Lake Columbia is a man-made

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Columbia Township in southern Jackson County in 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 sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Originally formed as a

mill pond A mill pond (or millpond) is a body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Description Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam or weir (and mill stream) across a waterway. In many places, the c ...

in 1836, it was expanded to in 1961. At its greatest extent, the lake is 2 and 1/4 miles long and 1 and 3/4 miles wide. It has approximately of shoreline and the water source to the lake is Goose Creek. The lake has an average depth of . Lake Columbia is located west of

Brooklyn, Michigan Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,206 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Irish Hills region of southern Michigan, just north of U.S. Route 12 along M-50. The village is located w ...

. The latitude for the lake is 42.0928 and the longitude is -84.3011 with an elevation of above sea level. Lake Columbia is one of the many lakes in Jackson County that is entirely private. Yearly membership dues in the Lake Columbia Property Owners Association are required by residents of the lake. The lake has a total of 16 private parks. It also has 14 named shores where residents reside. It is a boaters and fishers paradise for local residents of the lake. Lake Columbia is stocked annually with

Walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

or Bluegill fish. The fish population continues to grow in Lake Columbia every year.

Hydrology

Lake Columbia has a primary inflow from Goose Creek and a primary outflow from Goose Creek. Goose Creek mainly flows from east to west and flows into the Raisin River. The Raisin River connects Clark Lake, Vineyard Lake, Norvell Lake and Lake Columbia together by way of Goose Creek also. The drainage area of Lake Columbia is 25,000 Sq. Acres which drains into Jackson County and

Hillsdale County Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an ...

, Michigan.

Natural history

The natural wildlife that surround and inhabit Lake Columbia are White Tail Deer, Walleye fish, Bluegill fish, Red Foxes, and Common Loons.

History

Prior to 1960

In 1835, John H. and Broadhead Du Bois settled along Goose Creek about west of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

with the intentions of using the small stream to power a set of mills. By 1836, with the dam completed and the mills in operation, the small village of Jefferson was platted. Soon after, a post office was opened and the name was changed to Columbia, as the name Jefferson had already been taken. The original village was located near the intersection of Jefferson Rd and Hewitt Rd, a portion of which was later rerouted when the lake was expanded.

1960 to 1999

In September 1960, after an intensive study by American Central Corporation of Lansing, Michigan, the people in the Lake Columbia area, which was then mostly farmland, were contacted and their farms purchased. The company was looking to sell attractive land around a private lake. Construction started in July 1961 on the earthen L-shaped dam that now stops the flow of Goose Creek. The dam is long and high with the head of water at . It has a long spillway made of 2,000 cubic yards of concrete and 200,000 pounds of reinforced steel. The mouth of the spillway is in diameter. By early Autumn, the dam was completed and attention shifted to clearing the wooded portions of the basin. Flooding commenced on November 10, 1961 culminating in the of water that make up the modern Lake Columbia.Lake Columbia History Lin

Retrieved on 2008-07-15

2000 to present

Currently the association boasts more than 1,600 members. There are more than 700 lakefront homes, and nearly 650 more near the lake which are still considered part of the Lake Columbia Association. Homes around the lake range in price from $50,000 to over $1 million. The privacy of Lake Columbia is kept up through annual membership dues required every year. As of 2011, the membership dues are $360 for the first lot owned, and $40 for each additional lot. Each year Lake Columbia offers many events around and on the lake. There are community-oriented events year-round, including fishing tournaments, an annual community-wide garage sale, a golf league, block parties, annual LCPOA picnic, Light Up the Night Weekend, outdoor movie at a park, a rotation of food trucks at the parks throughout the summer, and "trunk-or-treat" at Halloween. Wintertime activities include snowmobiling, ice hockey for kids, ice skating and ice fishing. Lake Columbia also has one of the most spectacular Fourth of July fireworks displays around Jackson County. It is set up through the Lake Columbia Property Owners Association, and is funded through private donations and the LCPOA.

Parks around Lake Columbia

Private parks located around Lake Columbia: * Archwood - Located off Archwood Circle (off Somerset Dr.) * Bedford, East - Located off Bedford Dr. * Bedford, West - Located off Bedford Dr. * Castlewood - Located off Castlewood Dr.(off Wesch Rd.) * Claremont - Located off Claremont Circle * Donald - Located off Claremont Circle * Grand Pointe - Located off Grand Pointe Dr. * Hawthorne - Located at the end of Hawthorne / Waverly Ct * Hilltop - Located at end of Hilltop Ct.(off Nottingham) * Karen Court - Located off Somerset Dr. * Kelley - Located off Kelley Rd. * Nottingham - Located at the end of Nottingham * Princess - Located off Princess Dr.- across the channel from Archwood Park (off Somerset Dr) * Riviera - Located off Riviera Dr.(off Kelly Rd.) * Somerset - Located off Somerset Dr.(off Hayes Rd.) * Southern Shores - Located off Southern Shores Dr

Local towns and areas

(located east ) Population (2000) 1,176 * Cement City, Michigan, Cement City (located southwest ) Population (2000) 452 * Clark Lake (Jackson County, Michigan) - located north *

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

(located north approximately ) Population (2000) City: 36,316 - Metro Area: 163,629 *

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

(located north east ) Population (2000) 1,254

Local points of interest

Golf Courses

Golf Courses, parks and many other recreational activities surround the lake and provide a person with things to do year round. Lake Columbia is located closely to the Irish Hills, Michigan International Speedway and the downtown area of Brooklyn. There are over 14 different challenging golf courses within of Lake Columbia.

State and local parks

* Clark Lake Park * Vineyard Lake County Park * Walter J. Hayes State Park * Cambridge Junction Historic St. Park

Points of interest

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...

* Hidden Lake Gardens * Irish Hills

External links

Lake Columbia Website

Michigan International Speedway Website

References

{{authority control Columbia Bodies of water of Jackson County, Michigan