|
 Big
Sandy Lake is one of the few lakes that had the
privilege of being noted by early Minnesota explorer
Henry Schoolcraft in his diary in 1820. He noted
upon ascending the pine ridge on the southern shore
overlooking the lake, the "romantic little
lake…suddenly rose like 'burnished sheet of living
gold.'" Twelve years later, Schoolcraft would again
cross the Big Sandy Lake into the Mississippi River
and journey all the way up to Lake Itasca, which
would become known as the Headwaters of the
Mississippi River.
Big Sandy Lake is rich in history and even richer in
beauty. The 6,526 acre lake with 25 islands is
located just 2 ½ hours north of the Twin Cities and
sits in the historic Glacial Lakes basin. The lake
is comprised of an open, windswept main basin (look
for your walleyes here!), a deep cool eastern basin
called Bill Horn Bay, a shallower and more isolated
south basin called Webster Bay and numerous shallow
bays containing rice beds in the south, east and
northeast sides of the lake. You'll notice the
water's dark brownish-red color which is caused by
natural tanic acid from the wetlands surrounding the
lake. The lake is famous (and named) for its sandy
bottom and there are stretches of sand beach around
the lake's meandering shores.
Three rivers empty into Big Sandy Lake and the
Mississippi River is navigable from the lake. At the
north end, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates
a dam. Numerous historic sites, including the
location for the Big Sandy Tragedy of 1850 when over
100 Ojibwe died waiting for government supplies can
be found at the lake. Big Sandy Lake is part of the
Big Sandy area watershed, an area that covers 413
square miles in Aitkin, Carlton and St. Louis
counties.
Big Sandy Lake Map |
