Lac Vieux Desert

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lac Vieux Desert is a lake divided between Gogebic County, Michigan, and Vilas County, Wisconsin. Fed primarily by springs in the surrounding swamps, it is the source of the Wisconsin River, which flows out of its southwest corner. The lake contains a number of small islands, especially in its northeastern lobe, including Draper Island in Michigan and Duck Island in Wisconsin.

Lac Vieux Desert has a surface elevation 1,683 ft. above sea level, and a maximum depth of about 40 ft. The surface area is 4,260 acres (approx 6.66 sq. mi.), of which, approximately 2/3 is in Wisconsin and 1/3 in Michigan.

Located in the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, the lake is a popular boating and fishing resort.

The name was given by French fur trappers, who were some of the first Euro-Americans in the region, who literally translated the name from the Anishinaabe language, Gete-gitigaani-zaaga'igan, meaning "Lake of the Old Clearing" or "Old Garden".