Lake Shetek
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Lake Shetek | |
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Location | Murray County, Minnesota |
Coordinates | |
Basin countries | United States |
Lake Shetek is the largest lake in Murray County, Minnesota, located a few miles north-northwest of Currie. Shetek means "pelican".
[edit] Geography
It is the headwaters of the West Fork of the Des Moines River. Lake Shetek contains three large islands: Valhalla, Keeley, and Loon. Dikes connect the first two to the western shore, and another connects the third to the eastern shore.
[edit] History
It is a short distance west of the site of what is locally termed the Shetek massacre in 1862. A monument on the east side of the lake built in 1925 commemmorates those killed.
The dikes were built by the WPA. Plans for a dike connecting Keeley and Loon islands were abandoned when World War II closed the WPA.[1]