Minnesota Lake
Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes. I always thought the state motto was an exaggeration, but the state truly does boast a full count of over ten thousand lakes. In a region with so many bodies of water, I wanted to know what it took for one to earn the state moniker. One would think that in order to carry the state's name, this particular lake would be a grand specimen.
Using Lake Washington as my guide, the beautiful spread of blue where so many Seattlites spend their weekends, I was surprised to discover that the very lake I was looking for was only twenty-odd miles from my house. Why had I never heard of it? Asking around yielded little. Only long-time residents had even heard of it, and none I spoke with had ever been there.
Googling it got me further even as it confused me. I found the website for the City of Minnesota Lake, full of wonderful things to do in the area. The lake area boasts a butterfly farm; a museum; an old mill; a large park with ball fields, picnic shelters, a garden area with a gazebo and a children's play area; walking trails; Old Mill Pond, which is freshly stocked with fish each year; canoeing in the summer; ice-skating in the winter; hunting and fishing; and excellent bird watching opportunities. It seemed a veritable playground for almost any outdoor activity. What confused me, what I couldn't piece together, was the idyllic scene painted by the website with the absolute dearth of knowledge in a town only a few miles over (in comparison with the size of Minnesota, Minnesota Lake is practically in my backyard).
Was this some kind of local secret?
Needing to check it out for myself, I cajoled a couple of friends into the car and we drove the few miles necessary to satisfy our curiosity. Arriving on the outskirts of town explained why few people had heard of the city: The population sign read 681. A town that small wasn't going to be making the map. And the local gas station, while open, appeared ramshackle and didn't seem to get much business. Yet, once off the highway and into town proper, downtown completely contradicted our first impression. Main Street was quaint, almost picturesque. Though short, it was lined with well maintained one and two-storey brick buildings, with a few cottage-like white, wooden stores dotted along the road. It was clear each business was locally owned, and nary a chain store could be seen. Strangely, neither could we see any people. To this city girl, it looked like an old, unused movie set.
Following the sign for Old Mill Pond, we pulled into the park in short order. Seemingly as large as the downtown area, the city park was everything the website promised. The garden was in bloom, large oaks stately stood over the picnic shelters, ball fields were off to the side ready for a game of pick-up, and the pond quietly sat as the centerpiece, waiting for couples to walk the wooden boardwalk that surrounded it or for children to try their luck at fishing.
Oddly, even though it was Labor Day, a day when parks are usually full of families and revelry, there were only two other people there. They left shortly after we arrived, allowing us to enjoy the park in an unusual moment of solitude.
By this time, we had given up on the lake and were enjoying a leisurely walk around the pond as turtles sunned themselves on rocks and frogs hopped in and out of the shallows. Coming to the pond's further edge, we looked up and were surprised to see a huge lake stretching out in front of us. We had found Minnesota Lake, and it was brilliant. With cattails ringing the water as far as we could see in either direction, the water level looked low, but the vast lake stretched out across the horizon. It certainly earned its name. But how could a lake this large go unnoticed until we were right on top of it? The answer, we found, lay in the agriculture. Cornfields surrounded the lake, blocking it off from sight. You could drive alongside it for miles and never know it was there.
Deciding the lake needed a good canoeing, we looked for a rental shop, but to no avail. We couldn't even find a boat launch that was usable. The only water access was straight through the cattails. Trying to drive around the lake, looking for other access points, didn't turn out well, either. We just found more cornfields.
It was a strange yet tranquil scene, this formidable lake hidden amid miles of farmland, a quaint town with an incredible park to play in, and almost no one about. Though rife with opportunity, there was very little activity. Apparently, the people of Minnesota Lake have kept their secret well.
