On this date in 1906, an article in the Bottineau Courant wrote of the summer pleasures at Lake Metigoshe, which is nestled in the scenic Turtle Mountains. The paper wrote of the boating, hiking, camping, and enjoying cookouts. A newlywed couple enjoyed their new residence. Jack MacKay paddled his canoe. He was so charmed by his surroundings that he began planning the construction of a new home.
Mrs. Jefferson and her daughters were also enchanted with lake life and decided to buy a lot so they could build a home. J.F. Haskell sailed his boat christened Metigoshe. There were dinners, dances, band concerts, and moonlight excursions on the schooner Washegum. Some land speculators from Illinois took a break from business to take in the sights around the lake.
Lake Metigoshe is located fourteen miles north of Bottineau on the Canadian border. The name derives from an Ojibwe phrase meaning “clearwater lake of scrub-oaks.” The area was home to the Ojibwe, Blackfoot, Hidatsa, and Assiniboine people. The lake had long been a summer destination, noted as a vacation spot even in the 1880s.
In 1895 the Bottineau Courant listed the pleasures of the lake including camping, parties, and musical events. The Lake View Hotel offered an alternative to camping. The newspaper noted that everyone who stayed at the hotel was impressed with the accommodations.
In 1934, WPA workers built a lodge, roads, and a recreation building that could hold two hundred people. The area was formally designated as a state park in 1937. A stone near the entrance inscribed “WPA 1938” commemorates those who worked on the park.
Summer activities there today would be familiar to those who enjoyed the area in the 1800s – swimming, canoeing, camping, and hiking. Fishermen can try their luck catching pike, walleye, and perch. But the park isn’t just for the summer. Winter visitors enjoy snowmobiling, ice fishing, sledding, and cross-country skiing. The Turtle Mountain Outdoor Learning Center offers programs on ecology and conservation.
Dakota Datebook by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Bottineau Courant. “Beautiful Lake Metigoshe.” Bottineau ND. 8/3/1906. Page 1.
Bottineau Pioneer. “Local Items.” Bottineau ND 8/1/1889. Page 1.
Bottineau Courant. “Home Happenings.” Bottineau ND. 8/10/1895. Page 1.
North Dakota Parks and Recreation. “Lake Metigoshe State Park.” https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/lake-metigoshe-state-park Accessed 7/3/2020.
