconsin.
Lac Vieux Desert has a surface elevation 1680 ft (512.1 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, and a maximum depth of about 40 ft (12.2 m). The surface area is 4260 acre (17.24 km²; 6.66 sq mi), of which, approximately two-thirds is in Wisconsin and one third in Michigan.
Located in the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, the lake is a popular boating and fishing resort.
The name was given by French fur trappers, who were some of the first Euro-Americans in the region, who literally translated the name from the Anishinaabe language, Gete-gitigaani-zaaga'igan, meaning "Lake of the Old Clearing" or "Old Garden."
The Michigan shore of Lac Vieux Desert is the only part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
that is part of the drainage 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...
.
See also
- Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior ChippewaLac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior ChippewaLac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Lac Vieux Desert Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located near Watersmeet, Michigan.-Early history:As the Ojibwe Nation divided into two and expand westward from Sault Ste...
- Lac Vieux Desert Indian ReservationLac Vieux Desert Indian ReservationLac Vieux Desert Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in Watersmeet Township of southeastern Gogebic County, in the western part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is the landbase for the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The reservation has a total land area of...