Devils Lake, North Dakota
Devils Lake, North Dakota | |
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Website | devilslakend.com |
Devils Lake is a city in and the county seat of Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States.[6] The population was 7,192 at the 2020 census.[4] It is named after the nearby body of water called Devils Lake. The first house built by an Euro-American settler was in 1882. It was surveyed in 1883 and named Creelsburg and later Creel City, after the surveyor, Heber M. Creel. In 1884 it was renamed Devils Lake.[7]
The local paper is the
History
The present site of Devils Lake was, historically, a territory of the Dakota people. However, the Sisseton, Wahpeton, and Cut-Head bands of the Dakotas were relocated to the Spirit Lake Reservation as a result of the 1867 treaty between the United States and the Dakota that established a reservation for those who had not been forcibly relocated to Crow Creek Reservation in what is now South Dakota.[8][9] The name "Devils Lake" is a calque of the Dakota phrase mni wak’áŋ (literally translating to spirit water),[10] which is also reflected in the names of the Spirit Lake Tribe and the nearby town of Minnewaukan.
The Dakota called the lake mni wak’áŋ, which separately translates as mni (water) and wak’áŋ (literally meaning "pure source" but often translated as "spirit" or "sacred"). The European-American settlers misconstrued this name to mean "Bad Spirit Lake" or "Devils Lake." The "bad" referred to the high salinity of the lake, making it unfit to drink, and "spirit" referenced the mirages often seen across the water. The Christian concept of the devil was not present in the Dakota philosophy and religious practices.[11]
The Hidatsa name for the lake is mirixubaash ( meaning "sacred water").[12]
The first post office was founded November 15, 1882, and was originally named Creelsburg.
The surrounding Creel Township is named for Mr. Creel. The name was later changed to Creel City and expanded by the Great Northern Railway. When the village was incorporated in 1884, the name was changed to City of Devils Lake and then shortened to Devils Lake.[1][11]
During a period of increased rainfall, beginning in the 1990s and unprecedented in the history of North Dakota, caused the nearby lake, which has no natural outlet, to rise. The surface area has quadrupled, and the higher water has resulted in the moving or destruction of over 400 houses.[13]
Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.51 square miles (16.86 km2), of which 6.50 square miles (16.83 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[14]
Like all of North Dakota, Devils Lake has a
Climate data for Devils Lake, North Dakota (1971–2000, extremes 1948–2001) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 53 (12) |
60 (16) |
72 (22) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
103 (39) |
103 (39) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
94 (34) |
77 (25) |
59 (15) |
103 (39) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 14.7 (−9.6) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
33.6 (0.9) |
52.1 (11.2) |
67.5 (19.7) |
75.3 (24.1) |
80.1 (26.7) |
79.1 (26.2) |
67.7 (19.8) |
53.9 (12.2) |
33.1 (0.6) |
19.4 (−7.0) |
49.9 (9.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −2.5 (−19.2) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
32.2 (0.1) |
44.9 (7.2) |
54.3 (12.4) |
58.6 (14.8) |
56.2 (13.4) |
46.5 (8.1) |
34.6 (1.4) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
3.6 (−15.8) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
Record low °F (°C) | −36 (−38) |
−37 (−38) |
−28 (−33) |
−12 (−24) |
1 (−17) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
33 (1) |
20 (−7) |
−2 (−19) |
−25 (−32) |
−37 (−38) |
−37 (−38) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.58 (15) |
0.51 (13) |
0.80 (20) |
0.90 (23) |
2.14 (54) |
3.83 (97) |
3.29 (84) |
2.21 (56) |
1.80 (46) |
1.47 (37) |
0.83 (21) |
0.57 (14) |
18.93 (480) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.3 (16) |
4.7 (12) |
6.3 (16) |
2.2 (5.6) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.9 (4.8) |
5.4 (14) |
7.2 (18) |
34.3 (87.16) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 8.4 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 9.5 | 12.1 | 10.1 | 8.9 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 99.9 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 6.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 23.6 |
Source: NOAA[16] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 846 | — | |
1900 | 1,729 | 104.4% | |
1910 | 5,157 | 198.3% | |
1920 | 5,140 | −0.3% | |
1930 | 5,451 | 6.1% | |
1940 | 6,204 | 13.8% | |
1950 | 6,427 | 3.6% | |
1960 | 6,299 | −2.0% | |
1970 | 7,078 | 12.4% | |
1980 | 7,442 | 5.1% | |
1990 | 7,782 | 4.6% | |
2000 | 7,222 | −7.2% | |
2010 | 7,141 | −1.1% | |
2020 | 7,192 | 0.7% | |
2022 (est.) | 7,161 | [5] | −0.4% |
U.S. Decennial Census[17] 2020 Census[4] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 3,229 households, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.0% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 40.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.
