Lake George (Anoka County, Minnesota)
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Lake George is a small lake in
Anoka County, Minnesota Anoka County ( ) is the List of counties in Minnesota, fourth-most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 363,887. The county seat and namesak ...
, located within the city of Oak Grove, north of the city of Anoka. Minnesota's
Department of Natural Resources This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies that are responsible for state-level regulating, monitoring, managing, and protecting environmental and public health concerns. The exact duties of ...
tracks the lake by the name George and the identifier 02-0091-00.Detailed records about lake George from DNR
date accessed Oct 18, 2006

date accessed Oct 18, 2006
The
USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...
tracks the lake by the ID 644081 and the
coordinates In geometry, a coordinate system is a system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine and standardize the Position (geometry), position of the Point (geometry), points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as ...
of , retrieved 10 December 2006 Roughly circular in shape with two marshes encircling Greenwald Island on the Southern shore, Lake George Regional Park covers much of the North shore. The park has picnic areas, a boat launch, and a large roped-off swimming beach. The lake is used during the summer and winter for
water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...
,
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
,
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 L ...
,
canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...
ing, and
snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...
. With the exception of a few vacant lots, a wetland area in the southeast corner at the lake outlet, a new development on the west end, and the County property, there are homes located along the entire lake. Lake George Aquatic Plant Survey ( Open the report), Prepared by Carolyn Dindorf and Chris Kjelland of Fortin Consulting, Inc. on Oct 2, 2006 for the Lake George Conservance Club, Actual Survey conducted August 2 – 3, 2006 ( Open survey data) The regions around the lake are known as: Paradise Alley, Beaver Shores, Lake George Regional Park, Cattail Oak, Shady Oak, South Bay, Greenwald Island, Indian Ridge Road.


History

Lake George was formed about 12,000 years ago following retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and drainage of glacial Lake Anoka.Meyer, G.N., 1998. Glacial lakes of the Stacy Basin, East-Central Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. In Patterson, C.J., and Wright. H.E. Jr., eds, Contributions to Quaternary studies in Minnesota: Minnesota Geological Survey Report of Investigations 49, p. 35-48. The first recorded mention of the lake comes from an Indian battle which occurred in 1845. The battle followed a peace conference between the
Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
and the
Ojibway The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...
at
Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint An ...
. Following the conference, the Ojibway began returning home up the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
and then up the
Rum River The Rum River is a slow, meandering stream that connects Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake with the Mississippi River. It runs for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 5, ...
, and the Lakota set on their way up the
Minnesota River The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It rises in southwestern ...
. It is reported that the Ojibway took a Lakota woman with them and when the Lakota discovered this they pursued the Ojibway to their camp on the south shore of Lake George. The battle that ensued lasted for three days and resulted in over 200 dead. In 1847, Federal surveyors established the section and township boundaries as well as locations of Indian burial mounds. The lake is named after George Arbuckle, who was the chief surveyor of the party. The original survey plats of lake George and Greenwald Island were published in 1848.original survey plats of Lake George and Greenwald Island
from th
Land Management Information Center
The Minnesota History Society tracks these plats by the identifiers MHS0905 and MHS0906
After the settlement of the area, Lake George began to become popular for urban dwellers looking to find summer recreation. By the turn of the century, many cabins and, just prior to World War I, a few resorts were built. Vacationers first came by rail via the depot in Cedar and later by car. The main resorts on the lake were Hopper's (northwest shore), Yost's (North shore), Tillbergs (now the Shoreside), Day's (later the By George Inn) and Fleet's Inn (northshore). Fleet's Inn was located not too far from the present day county beach. It was said that gangsters from nearby St. Paul would check in when the heat was on in town. The Chicago mob would occasionally visit them to make business deals. Greenwald Island is named after Aaron Greenwald, who was born December 2, 1832, and eventually settled in Anoka where he found work as a
miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...
in one of the local flour mills.First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Division
search on Alan Greenwald
Civil War Ancestors, Community Courier, Sept 1996 Aaron and wife, Ann, had two sons: William born August 8, 1859, and Louis on Oct 10, 1860. It is possible that Aaron was the first man to enlist for the Union cause. In the late 1930s the Lake George Conservation Club was formed. At the time most of the lakeshore residents were seasonal. In the 1970s the face of the lake's neighborhoods began to change with permanent homes replacing the summer cabins. The clubs activities began to dwindle until 1981 when an issue regarding horsepower regulation on the lake united the lake's residents and the club was reconstituted. In the summer of 1998 there was a dead body found in the lake. In January 2004, the two marshes were dredged to open a channel.


