Hamlin Lake 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 ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

enlarged by the backup of the

Big Sable River The Big Sable River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in Michigan in the United States. It originates in Lake County in the chain of lakes kno ...

by the Hamlin Lake Dam before it reaches

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. The lake, which covers , is long and wide. It is the largest man-made lake in

. It has two sections, the upper and lower lakes, which are separated by the narrows. The western section has a maximum depth of almost while the eastern section is only Hamlin Lake Mason County Big Sable River watershed, surveyed 2010
Mark A. Tonello, Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources, 2012 The first dam was built in the 1850s for a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. Ludington State Park lies along the entire western shore of the lake while the eastern tip of the lake is in the Manistee National Forest. The lake is great for swimming during summer months as it is typically much warmer than Lake Michigan and has a smaller swimming area, making it easier to keep track of family and friends.

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s separate the western shore of Hamlin Lake from the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. State park visitors can rent a variety of boats at this location and many of the park's trails (including a canoe trail) begin and end here. During the winter season,

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Long ...

is popular. Gamefish have been stocked in the lake since the 1890s.

History

Hamlin lake once was a small town, but in 1888 the wooden dam protecting the town collapsed, flooding the town. The dam was rebuilt in 1912, before collapsing again, flooding the area. It was later incorporated into Ludington State Park in the 1930s. It is the largest man-made lake in

References

https://hamlinlake.com/stories/history_of_the_village_of_hamlin_michigan https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2012-132_394439_7.pdf

External links

Hamlin Lake
Michigan DNR
Hamlin Lake Tourism
{{authority control Bodies of water of Mason County, Michigan Lakes of Michigan Reservoirs in Michigan

History

See also

References

External links