Lake Wawasee, formerly Turkey Lake, is a natural 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,...

 southeast of Syracuse

Syracuse, Indiana

Syracuse is a town in Turkey Creek Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,810 at the 2010 census.Syracuse is the location of Lake Syracuse and the nearby, larger Lake Wawasee, in addition to several other lakes in the region.-Geography:Syracuse is located at ...

 in Kosciusko County, Indiana

Kosciusko County, Indiana

Kosciusko County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded the population at 77,358. The county seat is Warsaw.The county was formed in 1836. It was named after the Polish general Tadeusz Kościuszko, who served in the American Revolutionary War, and then returned to...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is the largest natural lake in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. It is located just east of Indiana State Road 13

Indiana State Road 13

State Road 13 in the U.S. State of Indiana is a north–south highway in north-central and central Indiana that connects the area east of Indianapolis with the northern part of the state. Its northern terminus is at the Michigan state line, although starting at the interchange with the Indiana...

.

History

Lake Wawasee has a long history extending from the Pleistocene epoch

Pleistocene

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....

, early settlement by the white man, and its growth from the 19th century through today. The lake is named for Miami

Miami tribe

The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...

 chief

Tribal chief

A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...

 Wawasee

Wawasee

Wawasee or Wawaausee often contracted into Wawbee and known as was a Miami chief who lived in what is now Kosciusko County, Indiana, in the United States...

 (Wau-wuh-see), brother of Miami chief Papakeecha

Papakeecha

Papakeecha or meaning "Flat Belly" was the most influential Miami chief in the region around Lake Wawasee, in what is now Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States leading his people from 1820 until 1837. Lake Papakeechie was named after him.Papakeecha was about 60 years old when white men entered...

, which translated means "Flat Belly."

Lake Wawasee has a history of being a summer vacation area for residents from Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 and Chicago. The Spink's Hotel (now condominiums) overlooking Lake Wawasee was a luxury hotel that hosted famous vacationers including Al Capone

Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...

. Eli Lilly

Colonel Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly was an American soldier, pharmaceutical chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical corporation...

 maintained residence on Lake Wawasee that still today is a landmark on the lake.

Geographic places

Known geographic place names around Wawasee: Black's Point, Black Stump Point, Jones Landing, Willow Grove, Pickwick Park, Kale Island, Oakwood, Lakeview-South Park, Ogden's Island, Sand Point, Johnson's Bay, Buttermilk Bay, Vawter Park, Ideal Beach, Waveland Beach, Conkling Hill, Morrison's Island, and Nattie Crow Beach

Nattie Crow Beach

Nattie Crow Beach is an unincorporated area of shoreline and nearby neighborhoods located on the east shore of Lake Wawasee, Kosciusko County, Indiana, USA....

.

Black Stump Point

Located at the northwest end of Lake Wawasee, Black Stump Point protrudes northeasterly out into the lake. Roads on this geographic point are E. Waco Drive and N. Waco Point Drive. Businesses located during the 1950s and 1960s were Mocks' Marina and Waco, a boat-in and drive-in restaurant.

Crow's Bay

Crow's Bay is located on Wawasee's eastern shore and between Cedar Point to the north and Morrison's Island to the south. Crows Bay is named after Nathaniel Crow who established the Crow's Nest. Nattie Crow Beach

Nattie Crow Beach

Nattie Crow Beach is an unincorporated area of shoreline and nearby neighborhoods located on the east shore of Lake Wawasee, Kosciusko County, Indiana, USA....

 is a prominent area on the bay's southern end.

Jarrett's Bay

Also known in recent years as Buttermilk Bay, Jarrett's Bay is the extreme southern end of Wawasee. Jarrett's Bay extends southeast with Morrison's Island to the east and Clark's Point to the west. This bay was named after Lewis Jarrett who owned a resort

Resort

A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....

 known as Buttermilk Point.

Also see: Lake Wawasee history: Buttermilk Point

Johnson's Bay

Johnson's Bay is located on Wawasee's east side. Ogden Island and Cedar Point serve as the two prominent points of land creating this bay. Johnson's Bay is, for the most part, barren of lakeside

Lakeside

-Australia:*Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia*Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria*Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Queensland*Lakeside Mental Hospital, formerly known as Ballarat Lunatic Asylum, Ballarat, Victoria...

 homes as its northern, northeastern, and northwestern sections are cat tailed marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

. Due to its location it became a haven for water skiing

Water skiing

thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...

 at least as far back as the 1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

. Cedar Point affords a break from north winds and lacks the heavy boat traffic found on much of the lake.

Morrison's Island

Morrison's Island was originally Eagle Island and named after William T. Morrison who lived on this island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 until 1890. Today the island has a number of homes lining the lakeside

Lakeside

-Australia:*Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia*Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria*Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Queensland*Lakeside Mental Hospital, formerly known as Ballarat Lunatic Asylum, Ballarat, Victoria...

