Lakes in Dickenson County, Iowa

MEMEORY LANE
LAKES
BY R. AUBREY LA FOY

The United States consists of 50 states. Each state is then divided into counties except Louisiana which has parishes (64). The counties are then subdivided into townships. In most cases township is 36 square miles or 6 x 6 miles. Several of the counties in Iowa are irregular due to being bordered on either the Mississippi River or the Missouri River and Kossuth County is like two counties such as Clay and Dickinson. Several counties on the northern tier of Iowa are short townships. The plan laid out had each county with16 townships but several, including, Dickinson County has only 12 townships. Not only are we short townships but the northern tier of townships in Dickinson county are not 6 x 6 sections but only 5 x 6 sections. For many years Dickinson County was penalized of not having farmland, as that was the tax base, but had lakes or bodies of water.

Clay County to the south of Dickinson County has a full body of townships and sections with very few bodies of water, hence, they had a larger tax base than Dickinson County and could build a magnificent and stately courthouse. It has only been in recent years that Dickinson County gained in a larger tax base due to the expansion of cottages and businesses skirting and built on the shores of the lakes.

R.A. Smith in History of Dickinson County gives us great insight of our beginnings of county. Mr. Smith informs us that among the first acts of the settlers was naming the different lakes or to familiarize themselves with existing name. “Spirit Lake had been known by the Indians as Minnie Waukon and by the French as Lac d’Esprit. Sometimes attempting to apply English orthography to French words could be amusing. The French wrote that the Ceuoux River passed through Lake Despree. If this had not been corrected Spirit Lake would have gone on to the maps as Lake Depree. Some of the early pioneers attempted to call it Green Lake but were not successful. East Okoboji was called by the Dacotahs ‘Okoboozhy’ and West Okoboji ‘Minnietonka’ signifying Big Water but it was recognized there was a lake in Minnesota by that name so it was called West Okoboji. On e pioneer wanted to call it Lake Harriott in honor of Doctor Harriott and East Okoboji Rice Lake in honor of Senator Henry M. Rice , then senator from Minnesota but early settlers finally settled on the names West and East Okoboji.”

Mr. Smith informs us of other lakes and names. Center Lake was called by the first settlers Snyder’s lake after Bert Snyder who had a claim on the east shore but it was dropped and became Center Lake. Gar Lake was at first designated as Carl Lake in homo of Carl Granger. The outlet was known by the name of Gar Outlet so it became the name of Upper, Middle and Lower Gar. Middle Gar was renamed Minnie Washta in Dacotah synonym for good or nice.
It sure would have fun and interesting to be on the committee to name the townships in Dickinson County. They are Silver Lake, Richland, Okoboji, Milford, Diamond Lake, Excelsior, Lakeville, Lloyd, Westport, Superior, Spirit Lake and Center Grove. The lakes encompass some of the townships. 34% of Spirit Lake Township is water, 13.42% of Lakeville is water and Center Grove Township is 13.19% water. Lloyd and Westport are zero to .03%. The names of the lakes in Dickinson County are: Spirit Lake, West Okoboji, East Okoboji, Minnewashta, Upper Gar, Lower Gar, Sunken Lake, East Hottes Lake, Little Spirit Lake, Marble Lake, Diamond Lake, Silver Lake, Stony Lake, Sylvan Lake, Pratt Lake, Pillsbury Lake, Swan Lake, Welch Lake, Prairie Lake, Pleasant Lake, Lilly Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Grover’s Lake and Mill Lake. And you thought West, East Okoboji and Spirit Lake was all there was? Many of the smaller lakes in Dickinson County are jewels yet to be cleaned up and brought to their brilliance.