Lake Bruin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Bruin
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Location	Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Type	Ox-bow lake
Basin countries	United States

Lake Bruin is a beautiful lake located in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana. It is a special type of lake called an ox-bow lake. This means it was once a bend in the Mississippi River.

The lake has about 3,000 acres (12 km2) of very clear water. This makes it perfect for fun activities like swimming, boating, and fishing. A part of the lake is owned by the state of Louisiana. This area is known as Lake Bruin State Park. It is one of nineteen state parks in Louisiana.

Much of the land around Lake Bruin is privately owned. Many nice homes have been built there recently. These homes are used both for vacations and as permanent residences. Many of them have piers that stretch out into the lake.

What is an Ox-Bow Lake?

An ox-bow lake is a U-shaped lake. It forms when a wide bend of a river gets cut off from the main river. Rivers often change their paths over time. Sometimes, a river will cut across a narrow piece of land in a bend. This leaves the old bend as a separate, curved lake. Lake Bruin is a great example of this natural process.

Other ox-bow lakes in the area include Lake St. Joseph near Newellton. There is also Lake St. John close to Waterproof.

History of Lake Bruin

Lake Bruin is named after Peter Bryan Bruin (1756-1827). He was from Winchester, Virginia. Peter Bruin owned a large farm, called a plantation, on the shores of the lake. He lived there for several years after 1807. He is buried in Mississippi.

A former State Senator named Clifford Cleveland Brooks bought a plantation on Lake Bruin in 1920. He served in the State Senate from 1924 to 1932. After he passed away in 1944, his wife continued to manage the cotton farm.

Jefferson B. Snyder was a local district attorney from St. Joseph. For many years, he had a popular hunting lodge on Lake Bruin. He welcomed many important people there, including governors and U.S. senators.

Gallery

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  Lake Bruin (2013)

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  Lake Bruin (2008)

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  A private boat dock on Lake Bruin

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  A boat on Lake Bruin on a summer morning

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  A private swimming pier on Lake Bruin (1972)

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  A fashionable gated house on Lake Bruin

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  Since dismantled homemade pier on Lake Bruin at site of the defunct Butler's Lakeview Lodges, operated by Harry Butler (1907-1977) and his wife, Alice Richardson Butler (1910-1995)