Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
between
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 ...
, and
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. It is approximately across, and is the widest point on the Mississippi River. Located in
La Crosse County
La Crosse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 120,784. Its county seat is La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area with ...
in the state of Wisconsin, its latitude and longitude are . The lake is and is shored by the city from which its name came from:
Onalaska, Wisconsin
Onalaska is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,803 at the 2020 census. It borders the larger La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is a part of the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Area.
Onalaska is built on a ...
. It sits at an altitude of 633 feet (193 m) and is deep at its deepest.
History
Thomas G. Rowe (New York) and John C. Laird (Pennsylvania) platted the village of Onalaska, together, in 1851. Rowe chose the name from a poem by Thomas Campbell called "The Pleasures of Hope" published in 1799. The line "The wolf's long howl from Oonalaska's shore," inspired his choice.
The village, located in a heavy river-access area, became important in the lumber industry.
In the 1930s, as a series of Lock and Dam systems were being implemented throughout the Upper Mississippi area, Lock and Dam No. 7 was built to dam the Black River, creating the reservoir Lake Onalaska.
The name for Lake Onalaska is derived from the name of the village (now city) of Onalaska and the rural town of Onalaska, both of which border the shores of the lake. Lake Roosevelt and Lake Leisure were, at one time, both considered possible names for what is now known as Lake Onalaska.
Today
Lake Onalaska is a popular upper Mississippi destination that attracts visitors year round. Summer visitors enjoy a variety of activities from waterskiing, boating, windsurfing, fishing to beach picnics and bird-watching. The lake contains a variety of migratory waterfowl, and fish, including Northern Pike, Bluegill, Crappie, Walleye and Large and Smallmouth Bass. The LaCrosse Sailing Club is on the most northern tip of French Island, which is at the south end of the Lake.
In the fall, the bluffs surrounding the Mississippi River and Lake Onalaska explode into rich tones of reds and golds, drawing tourists from across the country.
In the winter, when the lake freezes over and the ice fishing season begins, Lake Onalaska is often dotted with dozens of tents. And when the ice is right, there may be ice boats sailing.
In 2018, the Wisconsin state recordSpotted sucker was caught in Lake Onalaska. It was long and weighed .
The Raptor Resource Project Raptor Resource Project 26 November 2022 is located in Decorah, Iowa. They host livestreamed webcam called the ''Mississippi River Flyway Cam''. It is at Lake Onalaska in the