The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-06-30
STRANGE LAKES OF MICHIGAN.
Some of Them, Though Very Deep Have
Been Entirely Grown Over.

Five thousand lakes of all sizes is the
proud total claimed by the state of Michi-
gan. Some of them are mysterious
bodies having neither inlet nor outlet
nor, SO far as can be discovered by sound
ing, bottom.
Many of the smaller lakes, according
to Fur News are slowly growing over
and have wide margins of tough sod that
will support the weight of a man, al
though merely resting on water or a thin
mud of unknown depth.
These margins tremble to the tread
and culver for -lany feet around when
stepped upOh. There are instances where
a lake has become entirely overgrown
and for so long a period that the surface
becomes solid and the existence of water
underneath is unsupported.
The Pere Marquette Railroad company
when building branch between Grand
Rapids and Lansing returned to the work
one morning to find that several rods of
rOadbed had disappeared during the
night and considerable lake had taken
it's place. Thousands of feet of timber
and mapy carloads of earth were dumped
in before bottom was found and the
road had anything like firm foundation.
The pressure of the displaced water
heaved the earth and cracked it for some
distance around. fitting large forest trees,
some of which fell.
Water came up through these crevices,
bringing eyeless fish, both bass and bull
heads, convincing certain former skeptlcs
that when any organ of sense or locomO-
ton falls into disuse it degenerates and
finally is lost. Probably these fish were
the descendants of others that had lived
in darkness for ages.
A small lake in Bovine township, sup
posed by the rural folk &c be bottomless,
swallowed up full half acre at one gulp
few years ago, and where the slide
took place the water is apparently as
deep as ever.
In the extreme western edge of Ionia
county there is a little lake of about
three acres in area; it is without any
visible feeders or outlet. 1t is surround
ed by woods on the high land, while its
margin is grown up to shrubs and flags
and grasses peculiar to the ordinary
swamp.
There is another of this mysterious wa
ter holes, termed bottomless, one party
having sounded $50 feet without finding
bottom. The water is red and unfit to
drink and millions of minute particles of
vegetable matter are held in suspension
and are in commotion as if stirred by
force of en- undercurrent or boiling
springs.
The only fish are big mouthed bass and
bullheads. For all that the water seems
to be so swampy in character it does not
detract from the flavor of the fish, prob
ably owing to the fact of it's being of
better quality in it's lower depths.
Nagley's lake, in Kent county, is
formed like a horseshoe and is about
seven miles in circumference. 1t. has
been sounded in one place and showed a
depth of $50 feet. 1t has but one in
significant feeder and the natural evap-
grafton must be considerable, and yet it
has an outlet which flows water sufi-
Gent for power to drive a sawmill and
gristmill, proving that it is fed by heavy
flowing springs that man has never seen.
The water is clear blue and cold, and the
bottom is hard mari lime.