Graham Lakes, Minnesota
| Graham Lakes | |
|---|---|
Children wading in Graham Lakes in this 1905 photograph by Emil King
|
|
Map of Graham Lakes Township, 1914
|
|
| Location | Nobles County, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 43°47′35″N 95°30′31″W / 43.79306°N 95.50861°WCoordinates: 43°47′35″N 95°30′31″W / 43.79306°N 95.50861°W |
| Type | Glacial lakes |
| Primary inflows | Several small creeks |
| Max. length | West Graham Lake 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) - East Graham Lake 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) |
| Max. width | West Graham Lake 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) - East Graham Lake 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) |
| Surface area | West Graham Lake 519.28 acres (210.15 ha) - East Graham Lake 511.32 acres (206.92 ha) |
| Average depth | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Max. depth | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Water volume | 10,000 US gal (38,000 l; 8,300 imp gal) |
| Shore length1 | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Surface elevation | West Graham Lake 1,438.6 feet (438.5 m) - East Graham Lake 1,435 feet (437 m) |
| Islands | 2 Rock Piles |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The Graham Lakes are a pair of lakes located in the northeastern corner of Nobles County, Minnesota. The lakes are known as West Graham Lake and East Graham Lake. West Graham Lake is an oval shaped body of water that extends east-to-west slightly more than one mile (1.6 km). The north-to-south width of the lake is approximately 3/4 of a mile. The area of West Graham Lake is 519.28 acres (2.1015 km2), the average depth is 5 feet (1.5 m), and the maximum depth is 8 feet (2.4 m). The elevation of West Graham Lake is 1,438.7 feet (438.5 m), or 438.52 meters. East Graham Lake is a longer, narrower lake that extends from northeast-to-southwest for 1 1⁄2 miles. Its width is less than 1/2 mile. The area of East Graham Lake is 511.32 acres (2.0692 km2), the average depth is 5 feet (1.5 m), and the maximum depth is 8 feet (2.4 m). The elevation of East Graham Lake is 1,435.08 feet (437.41 m), or 437.41 meters. A small creek runs from West Graham Lake and empties into East Graham Lake. Another creek runs from East Graham Lake, and eventually flows into the Des Moines River.
In the month of May, 1867, a pioneer named Stephen Muck pushed out into the unsettled Graham Lakes region and squatted on land on the bank of West Graham Lake. When surveyed, this land proved to be on section 22 of Graham Lakes Township. There he built a log structure from timber growing near the lake, the first house of wood in the county. In the fall of 1867, Muck brought his family from Jackson County, Minnesota. He earned his livelihood by trapping for a few years, then turned to farming. He lived continuously on his farm from 1867 until the time of his death in 1897. Stephen Muck was the first permanent resident of Nobles County.
The first town to appear on any map of Nobles County was a curious place called Gretchtown. According to an 1856 map - a map drawn 11 years before the arrival of Stephen Muck - Gretchtown was located on the south bank of West Graham Lake, very near to Muck's claim. Rumors of a railroad to be built through southwestern Minnesota had circulated in the 1850s, and even though no survey had been taken for the railroad, the town of Gretchtown had been created - at least on paper - to serve as a stopping point. When Nobles County was formally created by the Minnesota legislature on May 23, 1857, Gretchtown was briefly designated as the county seat of Nobles County, an imaginary county seat for a county that, at that time, had no residents.
When a route for the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway was surveyed in 1871, it was located far south of the Graham Lakes region. No towns or villages existed in Graham Lakes Township until 1879 when Kinbrae and Dundee were established. Neither town grew beyond a few hundred residents. Thus, the Graham Lakes region has remained entirely rural, and the lake shores of both East Graham Lake and West Graham Lake remain undeveloped.
...
Wikipedia