Carter Lake is a shallow oxbow lake in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, located next to Omaha, and marks one of the only spots the Iowa-Nebraska border is not on the Missouri River. Soon after its formation the lake was called the East Omaha Lake, and then Lake Nakoma. The city of Carter Lake, Iowa takes its name from the lake. The lake was formed from the Saratoga Bend in the Missouri River.

Overview

The lake has native black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp,

green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usu ...

, and

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

. The lake is irregularly stocked with channel catfish and

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

. Invasive species in the lake include curlyleaf pondweed and eurasian watermilfoil. There are limited restrictions on fishing in the lake. There is one publicly available boat ramp, and boating is legal on the lake.

History

The Saratoga Bend was the impetus for the creation of the town of

Saratoga, Nebraska Territory Saratoga Springs, Nebraska Territory, or Saratoga, was a boom and bust town founded in 1856 that thrived for several years. During its short period of influence the town grew quickly, outpacing other local settlements in the area including Omaha ...

, a short mile from the river. However, the Bend was cut off from the river after a flood and subsequent river reroute in 1877. Because of this change in the path of the river, the city of Carter Lake, which sits between the lake and the river, is the only city in Iowa to be west of the Missouri River. A beach resort with a large boathouse and two-story pavilion, a Rod and Gun Club, and a YMCA camp had all settled on the shores of Lake Nakoma by 1906. The Carter Lake and Levi Carter Park at 3100 Abbott Drive were named after one of Omaha's original industrialists named Levi Carter, who ran a

white lead White lead is the basic lead carbonate 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2. It is a complex salt, containing both carbonate and hydroxide ions. White lead occurs naturally as a mineral, in which context it is known as hydrocerussite, a hydrate of cerussite. It was ...

smelter in the area.

References

External links

History of Carter Lake with pictures and maps
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter Lake (Iowa-Nebraska) Geography of Omaha, Nebraska Bodies of water of Pottawattamie County, Iowa Bodies of water of Douglas County, Nebraska Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska Oxbow lakes of the United States Lakes of Iowa Lakes of Nebraska Parks in Omaha, Nebraska Missouri River Defunct resorts Borders of Iowa Borders of Nebraska

Overview

History

See also

References

External links