Pleiness Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pleiness Lake |
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| Lost Lake, Pashawsey Lake | |
A USGS topographic map of Pleiness Lake
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 Pleiness Lake
Location in Michigan
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| Location | Eden Township, Mason County, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 43°51′34.2″N 86°14′42.36″W / 43.859500°N 86.2451000°W |
| Managing agency | Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
| Surface area | 81 acres (33 ha) |
| Average depth | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Max. depth | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Shore length1 | 1.9284 miles (3.1035 km) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Pleiness Lake, also known as Lost Lake, is a natural lake found in Eden Township, Mason County, Michigan. It is located in the northwestern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
Contents
History of Pleiness Lake
Native American History: The Ottawa People
Long ago, the Ottawa people, a Native American tribe, lived in Michigan. Their lands stretched from the Grand River to the nearby Pere Marquette River. These tribes would move between settlements during different seasons.
In 1855, nine Ottawa tribes signed a special agreement, called a federal treaty. This agreement created the Pashawsey Indian Reserve. This reserve settled the Ottawa people in what is now Eden Township, right along the lake.
However, who truly owned the land in this area was never fully decided. By 1900, many Ottawa people had moved back to the Manistee River or left lumber camps in Wisconsin.
The Pleiness Family's Connection
In 1881, a seven-year-old boy named John Jacob Pleiness moved to the area with his parents. Their home at Fort Hope had been destroyed in a fire.
In the 1890s, John Jacob Pleiness opened a blacksmith shop near the southeastern part of the lake. At that time, the lake was known as Lost Lake. Later, he also started a farm there. From 1887 to 1909, the Mason and Oceana Railroad ran just south of Lost Lake.
In the summer of 1930, the area, like much of the United States, faced a very dry period. This happened just before the Dust Bowl, which was a time of severe dust storms. John Jacob Pleiness Jr., John's son, reported in September 1930 that the lake's water level dropped about 26 in (66 cm). This was the lowest it had been in over 40 years!
Modern History and Renaming
By October 1941, people wanted to change the lake's name from Lost Lake. This was because there were 25 other lakes in Michigan with the same name!
One idea was to rename it Pashawsey Lake. This name would honor the Pashawsey Indian Reserve that once included the lake. In the Ottawa language, "pashawsey" means "light." However, at a meeting, the Mason County supervisors decided to rename Lost Lake to Pleiness Lake instead.
In the summer of 1942, there wasn't much vacation activity at the lake. John Jacob Pleiness passed away on November 22, 1948.
Since then, many small vacation homes, called cottages, have been built around the lake. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the county also built a boat launch and an outhouse on the southern side of the lake for visitors.
Lake Life: Plants and Animals
Fish in Pleiness Lake
In the early 1900s, the Michigan Board of Fish Commissioners started adding fish to Pleiness Lake. On August 15, 1905, 75 adult largemouth bass were introduced. Then, on July 12, 1906, an additional 1,500 young largemouth bass, called fingerlings, were added.
Today, you can find several types of fish in Pleiness Lake, including:
Plants in Pleiness Lake
In the 1940s, a plant called Eurasian watermilfoil was brought to North America. This plant grows underwater and can spread very quickly, becoming a problem.
Like many other lakes in Michigan, Pleiness Lake has had to deal with too much Eurasian watermilfoil. To help control its growth, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality works with Mason County to spray the lake when needed.
