Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-06-23
Some Of our Iowa Lakes.

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A correspondent of the Spirit
Lake Beacoa furnishes that paper
with a lengthy and interesting letter
descriptive Of the many advantages
possessed by Dickinson county, and
from it we quote the following ex-
tracts relative to Spirit and Okoboii
lakes, which are destined at no dis
tant day. to become popular resorts
Tor summer tourists and pleasure
seekers:
Spirit lake is from FIVE to six miles
wide and six or eight miles long,
very regular in its outlines, and pre-
senting one Of the finest bodies of
water for sailing there is in the
West. There are number Of beau
tiful groves along its border, giving
it a most picturesque appearance,
but yet not so thick and high as to
prevent good sailing any where on
its surface. Where there are no
groves, the prairie, as a general
thing, slopes back from the water
from half mile to mile, with
grade Of about $50 feet to the mile.
The lake is well exposed to the
breeze from any direction. A great
portion Of the shore is beautiful
sand and pebble beach, white and
clean. The water of the lake is al
ways. as clear as spring water, and
never becomes turbid in the least,
even along the shore where the
waves roll the highest.
Okoboji lake, consisting Of east
and west Okoboji, starts within
about a quarter of mile of Spilit
lake, and extends south about five
miles, then to the west two or three
miles, SO that the head of West Oko-
boji is about three miles west from
the head of East Okoboji. Most of
the way around, this lake is about
mile and one-half Wholesome places
it is three miles wide, and in other
places it is only about twenty-five
rods wide. A small steamer could
sail clear around from the head of
East to the head of West Okoboji,
and would find the water nowhere
less than five feet deep, and would
give a ride of fully thirty miles
around and back. Most of the way
around the shores are lined with
groves of timber. The scenery is,
however, varied and simply mag
nificcnt. | do think that West Okobo-
j lake, with its surroundings, is the
prcttiest little body Of water l have
ever seen.
There are hundreds of delightful
spots for summer residences all
along the shores Of these lakes, and
it will not be long before they are
occupied as such. They are only
waiting for railroad communica-
tions. And why not have institu-
tons of learning established here,
so that while the young mind is be-
ing developed the body may receive
the health-giving properties that
abound here, and the soul duly i'm
pressed with the beauties of nature
that exist on every hand, and there
by obtain more exalted idea of the
benevolence of the Almighty! | be-
lieve that the young mind when
studying should he as much as
possible brought into constant COM
munication with nature; and with
nature in its most cheerful and mag
niticent displays.
These lakes also abound in fish.
Pike, pickerel, bass, catfish, buffalo,
&c. The pike can be readily taken
with trolling hook. This was
satisfactorily demonstrated by a
small party of us at the head of
Spirit lake yesterday. Forty-fve as
nice pike as l have ever seen were
caught with the hook in a very
short time, and from the shore, too.
The best way to fish is to get out
upon the lage in boats.
The country around here is abun-
dainty supplied with wild fowls, in
Guiding the wild geese, every va
riety of duck, snipe, plover, curlew,
prairie pigeon, prairie chicken, and
numerous others only valuable for
the sport afforded in shooting them.
Thirty or forty miles west of here,
the elk roam. over the prairies in
considerable drovcs.
Take it all in all, these lakes and
vicinity afford the most ample OPP
portunity for fine, sailing or boating
of any kind, fishing, hunting or
driving; and not long hence before
those loving a quiet, pleasant and
cool retreat will flock here aud set
tie for the summer in nice little cot
tages upon the shores of these lakes
And l believe | speak in the abso-
lutte truth when l say there is no
heather spot east Of the Mississippi
river in the United States for the
consumptivc than the shores Of