Ecology

Lake George exhibits very good water clarity with a summer average of in 2004. About or 80% of the lake is classified as
littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...
(<15’ deep). However, since Lake George exhibits very clear water, plants grow to a deeper depth in the lake. The maximum and mean depths are and respectively. Lake George in an oval shaped lake with two dredged channels on the south side. Most of the lake has a sandy bottom, but there are areas of soft muddy sediments. The shoreline length is 4.5 miles.Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Fisheries Division. Lake Survey Reports. 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155 Lake George Regional Park, an Anoka County park, is located on the north side of the lake. The public access is within the park. Twenty-eight (28) different species of aquatic plant life were found in the lake.


Sport fish

Lake George is known to have: *Walleye of unknown abundance and average size. Walleye were first stocked in 2001 and these fish generally become acceptable to Metro-area anglers after their third summer (2004). *Northern Pike of above average abundance, average size and some larger pike. *Largemouth Bass of average abundance, all sizes present including some real trophies. *Bluegill of above average abundance, average size. *Crappie of above average abundance, average size.


Milfoil

Eurasian watermilfoil, which is scientifically known as ''Myriophyllum spicatum'', was first confirmed in Lake George in 1998 by a DNR biologist and as of the summer of 2006 is forming nuisance mats in large areas of the lake; the native plant community and recreational use of the lake is threatened by the spread of this invasive exotic species. In addition to Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed (8 locations), another non-native species is also in Lake George. However, August is not the best time to conduct a survey for curly-leaf pondweed. It should be surveyed earlier in the season. Because Lake George exhibits very clear conditions, it may be more prone to the spread of milfoil to deeper water. The average
Secchi disk The Secchi disk (or Secchi disc), as created in 1865 by Angelo Secchi, is a plain white, circular disk in diameter used to measure water transparency or turbidity in bodies of water. The disc is mounted on a pole or line and lowered slowly dow ...
transparency from 2000 -2005 ranged from 9.0 – 11.5 feet (CLMP data). With the clear water, light can penetrate into deeper waters and promote plant growth beyond the 15’ depth. Milfoil was recorded on the data sheets only if it was found at the survey point.


Lake improvement district

After a majority of the property owners within the proposed Lake George Improvement District filed a petition with Anoka County requesting the establishment of the improvement district, the Oak Grove's City Council unanimously approved the creation of a "Lake Improvement District" (LID) on January 26, 2009. The LID will further extend the efforts of the Lake George Conservation Club to keep the lake clear of invasive weeds. An initial Board was appointed in March 2009. Strong support to create Lake George Improvement District ABCNewspapers.com, 08 January 2009, Kelly Johnson, date accessed March 22, 2009


Nearby communities

Lake George is located within the city of Oak Grove. Other nearby communities include Anoka, Cedar, East Bethel, and St. Francis.


See also

* List of Minnesota aquatic plants


References


Uncited references


Oak Grove residents oppose Lake George senior housing, townhomes
Anoka County Union, February 26, 2004 * Letter to the Editor about Eminent Domain issues, Renee Beckum, February 27, 2004, Anoka County Union * 1996 Lake George History Update by Will Ridge


External links


Minnesota DNR entry on Lake GeorgeSt. Francis Government
Web Site

{{authority control George George Tourist attractions in Anoka County, Minnesota