Geneva Lake

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Geneva Lake
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Geneva Lake
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Geneva Lake
Location Walworth County, Wisconsin,
United States
Coordinates 42°33′54.04″N88°30′13.50″W / 42.5650111°N 88.5037500°W / 42.5650111; -88.5037500 [1]
Primary outflows White River
Basin  countriesUnited States
Max. length12 km (7.7 mi)
Max. width3.2 km (2 mi)
Surface area5,401 acres (2,186  ha; 8.439  sq mi; 21.86  km2)
Average depth61 feet (19 m)
Max. depth135 feet (41 m)
Settlements Lake Geneva, Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, Williams Bay

Geneva Lake (Potawatomi: Kishwauketoe 'Clear Water') [2] is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. [3] On its shores are the city of Lake Geneva and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake and Williams Bay. The lake covers an area of approximately 5,401 acres (2,186  ha ; 8.439  sq mi ; 21.86  km2 ), [3] with a maximum length of 7.7 miles (12.4 km), [3] a mean depth of 61 feet (19 m), [3] and a maximum depth of 135 feet (41 m). [3] Geologists believe that it is a filled-in kettle formed from a receding glacier.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Geneva Lake was home to a band of Prairie Potawatomi prior to colonial settlement. During the first three decades of the nineteenth century, the band was led by Big Foot.[ citation needed ] This led the settlers on Geneva Lake to refer to it as Big Foot Lake. [4]

In the 1830s, a government surveyor named John Brink renamed the lake and the town on it for Geneva, New York, another lakeside town which he thought they resembled. [5] To avoid confusion with the nearby town of Geneva, Illinois, the city was renamed Lake Geneva; later,[ when? ] the lake was renamed Geneva Lake.[ citation needed ]

The lake is known as the only place in the world where mail jumping is practiced, an unusual mail delivery system maintained as a local tradition.

Attractions and public access

Lakeshore attractions include Big Foot Beach State Park, Lake Geneva Yacht Club, the George Williams College campus of Aurora University, and Yerkes Observatory. The observatory is no longer owned by the University of Chicago, which transferred ownership of it to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation in May 2020. [6]

Public access to the lake is allowed as the result of a decision by early European settlers that "20 feet [6 meters] of land leading up to the shoreline should be public domain." [7] [8] [9]

A shorepath, which is open to the public, completely surrounds the lake. [7] [8] [9] Between 21 and 26 miles (34 and 42 km) long, [8] [9] [7] it follows the route taken by Potawatomi Indians. [7] The path crosses the estates of the Schwinns, Swifts, Wackers, and Wrigleys. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walworth County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,478. Its county seat is Elkhorn. The county was created in 1836 from Wisconsin Territory and organized in 1839. It is named for Reuben H. Walworth. Walworth County comprises the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area. Lake Geneva, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Alpine Valley Resort, and Music Theatre are located in Walworth County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Geneva, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Lake Geneva is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Walworth County and situated on Geneva Lake, it was home to 8,277 people as of the 2020 census, up from 7,651 at the 2010 census. It is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Milwaukee and 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams Bay, Wisconsin</span> Village in Wisconsin, United States

Williams Bay is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of three municipalities on Geneva Lake. The population was 2,953 at the 2020 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerkes Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Wisconsin, USA

Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The observatory was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 until 2018. Ownership was transferred to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) in May 2020, which began millions of dollars of restoration and renovation of the historic building and grounds. Yerkes re-opened for public tours and programming in May 2022. The April 2024 issue of National Geographic magazine featured a story about the Observatory and ongoing work to restore it to relevance for astronomy, public science engagement and exploring big ideas through art, science, culture and landscape. The observatory offers tickets to programs and tours on its website.

Walworth is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,565 at the 2020 census. The Village of Walworth is located within the town. The unincorporated communities of Big Foot Prairie and Delavan Lake are also located partially in the town.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Foot High School</span> Public secondary school in Walworth, Wisconsin , United States

Big Foot High School (BFHS) is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Wisconsin's South Central Walworth County in the Village of Walworth. A union high school, BFHS operates as a grade 9–12 district with students coming from four K-8 districts. BFHS is governed by a separate, elected five-member board of education. The BFHS union district serves families from the villages of Fontana, Sharon and Walworth; and the townships of Walworth, Delavan, Linn and Sharon.