 (north, south, west) and boat houses lining the eastern side with channel access to Wawasee. The island has seawall

Seawall

A seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...

s with the ground just a couple of feet from the lake's level. Morrison Island is one of the lowest residential areas on Wawasee. A 1000 feet (305 m) by 100 feet (30 m) public grass green space

Greenway (landscape)

A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...

 lined with trees occupies the center of the island. Access by car via E. Morrison Island Road.

Main channel

The main channel

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 is not officially part of Lake Wawasee but does perform as an outlet for water heading north. The main channel begins at the lakes's northwest shore with Oakwood Park on its west and Kale Island on its east and flows north through Mudd Lake and finally into Syracuse Lake

Syracuse Lake

Syracuse Lake is a natural lake bordering Syracuse in Kosciusko County, Indiana, USA.- Location :Lake Syracuse is bordered on the west by N. Front Street, Pickwick Road and the B&O Railroad on the south. On the east its bordered by E. Shore Drive and on the north by E. Northshore Drive...

. The main channel is lined with homes and a marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

 on its west for its first third of travel. On the channel's east side is a large wetland marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

 where a gristmill

Gristmill

The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

 once stood.

Oakwood Park and Oakwood Inn

Founded in 1893, Oakwood Park is located on Wawasee's northwest shore and the main channel to Syracuse Lake. Oakood Park is a Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 camp and meeting ground for spiritual rejuvenation and physical recreation. Oakwood Christian Retreat & Conference Center is a 42 acres (169,968.1 m²) facility owned and operated by an independent non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization called The Oakwood Foundation. The Syracuse-Wawasee Ministerial Association sponsors an 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning Boat-In-Worship service off the shore of the Oakwood Inn. The Oakwood Inn has a full service restaurant, 77 rooms and suites, and 8 nearby cabins. The foundation's 2-story Kimmel Retreat House has 12 rooms and can accommodate up to 25 people. Oakwood also maintains a short-term camping area for tents, motor-homes or small pop-up campers.

Oakwood closed its doors after Labor Day weekend 2008. The operation and building were given back to the United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

 and are up for sale.

Marinas

• Griffith's Wawasee Marina was founded in 1946 and is located on Wawasee's southeast end overlooking Buttermilk Bay and tucked behind Morrison's Island to the marina's west.
• Main Channel Marina was established in 1976 and is located on the west side of the Main Channel on the northwest side of Wawasee.
• Johnson's Bay Marina is no longer in service (condos)and used to be located in a channel on the east side of Johnson's Bay.
• Wawasee Boat Company was founded in 1929 and is located on Wawasee's north shore off of E. Cornelius Road.

Wawasee Yacht Club

The Wawasee Yacht Club

Wawasee Yacht Club

The Wawasee Yacht Club was formed in 1935 and is located at 6338 E Trusdell Ave. on the northeast shore of Lake Wawasee, Indiana. It currently has 75 families and 35 social members sailing 28-foot E-Scow, 19-foot Lightning, and 13-foot Sunfish class boats in three regattas held from June through...

 was formed in 1935 and is located at 6338 E Trusdell Ave. on Wawasee's northeast end. It currently has 75 families and 35 social members sailing 28 feet (8.5 m) E-Scow

E-Scow

The E-Scow is the younger sister of the A-Scow, both boats are manufactured by Melges Performance Sailboats. Its rigging is similar to the A-Scow, and their hull shapes are almost identical, just 10 feet shorter. The boat is competitively sailed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, New York,...

, 19 feet (5.8 m) Lightning

Lightning (dinghy)

The Lightning is a sloop rigged sailing dinghy originally designed by Olin Stephens of Sparkman & Stephens in 1938 and was first sailed on Skaneateles Lake, Skaneateles, NY, USA. More than 15,000 Lightnings have been built since then...

, and 13 feet (4 m) Sunfish class boats in three regatta

Regatta

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

s held from June through early October.

Restaurants

• The Frog Tavern is accessible by boat. It is located in a channel on the north end of Conklin's Bay and is open seven days a week. The Frog offers cruises on its boat, called the SS Lillypad II, which travels at about 7 knot and stays roughly 200 yards (182.9 m) offshore. A cruise covering the entire lake takes around 3-hours.
• The Channel Marker is accessible by boat. It is located on the east side of the Main Channel near the Pickwick Drive bridge. It offers indoor and outdoor dining.

Events

• Independence Day fireworks - The 4th of July
  Independence Day (United States)
  Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
  
   weekend on Saturday sports a fireworks
  Fireworks
  Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
  
   display launched from a waterborne platform and synchronized with music played by a local radio station. There is also a 'Floatilla' which features decorated boats in a parade around the lake.