2000 census
As of the
The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are German (43.9%), Norwegian (33.4%), Irish (7.6%), French (4.7%), Swedish (4.5%), English (2.7%).
There were 3,127 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $39,541. Males had a median income of $27,972 versus $18,000 for females. The
Education
K–12
The city of Devils Lake is served by Devils Lake Public Schools.[18] This system operates Sweetwater Elementary School, Prairie View Elementary School, Minnie H Elementary School, Central Middle School, and Devils Lake High School.
A private school, St. Joseph's Catholic School (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo), is also located in Devils Lake.
Higher education
Sports
- Devils Lake Storm of North Dakota American Legion Baseball
- Devils Lake Firebirds
- Lake Region State College Royals – NJCAA
Media
Television
- 8 digital only – licensed to Devils Lake with news bureau in Grand Forks, but based at WDAY-TV in Fargo
- 25 KMDE (25.1 & 25.2 digital only
Radio
- FM
- 89.9 KDVI American Family Radio (Christian)
- 90.7 KABU (Tribal radio – Spirit Lake Indian Reservation)
- 91.7 KPPD Classical/Jazz)
- 95.3 KKWZ (owned by De La Hunt Broadcasting)
- 96.7 Hot Adult Contemporary)
- 99.7 KDLR (Classic country)
- 102.5 Classic Hits)
- 103.5 KZZY "Double Z Country" (Country)
- 104.5 K283AM )
Transportation
Sites of interest
- Devils Lake Town and Country Club
- Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board http://www.dlbasin.com
Notable people
- Phyllis Frelich, Tony Award-winning deaf actress
- William L. Guy, Governor of North Dakota
- Rick Helling, Pitcher with several Major League Baseball teams
- Ralph Maxwell, North Dakota state court judge and athlete
- Mary Wakefield, Administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration
- Owen Webster, Organic and polymer chemist
References
- ^ OCLC 191277027.
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Devils Lake, North Dakota
- ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b Ramsey County History Archived October 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://www.spiritlakenation.com/history/ Spirit Lake Nation 2017, accessed July 5, 2017.
- ^ February 19, 1867 "Treaty With the Sioux—Sisseton and Wahpeton Bands, 1867," http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/vol2/treaties/sio0956.htm Archived October 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Buechel, Eugene. (1970) Lakota-English Dictionary. Pine Ridge, SD: Red Cloud Indian School.
- ^ OCLC 431626.
- ^ "Hidatsa Lessons Vocab". Hidatsa Language Program. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "N.D. Monster Lake Swallows Land and Buildings". CBS News. September 22, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ Kincer, J.B.; ‘Weather Cycle Changing: Present Hard Winter May Be a Foretaste of a Series of Colder and Wetter Years’; The New York Times, February 21, 1936, p. E10
- ^ "DEVILS LAKE KDLR (022329) – Climatography of the United States No. 20, 1971–2000" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2004. Retrieved on August 28, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS – SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Ramsey County, ND" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
External links
- City of Devils Lake official website
- Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce
- Mother Nature In Charge: Devils Lake The Dilemma Documentary produced by Prairie Public Television
- A bicentennial history of Devils Lake, North Dakota (1976) from the Digital Horizons website
- Devils Lake's seventy-five years :official souvenir program (1957) from the Digital Horizons website