Geneva Lake (

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

: ''Kishwauketoe'' 'Clear Water') is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in the southeastern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. On its shores are the city of

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial lak ...

and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake and

Williams Bay Williams Bay is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of three municipalities on Geneva Lake. The population was 2,564 at the 2010 census. History The village was named for Captain Israel Williams of Massachusett ...

. The lake covers an area of approximately , with a maximum length of , a mean depth of , and a maximum depth of . Geologists believe that it is a filled-in

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

formed from a receding glacier.

History

Geneva Lake was home to a band of Prairie Potawatomi prior to colonial settlement. During the first three decades of the nineteenth century, the band was led by Big Foot. This led the settlers on Geneva Lake to refer to it as Big Foot Lake. In the 1830s, a government surveyor named John Brink renamed the lake and the town on it for

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

, another lakeside town which he thought they resembled. To avoid confusion with the nearby town of

Geneva, Illinois Geneva is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the western side of the Chicago suburbs. Per the 2020 census, the population was 21,393. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, located between S ...

, the city was renamed ''Lake Geneva''; later, the lake was renamed ''Geneva Lake''. The lake is known as the only place in the world where

mail jumping Mail jumping is a type of mail delivery. The person doing the mail jumping (known as a mail jumper) is transported on a body of water by a boat. The person jumps off the boat onto a dock, places incoming mail in a mailbox, retrieves outgoing mail, ...

is practiced, an unusual mail delivery system maintained as a local tradition.

Attractions and public access

Lakeshore attractions include

Big Foot Beach State Park Big Foot Beach State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, United States, on Geneva Lake. The park is used primarily for hiking, swimming, camping, and fishing. The beach and park are named for Big Foot (a translation from the Potawatomi Maumksuc ...

Lake Geneva Yacht Club Lake Geneva Yacht Club, ("LGYC") is a yacht club in Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, United States. History Founded in 1874, it is one of the oldest Inland Lake Yachting Association clubs. The General Philip H. Sheridan Race Regatta Trophy be ...

, the George Williams College campus of

Aurora University Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to its main campus and the Orchard Center in Aurora, AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and at the Woodsto ...

, and

Yerkes Observatory Yerkes Observatory ( ) is an astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The observatory was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 to 2018. Owne ...

. The observatory is no longer owned by the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, which transferred ownership of it to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation in May 2020. Public access to the lake is allowed as the result of a decision by early European settlers that "20 feet metersof land leading up to the shoreline should be public domain." A shorepath, which is open to the public, completely surrounds the lake. Between long, it follows the route taken by

Potawatomi Indians The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

. The path crosses the estates of the Schwinns,

Swifts Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

, Wackers, and Wrigleys. File:Geneva Lake Shorepath Sign 1.jpg, Geneva Lake Shorepath sign File:Yacht Racing On Lake Geneva (NBY 428822).jpg, Yacht Racing On Lake Geneva, postcard File:Untitled - Resorts (NBY 697).jpg, Olivet Camp, postcard

References

External links

Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce
* , report by

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

with history and environmental info.
My Rambles in The Enchanted Summer Land, 1881
{{Authority control Lakes of Walworth County, Wisconsin Kettle lakes in the United States