Bad Medicine Lake

I knew that this marker existed someplace.  It is in the upper parking lot of the north public access.  We found it one day this spring.  Chance seems to know when I need him for a photo op!

Sometimes you can drive by these markers all the time and never really see them.

Bad Medicine Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Minnesota. 

The Laurentian Divide is very near the historical marker.  North of this spot the water in rivers empties into Hudson Bay and the Artic Ocean, south of here water empties into the Mississippi River and flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Bad Medicine Lake has no inlet or outlet, it is spring fed.

Bad Medicine Lake also called the Lake of the Valley, was originally known to the Ojibway Indians as Ga-wimbadjiwegameq (Lake lying in a mountain depression).  Among the many stories about the  name’s origin are legends of serpentine fish and monster pike that dwelt in the blue-green depths.

Bad Medicine is one of the clearest and least polluted lakes in Minnesota.  It is entirely spring fed and has no inlet or outlet.  The Laurentian Divide separating the Hudson Bay and Mississippi watersheds crosses Minnesota Highway 113 about one and one half miles west of this marker.

Between 1904 and 1918 the Nichols-Chisholm Lumber Company cut most of the majestic White and Norway Pine stands that surrounded the lake.  The pine logs were hauled to Commonwealth Landing on Elbow Lake, and from there they were carried in massive spring drives down the Ottertail River to the company mill at Frazee.  Old Headquarters logging camp, near Long Lost Lake, was the hub of and extensive network of standard gauge railroad lines used to haul the logs.  The outlines of rotting ties still mark the locations of the railway beds in surrounding forests.  Blackened stumps and fire scarred pines are mute reminders of the huge forest fires of 1918 which followed the logging operations.

Erected by the residents of Bad Medicine Lake  1985

The lake itself has about five miles of shoreline and covers about 800 acres.

Kayak Lessons Learned

Do not try to do fancy paddling in a backwards motion. 

Your kayak will dump you out in the water slicker than snot on a doorknob. 

You should really watch the video on the Internet half a dozen times. “How to get back into a kayak in the open water.” 

You could try the old canoe trick to get some of the water out, even if it is futile.

You  might just as well give up some days..because your Mother In Law will capture it all on film.

Two kayaks is definitely better than just one.

It promotes togetherness.  I did notice that my daughter likes to use the paddle to lob water at her husband occasionally.

A family photo out on the water..this was my best shot.

Yup lessons learned, the boys were soaking it all in just like little sponges…the next time we go out we will do some practicing close to shore.  We will practice getting in and out of a kayak in the open water.  I have a Boating Safety book for the boys to read..and if they don’t read it by themselves..I will read it aloud to them,  after all once they are out on the pontoon and we have left shore I have them trapped :) 

Summer Chairs On Bad Medicine Lake

These are Jen’s idea of Summer Chairs..she said “Mom get ready here come the Summer Chairs.” 

I like their reflections in the water.  The blue stool between the red and green chair doesn’t belong..but other than that they look almost perfect.

We went over to Bad Medicine Lake.  We were very impressed the water is very clear and such a beautiful color.  It is the cleanest lake I have ever seen in Minnesota.

There are some islands on the lake..

We all liked this one.  I believe that this is as close to waterfront property as you can get in Minnesota without actually being in the water.  In recent years the water in this lake has been rising.   Bad Medicine Lake has no inlet or outlet it is entirely spring fed.

I remembered this lake years ago when it had weeds,  the crayfish went nuts in this lake in the late 1960’s and they ate all the weeds. 

It was almost a perfect lake day in Minnesota on Sunday, temperatures were in the seventies and we had some sunshine along with some clouds:) 

Bad Medicine Lake

Just a little ways north of us is a lake called Bad Medicine.  We drove up there one evening to scout out the public landing just incase Jen and Andy want to explore that lake someday.

The landing is great, and Chance found the water very much to his liking!

I have not been on this lake in years.  My Uncle Adolf and Aunt Lila took me fishing and for my first boat ride on this lake a long, long time ago.

Bad Medicine..are you wondering how it got it’s name?  Me too..I looked it up.  The Native Americans thought that a lake with no inlet and no outlet was a bad sign, they would not fish in the lake or hunt nearby.  The lake is spring fed, it is about 4 miles long and a half a mile wide..it covers about 750 acres.  It is fairly deep, it’s deepest point is 87 feet deep.  It is also called Lake of the Valley.

Now if I can remember all that info I can tell the grandboys all about the lake should we decided to go there some Sunday afternoon:)