West Okoboji Lake is a natural body of water, approximately 3847 acres (15.6 km²) in area, in Dickinson County

Dickinson County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of . There were 12,849 housing units, of which 7,554 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 in northwest Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 in the United States

United States

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

. It is part of the chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes

Iowa Great Lakes

The Iowa Great Lakes are a group of natural glacial lakes in Dickinson County in northwestern Iowa in the United States. The three principal lakes of the group are Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake. They are the largest natural lakes in the state of Iowa. The largest, Spirit...

. The area was long inhabited by the Santee or Dakota Sioux

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

. The Dakota

Dakota language

Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...

-language name for the lake was Minnetonka, meaning "great waters".

The cities of Arnolds Park

Arnolds Park, Iowa

Arnolds Park is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,126 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 1,162 population in the 2000 census.-Geography:Arnolds Park is located at ....

, Okoboji

Okoboji, Iowa

Okoboji is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States, along the eastern shore of West Okoboji Lake in the Iowa Great Lakes region. The population was 820 at the 2000 census. Pikes Point State Park is located within the city limits...

, West Okoboji

West Okoboji, Iowa

West Okoboji is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 432 at the 2000 census. The city is located on West Okoboji Lake, from which it takes its name...

, and Wahpeton

Wahpeton, Iowa

Wahpeton is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 462 at the 2000 census.Wahpeton is part of the Iowa Great Lakes region of northwestern Iowa, which is a regional vacation and recreation destination...

 sit on its shore. Okoboji was derived from the Dakota name for the lake, and Wahpeton

Wahpeton

Wahpeton may refer to:People*The Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, a branch of the Dakota or SiouxPlaces*Wahpeton, the name of two cities in the United States:**Wahpeton, Iowa**Wahpeton, North Dakota*The Wahpeton Micropolitan Statistical AreaShips...

 was the name of one of the major historic Sioux bands in the nineteenth century. Today the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux are a federally recognized tribe.

Its maximum depth is 136 feet (41.5 m), making it the deepest lake in Iowa and second in size only to Spirit Lake

Spirit Lake (Iowa)

Big Spirit Lake is a natural body of water, approximately in area, in Dickinson County in northwest Iowa in the United States. It is part of the chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes, the northern shore of the lake straddles the border with Minnesota. It is the largest natural lake in Iowa....

. The mean depth is 39 feet (11.9 m). The drainage area of the lake is approximately 125 square miles (323.7 km²).

Geology

Geologically, the lake, like its neighbors, is a glacial pothole, a remnant of the most recent ice age

Ice age

An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

 approximately 13,000 years ago.

Recreation

West Okoboji is often considered to be one of three blue water lakes in the world. The other two are Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...

 in Switzerland and Lake Louise

Lake Louise (Alberta)

Lake Louise is a lake in Alberta, Canada. The glacial lake is located in Banff National Park, from the hamlet of Lake Louise and the Trans-Canada Highway....

 in Canada.

The depth of the lake makes it a popular regional destination for motor boating, water skiing, sailing, and swimming. The lake is also a popular fishing destination in the region. The main catches in the lake are yellow perch

Yellow perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...

, bluegill

Bluegill

The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...

, and 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...

. It also contains significant populations of smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

, northern pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, muskie

Muskie

Muskie may refer to:*Ed Muskie, American politician*Muskellunge, freshwater fish native to North America...

, crappie

Crappie

Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

 and white bass

White bass

The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass The white bass or sand bass (MoroneIt is the state fish of Oklahoma.- Range :White bass are distributed widely across the United States, particularly in the midwest. They are very abundant in Pennsylvania and the area around Lake Erie...

, black bass

Black bass

Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...

.

In pop culture

An episode of The X-Files

The X-Files

The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...

("Conduit") mentions the lake, and when typeset as a setting, it appears on screen spelled differently as "Lake Okobogee, Iowa". In that episode it is filmed with a mountainous background, which is inaccurate for this Midwest lake.

External links

• Iowa Department of Natural Resources site on East Okoboji Lake
• University of Iowa site on West Okoboji Lake chemistry
• U.S. Geological Survey site on West Okoboji Lake current temperature