East Okoboji Lake
{{Short description|Lake in Dickinson County, Iowa, USA}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = East Okoboji Lake
| image = East Okoboji Lake - History of Iowa.jpg
| caption = (1903)
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = Dickinson County, Iowa
| coords = {{coord|43|24|17|N|095|04|31|W|region:US-ID_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type =
| inflow =
| outflow =
| catchment =
| basin_countries = United States
| length =
| width =
| area = {{convert|1835|acre|abbr=on}}
| depth = {{convert|10|ft|abbr=on}}
| max-depth = {{convert|22|ft|abbr=on}}
| volume =
| residence_time =
| shore =
| elevation = {{convert|426|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}{{gnis|456182}}
| islands =
| cities = Spirit Lake, Okoboji
| pushpin_map = Iowa#USA
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of East Okoboji Lake in Iowa##Location of East Okoboji Lake in the United States
| website =
| reference =
}}
Image:Wpdms usgs topo east okoboji lake.jpg
East Okoboji Lake is a natural body of water, approximately {{convert|1,835|acre|km2|lk=in}} in area, in Dickinson County in northwest Iowa in the United States. It is part of the chain of lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes. The area was long inhabited by the Santee or Eastern Dakota Sioux. The lake was known after its Dakota-language name, Okoboozhy, meaning reeds and rushes.
History
The towns of Spirit Lake and Okoboji, founded as European-American settlements in the nineteenth century, sit along its western shore. They became notable after the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857, when a renegade band of Sioux attacked the frontier settlements, in part for food, because they were suffering starvation during a severe winter with heavy snows. It was the last Native American attack in Iowa against settlers.
Geology
Geologically, the lake, like its neighbors, is a glacial pothole, a remnant of the most recent ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
The lake is shallow, with an average depth of {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} and a maximum depth of {{convert|22|ft|m|abbr=on}}. During the summer months, it is prone to stratification and to overgrowth with algae.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
Fishing
The lake is a popular fishing destination in the region, for both open water and ice fishing. East and West Lake Okoboji have a healthy population of numerous species including: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.{{cite web | url=https://www.lake-link.com/iowa-lakes/dickinson-county/east-okoboji-lake/20531/ | title=Fish East Okoboji Lake - Dickinson County, Iowa }}{{full citation needed|date=December 2022}}
Media
The lake was the main setting of the fourth X-Files episode, "Conduit". However, the episode was filmed in British Columbia, with Buntzen Lake being used as Lake Okoboji. The lake is also depicted as being located in Sioux City in the fictitious Lake Okobogee National Park.
See also
{{Portal|Iowa}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070830042430/http://www.iowagreatlakes.net/ Iowa Great Lakes Region]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20040219222308/http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/fishing/lakes/eok30s.html Iowa Department of Natural Resources site] on East Okoboji Lake
- [http://wqm.igsb.uiowa.edu/publications/lake_report01/EastOkobojiLake/EastOkobojiLake.htm University of Iowa site] on East Okoboji Lake chemistry
- {{gnis|456182}}
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