Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau | ||
---|---|---|
North Lake Leelanau, South Lake Leelanau; Carp Lake | ||
Primary inflows Cedar Run, Victoria Creek | | |
Primary outflows | Leland River | |
Basin countries | United States | |
Max. width | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | |
Surface area | 2,914 acres (12 km2) North 5,693 acres (23 km2) South | |
Max. depth | 121 ft (37 m) North 62 ft (19 m) South | |
Surface elevation | 587 feet (179 m)[1] | |
Settlements | Leland, Lake Leelanau, Fountain Point, Cedar |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/NLeelanau1.jpg/220px-NLeelanau1.jpg)
Lake Leelanau (/ˈliːlənɔː/ LEE-lə-naw) is a lake that is located in the Leelanau Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is divided into two basins, usually referred to as North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau, which are divided by the Lake Leelanau Narrows in the community of Lake Leelanau. The entire lake covers about 8,608 acres (35 km2). The lake is drained by the Leland River, which flows to Lake Michigan in the community of Leland.
Lake Leelanau is also occasionally referred to as Carp Lake.
Location
Lake Leelanau connects on the northwest to the Leland River, which runs for one mile (1.6 km) to Lake Michigan. Between North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau the water narrows for about a mile near the unincorporated community of Lake Leelanau.
A bridge crosses the narrows on M-204. Just south of the bridge is Fountain Point, a historic and scenic landmark as well as a popular summer resort.
On the southern end, South Lake Leelanau ends in a marshy area fed by several small creeks, and the waters access the community of Cedar in Solon Township.
Lake Leelanau runs 21 miles (34 km) through the middle of the Leelanau Peninsula; it is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) at its widest. The south lake includes 5,693 acres (23 km2), the north lake includes 2,914 acres (12 km2), and the lakes have a total shoreline of about 41.2 miles (66.3 km). The south lake has an average depth of 24 feet (7.3 m), and a maximum depth of 62 feet (19 m); the north lake has an average depth of 40 feet (12 m) and a maximum depth of 121 feet (37 m).[2]
History
Indigenous people who first inhabited the area called this land "ke-ski-bi-ag," which means "narrow body of water,".[3]
Scholars have established, however, that Leelinau was first used as a pen name by Schoolcraft's wife
See also
- List of lakes in Michigan
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Leelanau
- ^ Compilation of Databases on Michigan Lakes
- ^ Leelanau County website re Lake Leelanau history Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jeremy Mumford, "Mixed-race identity in a nineteenth-century family: the Schoolcrafts of Sault Ste. Marie, 1824-27", Michigan Historical Review, 22 Mar 1999, pp.3-4, accessed 11 Dec 2008
- ^ Robert Dale Parker, Jane Johnston Schoolcraft Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, accessed 11 Dec 2008
- ^ Robert Dale Parker, Jane Johnston Schoolcraft Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, accessed 11 Dec 2008
Further reading
- Scott, I.D. (1921) Inland Lakes of Michigan Michigan Geological Society.