Mirror Lake State Park
| Mirror Lake State Park | |
| Wisconsin State Park | |
 Clear waters of Mirror Lake
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Sauk |
| Location | Lake Delton |
| - coordinates | 43°33′54″N 89°49′12″W / 43.56500°N 89.82000°WCoordinates: 43°33′54″N 89°49′12″W / 43.56500°N 89.82000°W |
| Area | 2,179 acres (882 ha) |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Management | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | V - Protected Landscape/Seascape |
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| Mirror Lake | |
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The lake gets its name from its often-still surface
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| Location | Wisconsin Dells region |
| Coordinates | 43°33′54″N 89°49′12″W / 43.565°N 89.820°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Dell Creek |
| Primary outflows | Dell Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 137 acres (55 ha) |
| Average depth | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Max. depth | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
Mirror Lake State Park is a 2,179-acre (882 ha) Wisconsin state park in the Wisconsin Dells region. It contains Mirror Lake, a narrow reservoir with steep sandstone sides up to 50 feet (15 m) tall. The lake has a surface area of 137 acres (55 ha) and an average depth of 10 to 14 feet (3.0 to 4.3 m). Recessed out of the wind, the water of Mirror Lake is usually calm and often as glassy-smooth as a mirror, hence the name. Situated in a major tourist area, the state park has an extensive campground and other visitor amenities. Also located within the park is the Seth Peterson Cottage, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building available for public rental.
The region is formed from Late Cambrian sandstone deposited 500 million years ago at the bottom of shallow inland seas. During the Wisconsin glaciation between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago a glacial lobe passed just east of the park. Dell Creek, a tributary of the Wisconsin River is believed to have been blocked by outwash sediments and diverted northeast. Over time it cut a deep, narrow ravine into the easily eroded sandstone. The steep cliffs indicate that this section of Dell Creek is much younger geologically than upstream, where the banks have eroded longer and are more gently sloping.
The lakeshore is covered in a pine-oak forest. Eastern white pines are dominant, with red pines clustered atop the sandstone cliffs along the water's edge. The hardwoods are a mix of white, red, and black oaks.
Dell Creek was first dammed in 1860 to power a watermill owned by Horace LaBar, and early maps call the impoundment "LaBar's Pond". The mill, which produced chiefly flour, had a succession of owners until the Timme family acquired it in 1893. The original wood dam was replaced with concrete in 1925. The Timme Mill became known for its self-rising pancake flour. The Timmes sold the mill in 1947, and new owners continued to produce pancake flour for another decade, but when the mill burned down in 1957, the owners declared bankruptcy.
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Wikipedia