These 7 Inland Lakes May Have the Most Bizarre Names in Michigan
Why should the Great Lakes get to have all the fun? With Michigan being the Great Lakes state it seems like lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior get all the attention. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources there are an estimated 11,000 inland lakes across the state.11,000 lakes means 11,000 names!
To be fair, I don't blame early Michigan residents with running out of creative juices when it came to naming our inland lakes across the state. However, I do have some questions! Of all the lakes across Michigan, these have to be some of the most bizarre ones:
Magician Lake
Located in Cass and Van Buren counties, Magician Lake is part of the greater Sister Lakes. According to its website there are two theories as to how the lake got its name: the first being a group of Native Americans who thought the lake to be superstitious or magical. The second theory is that a group of vaudevillians, "once lived at Happyland, an old-time resort, and entertained people in the area. Since this was the lake where magicians resided, it became known as Magician Lake."
Shavehead Lake
This lake in Cass County was named after a well-known and ferocious Potawatomi chief. Chief Shavehead was given this nickname by white settlers because he donned the traditional hairstyle of his ancestors, a shaved head. The lake is 289 acres in size, 70 feet deep, and houses a variety of fish including bluegill, largemouth bass, and rainbow trout.
Bacon Lake
A small inland lake near Perry, MI in Shiawassee County that is located near the Glenbrier Golf Course.
Bone Lake
This lake is located in Iron County, 19 miles from the town of Crystal Falls. There's not much information regarding its name, but a Google review says it's a "Nice place to swim" and is a shallow lake at only 15 feet at its deepest.
Dinner Lake
Located within the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan's U.P., Dinner Lake is 110 acres in size and has 2.8 miles of shoreline. Anglers who visit Dinner Lake can expect to dine on their catch of Bluegill, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye and Yellow Perch.
Clam Lake
The Watershed Council describes Clam Lake as, "a long, slender lake situated in a valley between Torch Lake and Lake Bellaire in the Elk River Chain of Lakes in Antrim County. The lake and valley were formed by the gouging and grinding of glaciers, which is evident in the coarse-textured glacial till of the surrounding hills." The lake is 437 acres in size and 27 feet deep. It even has its own live webcam that you can view here.
Lake Fanny Hooe
This lake in Fort Wilkins State Park in the Keweenaw Peninsula is named after a real person! The legend goes that Fanny Hooe was a beautiful woman who either drowned in the lake or got lost while out picking blueberries, and was never seen again. In reality, Lucy Frances Fitzhigh Hooe a.k.a. Fanny, "Spent the summer of 1844 visiting her brother Thornton, who was stationed at Fort Wilkins...At the end of the summer, she returned to the family home in Virginia...While she led an interesting life, her visit to Fort Wilkins was not a major part of it."