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The Forest County Potawatomi Community is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people with approximately 1,400 members as of 2010. The community is based on the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Reservation, which consists of numerous non-contiguous plots of land in southern Forest County and northern Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The community also administers about 7 acres (28,000 m2) of off-reservation trust land in the city of Milwaukee. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the reservation and off-reservation trust land together have a total area of 22.72 square miles (58.8 km2). The combined population of Forest County Potawatomi Community and Off-Reservation Trust Land was 594 in the 2020 census. The nation's administrative and cultural center are located about three miles east of Crandon, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Foot Beach State Park</span> State park in Walworth County, Wisconsin

Big Foot Beach State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, United States, on Geneva Lake. The park is used primarily for hiking, swimming, camping, and fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabbona</span> Potawatomi chief

Shabbona or Shab-eh-nay, sometimes referred to as Shabonee and Shaubena, was an Ottawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century.

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Pattison State Park is a 1,436-acre (581 ha) Wisconsin state park south of Superior, Wisconsin. Situated on the Black River, the park contains both Big Manitou Falls, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin at 165 feet (50 m), and Little Manitou Falls, which is 30 feet (9.1 m). Pattison State Park was established in 1920.

Mail jumping is a type of mail delivery. The person doing the mail jumping is transported on a body of water by a boat. The person jumps off the boat onto a dock, places incoming mail in a mailbox, retrieves outgoing mail, and jumps back onto the boat. The boat continues to move at a slow and steady pace while the mail jumper is jumping.

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Big Foot Prairie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It was named a CDP for the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 65. It is located in Chemung Township. Big Foot Prairie is located on U.S. Route 14, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Harvard. The community extends north into Walworth County, Wisconsin, where there is a CDP of the same name in the town of Walworth.

Big Foot Prairie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It was named a CDP for the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 22. It is located in the Town of Walworth along U.S. Highway 14, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of the Village of Walworth. The community of Big Foot Prairie extends south into McHenry County, Illinois, where there is a CDP of the same name in Chemung Township.

Lake Beulah is an unincorporated community in the town of East Troy, Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The unincorporated community surrounds the freshwater Lake Beulah.

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Lake James is a natural lake located in the northeast corner of the state of Indiana in the United States. It is popular as a place for boating and fishing and has a wide variety of wildlife. As the state's fourth-largest natural lake, it has over 1,200 acres (490 ha) of surface water, and consists of three basins. Its water quality is ranked among the best in Indiana lakes. The lake is the largest of a group of lakes known as the James Lake Chain. These lakes are located mostly in Steuben County, Indiana, but also extend into southern Michigan.

Big Foot was a leader of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi on Kishwauketoe in what would become the U.S. State of Wisconsin.

References

  1. "Lake Geneva". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved Jan 15, 2021.
  2. Lahey, Sarah T. (May 25, 2016). "The Potawatomi At Geneva Lake". At the Lake: Geneva Lakes Area Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Geneva Lake, Walworth County, 5401 Acres". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2017-09-16. Name: Geneva Lake, Area: 5401 acres, Maximum Depth: 135 feet, Mean Depth: 61 feet
  4. Manierre, George (December 1917). "Early Recollections of Lake Geneva (Big Foot Lake), Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 1 (2): 142–148. JSTOR   4630064 via JSTOR.
  5. "A short history of Geneva Lake". University of Lake Geneva. 2003. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  6. "Foundation celebrates donation and takes ownership of Yerkes Observatory". lakegenevanews.net. 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Timothy J. Tuomey and Magdalene Wise Tuomey (August 28, 1988). "A Hike Around Lake Geneva Is A Walk For All Seasons". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  8. 1 2 3 "Geneva Lake Shorepath Walk". Lake Geneva Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  9. 1 2 3 "Walk, Hike, or Run on the Lake Geneva Lake Shore Path". The Downtown Lake Geneva Business Improvement District. Archived from the original on 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2013-08-16.