Muskallonge Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Muskallonge Lake |
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View from Muskallonge Lake State Park
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 Muskallonge Lake
Location in Michigan
Muskallonge Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Luce County, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 46°40′12″N 85°37′59″W / 46.67°N 85.633°W |
| Max. length | 1.9 miles (3.1 km) |
| Max. width | 0.8 miles (1.3 km) |
| Surface area | 780 acres (320 ha) |
| Max. depth | 20 feet (6.1 m) |
| Surface elevation | 630 feet (190 m) |
Muskallonge Lake is a beautiful lake located in Luce County, which is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This lake covers about 780 acres (316 hectares). It is roughly 1.9 miles (3.1 km) long and 0.8 miles (1.3 km) wide.
Muskallonge Lake is very close to Lake Superior, one of the Great Lakes. Only a narrow strip of land, about a quarter-mile wide, separates them. This land strip is home to Muskallonge Lake State Park. The lake is not very deep; its deepest part is about 20 feet (6.1 meters). Muskallonge Lake sits about 630 feet (192 meters) above sea level. This is about 30 feet (9.1 meters) higher than Lake Superior.
How Muskallonge Lake Was Formed
Muskallonge Lake was created a very long time ago, between 6,000 and 4,000 years ago. This happened when a huge sheet of ice, called the Laurentide Ice Sheet, melted and moved back. Since then, a strip of land has kept it separate from Lake Superior. This land is usually about a quarter of a mile wide.
The ground around and under Muskallonge Lake is made of special sand. This sand is "hydrophobic," which means it naturally pushes water away. This unique feature helps Muskallonge Lake keep its water level much higher than Lake Superior, even though the two lakes are very close.
History of Muskallonge Lake
In the 1800s, Muskallonge Lake was used in a big way for the lumber industry. It served as a "mill pond." This means logs, especially white pine trees, were floated on the lake. These logs were brought to the lake by small trains on "narrow gauge" railroad lines.
The logs were then sent to a sawmill in a town called Deer Park. You can still see parts of this history today. There are old, partly sunken logs in the lake from those lumbering days.
Fishing in Muskallonge Lake
Muskallonge Lake is a great spot for fishing! Many different kinds of fish live here. You can find fish like northern pike, yellow perch, rock bass, walleye, and smallmouth bass.
It's also a very popular place for "ice fishing." This is when people fish through holes in the ice during the winter months.