Wawascene.com

Wawascene.com is an online magazine dedicated to life at Lake Wawasee & Syracuse Lake. Formed in 2009, this website hosts a live webcam http://www.wawascene.com/webcam.aspx controllable by users, water temperature, photos, blogs, news, video, a local business directory and resident directory.

Bathymetry

Wawasee's bottom consists of channels and rises. It was noted in 1895 that if the water level in Wawasee were dropped 30 feet (9.1 m), 4 distinct bodies of water would then be visible connected by channels 100 to 200 feet (61 m) wide and 8–10 feet deep.

• The first body would be in front of Crow's Nest (Crow Bay) with a depth of 19 feet (5.8 m).
• The second body would be 50% of Jarrett's Bay with maximum depth of 38 feet (11.6 m).
• The third would be the main body of Wawasee with a decreased width of 50% and maximum depth of 38 feet (11.6 m).
• The fourth would be a small just northwest of Black Stump Point with a maximum depth of 40 feet (12.2 m).

If Wawasee lost 40 feet (12.2 m) of water there would be 4 distinct lakes without channels connecting them.

Classification

Lake Wawasee meaures 12 km² (3060 acres) in size and is classified as a Trophic Class 1 lake with two major basins. The north basin has a eutrophication

Eutrophication

Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...

 index value of 10 and the south basin has a eutrophication index of 12. The maximum depth is 22 m (77 ft) and an average depth of 6.7 m (22 ft). The lake is presently healthy and has a balanced aquatic ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

.

Water sources

Lake Wawasee is a spring

Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...

 fed lake with exposed springs flowing into Wawasee from south, west, and east sides. Lake Papakeechie

Lake Papakeechie

Lake Papakeechie is a small man-made lake of 179 acres located in Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The lake is situated south of and drains into Lake Wawasee...

, sitting a few feet higher in elevation, provides a vast amount of water from a spillway at Buttermilk Bay at Wawasee's south end. Wawasee's structure is typical of natural lakes in the formerly glaciated portions of the Midwest. It is supplied by a watershed of 23,618 acres (95.5 km²) which starts at Little Knapp Lake and Harper Lake in Noble County

Noble County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,275 people, 16,696 households, and 12,288 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 18,233 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...

 and flows down through 10 lakes by way of Turkey Creek into Lake Wawasee. Water exits into through the wetlands of Main Channel and Mudd Lake into Syracuse Lake. The Wawasee Watershed is an area of that encompasses Wawasee, Syracuse, Bonar Lake and Papakeechie lakes as well as the ten lakes in the upper Turkey Creek and Papakeechie subwatersheds.

There are two smaller lakes near Wawasee. Syracuse Lake

Syracuse Lake

Syracuse Lake is a natural lake bordering Syracuse in Kosciusko County, Indiana, USA.- Location :Lake Syracuse is bordered on the west by N. Front Street, Pickwick Road and the B&O Railroad on the south. On the east its bordered by E. Shore Drive and on the north by E. Northshore Drive...

 to the north is accessible from Wawasee through the 'Main Channel.' Lake Papakeechie

Lake Papakeechie

Lake Papakeechie is a small man-made lake of 179 acres located in Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The lake is situated south of and drains into Lake Wawasee...

 to the south is at an elevation slightly higher than Wawasee. It is not accessible by boat from Wawasee.

Water quality and wetlands

The community around Wawasee pushes for water clarity and keeping the lake clean for future generations. One of the most active organizations involved in wetland and water quality protection is the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation (WACF). This non profit group has a documented history of action and lake preservation. The WACF was formed in 1991 to anticipate, discover, and correct threats to the Wawasee Area Watershed and to its water quality. The WACF is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the area and works hand-in-hand with property owner groups, the State Department of Natural Resources and other governmental and civic organizations that share its concerns.

One ongoing battle concerning preservation involves a local farmer

Farmer

A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...

 who has a permit to open a hog farm

Hog farm

Hog farm may refer to:*Pig farming**Intensive pig farming, modern large-scale farming of domestic pigs*Hog Farm, America's longest running hippie commune*Hog Farm, English title of a Swedish song by Pugh Rogefeldt...

 in the area. So far the conservancy has been successful in dissuading the local farmer.
Lake Wawasee is unusually clear for a Midwest lake. This is, in part, due to its location just a few miles from a continental divide that separates water that runs off 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...

basin and Lake Michigan. Another reason for this clarity is that most of the lakes nutrients are tied up in vegetation and zebra mussels. According to a 1995 study, Wawasee's water clarity allows for viewing up to 15 feet (4.6 m) depths, whereas other Midwest lakes, on average, have clarity allowing for viewing 2 to 6 feet (1.8 m) depths.