page_title: Lake Kampeska
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lake Kampeska / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of John Charles Frémont
context_page_description: Lake Kampeska is a 5,250-acre inland glacial lake in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is located west-northwest of Watertown, South Dakota and lies entirely within Codington County and the Coteau des Prairies. The lake is naturally shaped and the most urban developed lake in South Dakota with approximately 13.5 miles of residential shoreline. Lake Kampeska is connected to the Big Sioux River through a single inlet-outlet channel located on the northeast side. It is the third largest natural lake within the borders of South Dakota.
  Lake Kampeska is well-known for its depictions in art from wildlife and nature artists such as Terry Redlin, John Greene, John Wilson, and Joshua Spies. Lake Kampeska is perhaps featured most prominently in the artworks of Terry Redlin and are displayed in the Redlin Art Center nearby in Watertown, South Dakota.
context_section_description: It is known in the expressive language of the Dakotas as Lake Kampeska, signifying the "Lake of the Shining Shells."
  Famous pathfinder John C. Fremont and scientist Joseph Nicollet explored this region of Dakota Territory approximately in May or June 1838. In their undated notes they described the area as the "lake country of the coteau prairie." Some of their findings appear to be second hand accounts of the area. However, the expedition failed to include some of the lakes of the area on their map including, Kampeska.
  Lake Kampeska's settlement predates Watertown and statehood of South Dakota. Initially founded as Kampeska City, modern-day Codington County's borders were drawn in such a way that Lake Kampeska would be at the geographical epicenter of the county. Chicago and Northwestern Railroad operated near Lake Kampeska beginning in 1873.
  Codington, a Congregational clergyman, carved out the geographical location for the purpose of making the area a county-seat town. Kampeska City was the county-seat of Lake Kampeska County, until July 19, 1878, when a vote of the people removed the county-seat to Watertown after the railroad reactivated a line through that area. At the time of the vote, Watertown was not in fact a town.
  Towards the end of the 1870s, the northern shore of Lake Kampeska was designated by Arthur C. Mellette and territorial officials to serve as the location of the Capitol Building. However, when Benjamin Harrison signed South Dakota into statehood, the designation was changed to the geographic center of the state.
  The name Kampeska is not associated with founders of Watertown, the Kemp family.
caption: John C. Fremont arrived in the area in 1838.
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