West Okoboji Lake (highlighted in purple), in the Iowa Great Lakes region.
West Okoboji Lake (sometimes known as West Lake Okoboji) is a natural body of water, approximately 3,847 acres (15.57 km2) in area, in Dickinson County in northwestern Iowa in the United States. It is part of the chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes. The area was long inhabited by the Santee or Dakota Sioux. The Dakota-language name for the lake was Minnetonka, meaning "great waters".
The cities of Arnolds Park, Okoboji, West Okoboji, and Wahpeton sit on its shore. Okoboji was derived from the Dakota name for the lake, and Wahpeton was the name of one of the major historic Sioux bands in the nineteenth century. Today the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux are a federally recognized tribe.
The lake has exceptional water quality and color, and is included on the DNR’s Outstanding Iowa Waters list.[1][2] The lake has long been noted for its blue waters, with an author drawing comparison to "Guarda(sic) or Lake of Zürich" in the 1895 Midland Monthly Magazine.[3] The statement that West Okoboji is "one of only three blue water lakes in the world" is a long-repeated myth,[1] which has been refuted.[4] The statement has appeared in numerous tour guides since the early 20th century.[5][6] In an article in the National Geographic May 1981 edition from staff writer Harvey Arden, the Okoboji and Spirit lakes were called "blue - water" lakes.[7]
^ abWest Okoboji: One of Only 3 Blue Water Lakes in the World? Iowa Department of Natural Resource, reprinted from the July/August 2016 issue of Iowa Outdoors magazine.
^Iowa's Outstanding Waters List. Iowa DNR, January 2014
^Byers, S. H. M. - Resting at Okobiji. The Midland Monthly. United States: Johnson Brigham, 1895. Volume 3
^Des Moines Register Q&A April 7, 1985. Roger W. Bachmann, professor, Department of Animal Ecology, Iowa State University, Ames.
^Rock Island Employes' Magazine. United States: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, 1924. Volume 19
^A Guide to Estherville, Iowa, Emmet County and Iowa Great Lakes Region. United States: Estherville Enterprise Print, 1939.
^Arden, Harvey - Iowa, America's Middle Earth. National Geographic (USA), May 1981 "Had they been looking for blue - water lakes , however , they might have tried northwest Iowa's Great Lakes resort area , centered around beautiful Lake Okoboji and Spirit Lake."
East OkobojiLake is a natural body of water, approximately 1,835 acres (7.43 km2) in area, in Dickinson County in northwest Iowa in the United States...
LakeOkoboji may refer to: WestOkobojiLake, in Iowa East OkobojiLake, in Iowa This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations...
Lake Wapello Lake Wawasee (Iowa) WestOkobojiLake Clinton Lake Fall River LakeLake Inman (largest natural lake in Kansas) Marion County Lake Marion Reservoir...
the lake.[citation needed] Kiteboarding is also a popular activity[according to whom?] on Big Spirit Lake.[citation needed] East OkobojiLakeWest Okoboji...
United States, located on WestOkobojiLake in the city of Wahpeton. It is the primary state park unit in the Iowa Great Lakes region. Two areas of the...
western shore of WestOkobojiLake, one of the Iowa Great Lakes, and is one of several state parks and recreation areas in the Great Lakes region. It features...
located southwest of Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States. It is a small park on a point of land that projects into WestOkobojiLake. It provides space for picnicking...
62 ha), it is a narrow park that extends along a point of land into WestOkobojiLake adjacent to private summer houses. The overlook at the north end of...
(59 kg). The largest American paddlefish on record was captured in WestOkobojiLake, Iowa, in 1916 by a spear fisherman; it measured 85 in (2.2 m) and...
contractor to build a bridge across the straits between East and WestOkobojiLakes in 1859. The wooden structures had to be rebuilt in 1874–1875. There...
otherwise noted. "Beed's Lake State Park" (PDF). Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 16, 2011. "Beed's Lake State Park" (PDF). Iowa...
Oakland cemetery. There are two similarly named lakes in the same area—East OkobojiLake and WestOkobojiLake—and the sources do not specify which was the...
^ ǂ: The 2014 overnight Okoboji stay was hosted by five communities: Arnolds Park, Milford, Okoboji, Spirit Lake, and WestOkoboji. ^ ǂǂ: There was no RAGBRAI...
most of Okoboji, Wahpeton, and WestOkoboji. Courses for dual high school and college credit are available for free to students through Iowa Lakes Community...
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