Corey Lake
{{Short description|Lake in Michigan, United States}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Corey Lake
| image =
| location = St. Joseph / Cass counties, Michigan, United States
| coords = {{coord|41|55|55|N|85|44|30|W|region:US-MI_type:waterbody_source:gnis|display=inline,title}}
| type = Natural Freshwater Lake
| inflow = Harwood Lake (dammed)
| outflow = Kaiser Lake (artificial), Curtis Creek (artificial)
| basin_countries = United States
| length =
| width =
| area = {{convert|630|acre|ha|abbr=on}}
| depth =
| max-depth = {{convert|73|feet|m|abbr=on}}
| volume =
| residence_time = 4.4 years
| shore = {{convert|7.06|miles|km|abbr=on}}
| elevation = {{convert|873|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| islands = 0
| cities =
| frozen =
| pushpin_map = Michigan
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of the lake in Michigan.
| pushpin_map_caption =
}}
Corey Lake is a small, inland lake in Southwestern Michigan located just outside Three Rivers, and is home to Camp Eberhart and Camp Wakeshma.{{gnis|1624475}} The lake is lined with homes and a few restaurants that have views of the water. Recreational water sports such as boating, sailing, water skiing, and jetskiing are popular on the lake during the warmer seasons.{{Cite web |title=Corey Lake, Michigan, USA Vacation Info - LakeLubbers |url=https://lakelubbers.com/lake/corey-lake-michigan-usa/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Lakes for Vacation, Recreation and Rentals - LakeLubbers |language=en-us}}
The lake is circular shaped, with North Bay and Turtle Bay sprouting from one side and Little Corey jutting out from another side. The vast majority of the lake is located in Fabius Township, St. Joseph County, although its westernmost reach extends into Newberg Township, Cass County. It is the second largest lake in St. Joseph County.
History
The St. Joseph River Valley Region was covered under glacial ice until the Last Glacial Period, during which the ice retreated and the water left behind formed into the early Great Lakes as well as countless rivers, streams, and smaller kettle lakes likely including Corey.{{Cite journal |date=1986 |title=Late Wisconsinan glacial history of northeastern Wisconsin and western upper Michigan |doi=10.3133/b1652 |doi-access=free }} Indigenous people have long lived in the regions surrounding Corey Lake. The Belson Archeological site in nearby Leonidas Township contains clovis fragments dating to neary 13,000 years ago.{{Cite journal |last1=Talbot |first1=Thomas |last2=Wright |first2=Henry T. |last3=Nash |first3=Brendan |date=2021-01-02 |title=The Belson Site: A Paleoindian Campsite on the Outwash Plains of the Central Great Lakes |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2020.1848105 |journal=PaleoAmerica |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=76–84 |doi=10.1080/20555563.2020.1848105 |s2cid=231689672 |issn=2055-5563|url-access=subscription }} The Potawatomi lived in this region of Southwest Michigan until being forcibly removed in the 1840s.{{Cite web |title=Early St. Joseph County History |url=https://www.historymuseumsb.org/early-st-joseph-county-history/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |language=en}}
Corey Lake is said to be named after Joshua Corry, the first person to settle by the lake circa 1836. He died in 1888.{{Cite web |title=tidbits |url=http://www.migenweb.org/cass/familyalbum/tidbits.htm |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=www.migenweb.org}} It is unknown how the spelling came to be changed.{{Cite book |last=Sowers |first=Roy D. F. |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003250658 |title=St. Joseph county historical review and business guide, 1932 |date=1932 |series=Saint Joseph county historical review and business guide, 1932 |location=Sturgis, Mich.}} Records from 1858 refer to it as Corey's Lake.{{Cite web |title=1858 Misc Info |url=http://migenweb.org/stjoseph/atlas/1858/1858misc.htm |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=migenweb.org}}
The lake has one inlet and two outlets, none of which are natural. In 1889, the state House of Representatives passed House bill No. 587, authorizing $600 ({{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=600|start_year=1889|fmt=eq}}) for the purpose of clearing and widening the channel between Corey and Kaiser Lakes.{{Cite book |last=Representatives |first=Michigan Legislature House of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKUlAQAAIAAJ&dq=corey+lake+michigan+1889&pg=PA546 |title=Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan |date=1889 |language=en}}
Flora and Fauna
Corey Lake is a home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, rainbow trout, yellow perch, northern pike, and bluegill. Some fish species were introduced to the lake. The lake's fish were first surveyed by the State of Michigan in 1887.{{Cite web |title=Corey Lake (Saint Joseph, MI) nautical chart and water depth map |url=https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/corey-lake-saint-joseph-mi/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=usa.fishermap.org}}
Surrounding the lake are open oak woodlands. Other plants include milkweed, bluestem, and columbine. Grosbeaks, orioles, and warblers can be found in abundance.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-28 |title=Corey Lake North Bay Preserve |url=https://swmlc.org/project/corey-lake-north-bay-preserve/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=SWMLC |language=en-US}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/PUBLICATIONS/PDFS/ifr/ifrlibra/status/waterbody/97-2.htm Corey Lake - Status of the Fishery Resource Report 1997]
- [https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/search?f%5B0%5D=mods_subject_topic_ms%3A%22Lakes--Michigan--Three%20Rivers%22 Detroit Public Library Digital Collection]
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Category:Lakes of St. Joseph County, Michigan
Category:Bodies of water of Cass County, Michigan
Category:Kettle lakes in the United States
{{CassCountyMI-geo-stub}}