Chain O'Lakes is an Indiana state park on in

Noble County, Indiana Noble County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 47,457. The county seat is Albion. The county is divided into 13 townships which provide local services. Noble County comprises th ...

, in the United States. The park is located near the towns of

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

and Avilla and is northwest of the northeastern Indiana's major city,

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

History

The desire by residents of Northeastern Indiana to have their own state park grew into a concerted effort to establish Chain O'Lakes State Park during the 1940s and 1950s. Various local government officials, civic organizations, chambers of commerce and newspapers from communities across Northeastern Indiana—including Albion, Columbia City,

Churubusco Churubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough () of Coyoacán. It is centred on the former Franciscan monastery ''(ex convento de Churubusco)'' a ...

, Kendallville, and

—began to promote and support the park's establishment. The Chain O'Lakes Joint Park Board began a massive fundraising effort, which collected funds to establish the park from counties across Northeastern Indiana. A significant amount of funds were collected specifically in Allen County—where Fort Wayne is located. Notable opposition to the park's establishment came from

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...

—a neighbor to Noble County—where officials refused to support a plan to protect the land surrounding the Chain O'Lakes because they wanted to build a

state road A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a state or ...

on the land. Eventually, enabling legislation to establish the park made its way through the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Sena ...

. Indiana Governor Ralph F. Gates was an outspoken supporter of the effort to establish the park, continuing to promote the cause even after leaving office. Chain O'Lakes State Park was established in 1960. Then-Indiana Governor Harold W. Handley spoke at the park's opening ceremony, as did former Governor Gates.

Activities

As the name suggests, it is a park for boaters, with nine connecting lakes, and eleven lakes total. The lakes are

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a device specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a cooktop, hob, and the ...

lakes, formed by receding ice sheets of the

Pleistocene Epoch The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

, which also made the steeply rolling hills and bogs of the park. Bowen Lake is the deepest at , and Dock Lake is the shallowest at deep. Outwash sediments, sediment from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and muck/peat-filled bogs caused by the glaciers are accessible by the several miles of hiking trails. Powerboats on the lakes are restricted to electric motors only. There are more than of hiking trails. Cross-country skiing is available in the winter. There is one large campground as well as a Rally campground, a Youth Tent Area, and a canoe camp. There are also 18 furnished cabins available for rental. There is one swimming area in the park. The Chain O'Lakes Correctional Facility was established inside of the state park in 1967. Located on the northeastern edge of the park, the facility comprises six buildings and has the capacity to house 140 adult male offenders, offering inmates educational and treatment programs. The facility provides work crews that help maintain Chain O'Lakes State Park, as well as the nearby Pokagon State Park in Steuben County. Starting in 2011, Chain O'Lakes State Park has served as the site of The HUFF 50K Trail Run and Relay, the twelfth largest

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

in North America.

References

* ''(Official Site)'' * * *

External links

* {{Authority control Protected areas established in 1960 State parks of Indiana Protected areas of Noble County, Indiana Nature centers in Indiana 1960 establishments in Indiana