Lake Monroe (Indiana)

Lake Monroe (Indiana)
Lake Monroe
Satellite image of the lake
Location Monroe / Brown counties, Indiana, USA
Coordinates 39°03′31″N 86°26′47″W / 39.0587°N 86.4464°W / 39.0587; -86.4464Coordinates: 39°03′31″N 86°26′47″W / 39.0587°N 86.4464°W / 39.0587; -86.4464
Lake type reservoir
Primary inflows Salt Creek
Primary outflows Salt Creek
Basin countries United States
Surface area 10,750 acres (4,350 ha)

Lake Monroe is a reservoir located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Bloomington, Indiana, United States. The lake is the largest in Indiana with 10,750 acres (43.5 km2) of water spread over the counties of Monroe and Brown. It is also home to 13,202 acres (53.43 km2) of protected forest and three recreational areas (Fairfax, Hardin Ridge, and Paynetown). Indiana's only federally protected U.S. Wilderness Area, the 13,000-acre (53 km2) Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area, is located on the south shore. The pool elevation (above sea level) is about 538 ft (164 m) year-round. During colder winters, limited ice fishing is available on protected backwater portions of the reservoir. Lake Monroe was the last lake in Indiana to allow concussion fishing until a ban was passed in 1985 [1]..

Rock musician John Mellencamp is a native of the area, and resides on the shore of the lake. Ransburg Scout Reservation, a large Boy Scout camp comprising over 624 acres, is situated along the eastern shore with a private dock system in Siscoe Bay (also known as Boy Scout Bay). The largest marina situated on the lake is the Fourwinds Resort and Marina with over 800 boats. The reservoir provides abundant fishing throughout the year, and recreational opportunities such as boating and water skiing attract visitors from throughout Indiana and the Midwest.

Contents

Construction

Construction on the lake began in 1960 and was finished in 1965 at a cost of $16.5 million. Salt Creek was dammed south of Bloomington, Indiana and the reservoir fills the valley to the north west of the dam extending into adjacent Brown County. It was thought that Elkinsville, a town in southern Brown County, had to be abandoned due to the path of the backwaters. Therefore the town was acquired through the power of eminent domain. Later, this was found not to be necessary; the result of a mistake in elevation estimates.[citation needed] The lake was designed as a primary water source for the City of Bloomington and to prevent flood damage downstream. The lake was created and is still managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.

Folklore

There is a variety of local stories that take place around the Lake Monroe area. Several revolve around a local ne'er-do-well named Jon Conley. According to some stories, Conley is an escaped criminal (or, in some stories, the ghost of a criminal) who lurks the backwaters of the lake looking for victims to kill. There was a historical Jonathan Conley who was wrongly hanged for the crime of arson in 1923 by the Monroe County Sheriff.[2] With his last act, Conley is said to have vowed revenge upon the county forever. However, the connection between that Conley and the one from urban legends seems tenuous at best, according to historians. For example, at that time, the county's gallows were not on the site of what is now Lake Monroe but instead in downtown Bloomington at the corner of Kirkwood Ave. and Dunn St [3].

References

  1. ^ Bell, Adie (1993). Hunting and Fishing With Dynamite. Unionville Press. pp. 101. ISBN 0-9167352-0-9. 
  2. ^ Werner, Nicholas (1937). Mysterious Circumstances Of Central Indiana. Clayton Books. pp. 141. ISBN 0-71343141-0-9. 
  3. ^ Joseph, Ian V. (1958). Indiana Lynchings: A Pictorial History. Yellowood Books. pp. 213. ISBN 0-6527307-0-6. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lake Monroe — may refer to one of the following lakes: *Lake Monroe (Florida) in Florida, a lake on the St. Johns River *Lake Monroe (Indiana) in Monroe and Brown counties, Indiana *Lake Monroe (Mississippi) in Monroe County, Mississippi …   Wikipedia

  • Lake County (Indiana) — Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point, gelistet im NRHP Nr. 73000073[1] Verwaltung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lake Hart, Indiana — Lake Hart is a town located in Monroe Township, Morgan County, Indiana. As of the 1990 census, the town had a total population of 213. Incorporated in the 1970s with a population of 231, the town was unincorporated on 23 September, 1998.… …   Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Indiana — Location of Lake County in Indiana This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Indiana. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in… …   Wikipedia

  • Comté de Monroe (Indiana) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Comté de Monroe. Comté de Monroe (Monroe County) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Indiana locations by per capita income — Indiana has the twenty seventh highest per capita income in the United States of America, at $20,397 (2000). Its personal per capita income is $28,783 (2003).Indiana Counties Ranked by Per Capita IncomeThere are ninety two counties located in… …   Wikipedia

  • Monroe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana — Monroe Township   Township   …   Wikipedia

  • Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore — IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) …   Wikipedia

  • Lake Erie Basin — consists of Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds, which are typically named after the river, creek, or stream that provides drainage into the lake. The watersheds are located in the states of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in …   Wikipedia

  • Indiana — This article is about the U.S. state of Indiana. For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). Hoosier State redirects here. For the passenger train, see Hoosier State (train). State of Indiana …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”