Lake Contrary

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Lake Contrary
USA Missouri relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Lake Contrary
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Lake Contrary
Location Buchanan County, Missouri
Coordinates 39°43′17″N94°54′58″W / 39.7213192°N 94.916081°W / 39.7213192; -94.916081
Type oxbow lake
Basin  countries United States
Max. length10 miles (16.1 km) [1]
Max. width0.5 miles (0.8 km) [1]
Surface area335 acres (1.4 km2) [2]
Surface elevation797 ft (243 m) [3]

Lake Contrary is an oxbow lake in Buchanan County, Missouri just southwest of St. Joseph. The lake is named after the stream Contrary Creek, which flows northward contrary to most other nearby streams into this lake.

Contents

The lake was a frequented fishing location, and an amusement park once existed there. The lake has steadily dried up, and now the majority of it is dry. Presently, the lake is surrounded by residential houses. There is a public beach on the eastern side of what remains of the lake.

History

In the late 19th-Century, meat packers of Kansas City and St. Joseph harvested ice from this lake. [4]

Amusement Park

In 1890, what became an amusement park opened at Lake Contrary. Over the coming decades many rides and attractions opened around the lake. The amusement park was sentimentally coined the "Coney Island" of St. Joseph. [1] The amusement park closed in 1964 and the decades since the park has declined as a beach as well.

Dredging Operations

Buchanan County and the Corps of Engineers have put forward a plan [2] to dredge the lake to restore the lake's environment and revitalize the recreation. There is general public sentiment for this to occur especially from those who remember visiting the beach and amusement park. [5] [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Ryan (July 17, 2020). "The "Coney Island" of St. Joseph, Missouri". Medium .[ unreliable source ]
  2. 1 2 "Lake Contrary Dredging Outfall Plan" (PDF). Buchanan County, MO. Water Resources Solutions. 2024-07-29.
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Contrary
  4. ↑ History of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo. St. Joseph, Mo., Midland Printing Co. 1915.
  5. ↑ Weston, Alonzo (2024-10-17). "Time has come to do something about Lake Contrary". News-Press NOW . Retrieved 2025-04-02.
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