Mooselookmeguntic Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mooselookmeguntic Lake |
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from a scenic overlook on Maine State Route 17
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| Location | Franklin / Oxford counties, Maine, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°54′18″N 70°48′32″W / 44.90500°N 70.80889°W |
| Type | mesotrophic |
| Catchment area | 389 sq mi (1,010 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 16,300 acres (6,600 ha) |
| Average depth | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Max. depth | 132 ft (40 m) |
| Water volume | 562,121 acre⋅ft (693,366,000 m3) |
| Residence time | 1.1 years |
| Shore length1 | 57.5 mi (92.5 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,467 ft (447 m) |
| Islands | Toothaker Island, Students Island |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is a beautiful lake located in western Maine, a state in the United States. It's quite close to the border of New Hampshire and the Canadian province of Quebec. This large lake stretches across two counties: Franklin and Oxford. It's also part of the big Androscoggin River watershed, which means all its water eventually flows into that river. Plus, it's only a short distance from the famous Appalachian Trail!
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About Mooselookmeguntic Lake
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is fed by several rivers. These include the Cupsuptic River, the Rangeley River, and the Kennebago River. These rivers bring fresh water into the lake.
The lake's water then flows out to the southeast. It goes into Upper Richardson Lake. There is a dam built between these two lakes. This dam makes the water level of Mooselookmeguntic Lake about 14 feet higher. When the dam was built, it connected Mooselookmeguntic with Cupsuptic Lake. Before the dam, these two lakes were separate. Now, the combined lake is used as a reservoir, holding water for different uses.
Size and Depth
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is very large. Its deepest part goes down to 132 feet (40 m). The total surface area of the lake is about 25.5 square miles (66 km2). This makes it the fourth largest lake in all of Maine! The lake sits high up, about 1,467 feet (447 meters) above sea level.
Lake Islands
There are two big islands located in the southern part of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. These islands are named "Toothaker Island" and "Students Island." They add to the natural beauty of the lake.
What Does the Name Mean?
The name "Mooselookmeguntic" comes from the Abnaki language. It means "moose feeding place." This tells us that moose probably gathered here a lot in the past.
The Legend of the Name
There's a fun local story about how the lake got its name. The legend says a Native American hunter was looking for moose near the lake. He saw a moose, but he had forgotten to load his rifle with ammunition! He shot anyway, and thought he had broken his rifle. He started yelling at the moose about his bad luck. He supposedly shouted: "Moose, look! My gun stick!"
This is just a legend, but people often tell it as if it were true history. Because of this story, you might sometimes see the lake's name spelled as Mooselookmeguntick Lake.
A Long Name
Mooselookmeguntic Lake has one of the longest place names in the United States. It is tied for third place with Kleinfeltersville, a small town in Pennsylvania. Both names have 17 letters!
Fishing in the Lake
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is a great place for fishing. It has many different kinds of fish. Because of this, it's a very popular spot for tourists who love to fish.
