Lake Bemidji is a small glacially-formed lake, approximately in area, in northern Minnesota in the United States. Located less than downstream from the source of the Mississippi River, it both receives and is drained by the Mississippi, and is the northernmost point on the river.
Name
Lake Bemidji got its name because "Bemidji" refers to the Mississippi River, and how it flows across the lake from west to east. The word Bemidji means "Lake with crossing waters" and in its native Ojibwe it is Bemidjigamaag.
Geography
The lake is located in southern Beltrami County, near the city of Bemidji, which sits on its southwestern shore. Due to the shape of Lakes Bemidji and Irving, according to folk legends, Lakes Bemidji and Irving were formed in Paul Bunyan's footprint. The Ojibwe described the Lakes Bemidji and Irving collectively as a single lake being a bimijigamaa (lake that traverses another body of water), thus the Ojibwe name the lake as Bemijigamaag-zaaga'igan (Traversing Lake), since the lake is considered to traverse the Mississippi River.
On occasion in Ojibwe, the city of Bemidji is called Wabigamaang (at the lake channel/narrows), since part of the city is situated on the Lakes Bemidji-Irving narrows, located on the south end of Lake Bemidji.
Lake Bemidji resides in the upper Mississippi River drainage basin. Over of the Upper Mississippi watershed drain into Lake Bemidji. There are no invasive species known in the lake as of 2017.
History
The Beltrami County Historical Society documents that "The first residents of the Bemidji area in recorded history were Native Americans who settled Northern Minnesota following the retreat of the glaciers around 10,000 years ago." During their first meeting, the local namesake "Chief Bemidji" was wrongfully given by European immigrants due to what the Beltrami Historical Society documents as "early miscommunication" as when "Shaynowishkung told them the name of the lake [Bemijigamaag], which they at first took to be his name". As a result, he became known "throughout his life as Chief Bemidji." Unfortunately, timber production made the sawmill prone to fire. The fires which took place at the sawmill during the 1910s and early 1920s which burned the mills to the ground twice foreshadowed the final fire of the newly rebuilt Crookston mill #1. According to Historian Rosemary Given-Amble, "on November 8, 1924, 24 million board feet of select white pine, valued at $750,000, was destroyed at the second Crookston #1 fire. Heat was so intense it caused whirlwinds that tossed burning lumber across the lake."
Recreation
The lake is a popular recreational and resort destination. Activities to do on and near the lake include fishing, boating, swimming, water-skiing, tubing, and hiking. Lake Bemidji State Park is along its northern shore. The north trailhead of Paul Bunyan State Trail is located at the state park and adjoins with 16.6 miles of paved trail which runs along the shores of the lake. Historian Rosemary Given-Amble also accounts that the lake is home to some of the largest parks in Bemidji including Diamond Point Park, Cameron Park, Library Park, and South Shore Park. The south shore development is a growing infrastructure which is home to multiple businesses, housing complexes, South Shore park, and the Sanford Center.
See also
- Bemidji, Minnesota
- Lake Itasca
- Mississippi River
- Schoolcraft River
- List of Minnesota lakes
- Paul Bunyan
- Lake Bemidji State Park