Lake Bloomington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Bloomington |
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 Lake Bloomington
Location in Illinois
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| Location | McLean County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 40°39′41″N 88°56′10″W / 40.66139°N 88.93611°W |
| Type | man-made lake |
| Primary inflows | Money Creek |
| Surface area | 635 acres (257 ha) |
| Average depth | 14.5 feet (4.4 m) |
| Shore length1 | 18.5 miles (29.8 km) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Bloomington is a large, man-made lake located in Hudson, Illinois, United States. It was built to provide a steady water supply for the nearby cities of Bloomington and Normal. Water flows into the lake from Money Creek, which gets its water from fields around the Towanda area. Building the lake was a big project, and it ended up costing more than first expected.
Lake Bloomington covers about 635 acres (257 ha) and has 18.5 miles (29.8 km) of shoreline. The average depth of the lake is 14.5 feet (4.4 m). If you like boating, motorboats can go up to 40 horsepower, with a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Fishing for crappie is usually good, with most fish being under 10 inches long.
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Fishing Rules at Lake Bloomington
To help keep the fish population healthy, there are rules for how many fish you can catch and how big they need to be:
- Large and Smallmouth Bass: Must be at least 15 inches long. You can keep 3 per day.
- Walleye: Must be at least 18 inches long. You can keep 3 per day.
- Northern Pike: Must be at least 24 inches long. You can keep 3 per day.
- Hybrid Striped Bass: You can keep 10 fish per day. No more than 3 of these can be 17 inches or longer.
- White, Black or Hybrid Crappie: No minimum length. You can keep 15 per day.
- Bluegill or Redear Sunfish: No minimum length. You can keep 25 per day.
How Lake Bloomington Was Built
The idea to create Lake Bloomington started in the 1920s. About ten people met at Bloomington City Hall to discuss the project. Egbort Hawk led the group that was in charge of building the lake.
Planning the Lake
The city council decided to ask the public if they would use the lake for fun activities like swimming, fishing, or family outings. About 8,500 people replied to the survey, saying they would enjoy having the lake. This showed there was a lot of interest in the project.
Buying the Land
The land where the lake now sits was owned by L. E. Baker. He sold the land to the City Council for $185 per acre. The council bought over 1,200 acres to make space for the new lake.
Clearing the Area
To build the lake, workers had to cut down more than 50,000 trees. Some records even suggest that more trees were cut down than what the City Council told everyone. Workers used large bonfires to burn the dry brush and clear the land. The larger logs were taken away by train.
Adding Fish to the Lake
After the lake was built, about twenty different kinds of fish were brought to Lake Bloomington. Some of these fish were endangered species. They were moved to the lake hoping their populations would grow in the new environment.
Opening Day
Lake Bloomington was finished in April 1930. By the fall, the lake was fully open and ready for use. Its opening was celebrated at the same time as the 100th birthday of McLean County. The official dedication ceremony happened on August 31, 1930. Many people came to the celebration; almost 30% of the visitors were from outside Bloomington.
