Lake Como (Minnesota)

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lake_name = Lake Como
image_lake = Como Park fountain in blue and red with traffic.jpg
caption_lake = A fountain along the western bank of the lake
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location = St. Paul, Minnesota
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Lake Como is a shallow lake (up to 9 feet deep) in St. Paul, Minnesota [http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=62005500] . It, along with the neighboring Como Park, has been a recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities for more than a century. It was named in 1848 by local farmer Charles Perry. A pavilion sits on the west side of the lake, and plays hosts to theatrical performances and concerts during the warmer months. The park features a variety of attractions, including the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, and is heavily used whenever good weather beckons people to go outside.

History

After James-Younger gang member Charlie Pitts was killed in the chaotic aftermath of the disastrous September 7, 1876 Northfield, Minnesota raid, his body was boxed up and temporarily submerged in the lake by Dr. Henry Hoyt, a local physician who wanted the bleached skeleton as a display piece for his office. The skeleton was on display for unknown number of years at the Stage Coach Museum in Shakopee MN. IN 1981 the remains were donated to the Northfield Historical Society. Currently the skeleton is housed in the Physical Anthropology Lab at Minnesota State University-Mankato awaiting analysis

Local lore has it that Pitts' ghost haunts the corner of the lake where his body was interred, this corner is commonly referred to as Seltz' Point.