More to Loon Lake than meets the eye

I ran into Dave Dunn one day and he mentioned an idea for a Pioneer article; an article on Waseca’s Loon Lake. The Bailey House at the Historical Society has files of just about everything that has taken place in Waseca County. Virginia McCarthy who works at the Bailey House, handed me a plump, thick file on the history of Loon Lake. She shared a personal connection; her relatives, George and Ruby Fell, once owned the island on Loon Lake. 

Prior to 1900, Loon was much larger and extended further eastward than it does now; it was shallow and swampy. Its former borders probably included the location of our present-day hardware store, Maple Terrace and possibly all the way to the hospital, library, and Trowbridge park. There was a creek running from Loon to Clear Lake prior to the turn of the century. 

Waseca exists today because of the arrival of railroads. The east/west tracks were laid In 1867, drawing area citizens to platte a town where one had not previously existed. 

Steam train operators pulled water from the south shores of Loon. A mill operating on the southeast shores of the lake also received fresh water and discharged warm water, thus keeping some of the lake open during the winter. The mill burned in the 1890s. In 1877 a north/south train track was built running through Waseca. A trestle was built on the east side of Loon so the trains could pass over the creek running to Clear Lake. Today, that track is a walking, bike path for people to enjoy. 

There isn’t much recorded early history about Loon Lake; much of its chronology is sustained by old timers and the stories they’ve handed down. Einer Iverson, Dutch Bathke, Lloyd Panzram, John Somers, Ruth Mackey, and others have shared their stories that have been recorded about Loon Lake’s early history. 

Folklore of the Commodore steamboat traveling the channel between Clear and Loon Lakes is a myth: The channel was much too shallow. Something the size of a canoe or small fishing boat is about the largest vessel that could have navigated it. There was a pleasure cruiser, the Commodore, but it stayed within the confines of Clear Lake. 

There was once a beer hall on Loon Lake’s island. One of the city’s founding fathers, W.G. Ward, owned the night club prior to the turn of the century. The island was joined to a small peninsula which once led from Loon Lake Park out to the island. I can only visualize horse buggies or bikes riding out to the island for a cool beverage. There were no automobiles at the time. The Fells later purchased the island from W.G. Ward. 

Bill Topal owned a boat landing on the southeast shore of Loon until it closed in 1920. The landing offered boats for joy rides or fishing. It was common to see many boats on Loon Lake during a beautiful, recreational day. 

The southeast corner was once the site of “the jungles,” a hobo bum camp. There was a time when hobos would commonly hitch rides on trains; any who happened to get off in Waseca had the option of waiting for their next jaunt–whenever they might choose to hop the next train–with fellow illicit travelers at the camp. I hope some of them looked for work. 

The island on Loon used to be much larger, maybe twice the size. Sometime before the turn of the century, the railroad barons decided to replace the trestle on the tracks running north and south on the east end of Loon with an earthen dike, a dam. One result was to make Loon Lake smaller and deeper. The peninsula to the island disappeared under the rising water. The island became much smaller, and dry land behind the dam to the east became useful for development. In 1957, the Fells sold their island to the county for the bargain price of $300. The county intended to riprap the island with rocks to preserve its shoreline from erosion. 

In 1983-1984 Loon Lake went through a major restoration project with the goal of revitalizing the lake, which was thought to have only rough fish and which would be covered in thick weeds all summer long. Loon was emptied and allowed to sit dry. Small bullheads were removed by the millions. The draining of the lake revealed many secrets; treasure seekers scoured the lake bed for artifacts in the mud. Old tires, mufflers, oil pans, parts of old model-T-cars, and even old sunken boats were revealed. I ran across a picture of Ralph Keyes and John Madigan examining a number of old bottles and containers they’d recovered from the dry Loon Lake bottom. Also part of the “restoration” was to create some spots in the lake where the water would be deeper than the previous maximum of  9 feet. Contractors were hired to dredge mud from the lake bottom and dig some holes in the lake to make a depth of 15 ft. 

While it was standing dry, weeds and plants grew quickly on the lake bottom. I ran across a picture of Brian Weller, who is 6’1”, standing in growth over his head. The  summer plant growth was killed off by fall’s freezing temperatures. The roots of the plants gave Loon a nice base to restore all of the critters needed in a healthy lake. Loon filled up with water again with winter snow and spring rains. Riprapping and rock along Loon Lake Park and Fourth Ave S.W. were also completed during the drawdown. An aerator was installed and the DNR stocked the lake with game fish. Loon Lake was back and healthy. 

Jurgen Peters is an old boy still around who has left his mark on Loon Lake. Jurgen taught Agriculture at the high school for many, many, years before retiring and going on to work 10 years as a U of M extension agent. Anyone who has roots in Waseca knows Jurgen Peters. Jurgen is old school: no politics, just do it and get it done. Loon became the home of many Canadian Geese who loved to stroll and poop in beautiful Loon Lake Park. Geese do not like plant barriers. Jurgen, with others, developed a blueprint to plant shrubs, flowers, and other flora along the shores of the park. The Master Gardeners Club, Jackie Peters (Jurgen’s wife}, Joan Mooney, and others planted all of the landscaping growth you see at Loon Lake Park today. Elderberries for birds, flowers for bees, butterflies and insects, and habitat are now growing on the shore for all to see. Oh yes, plant roots prevent water erosion. Jurgen and the late Jim Zimmerman also introduced a pair of domestic Swans to Loon. Louie and Louise, the swans, enjoyed the open water on Loon all season long. In the fall they were captured, put in a warm barn for the winter, and returned to Loon in the spring. Louise was shot by someone and Louie swam wifeless for several years on Loon. Jurgen always hoped another swan would come and keep Louie company on Loon Lake, but it never happened. 

In 2012 the DNR poisoned Loon with rotezone to exterminate the bullheads, but didn’t manage to kill them all. The DNR also helped fund a new aeration system in 2013 which the city is responsible for operating and maintaining. Since 2013 a variety of fish have been stocked. The lake just isn’t suited to the propagation of the stocked fish, it’s designated as a tier 3 lake. You may want to try fishing Loon, who knows what trophy fish might be swimming there. 

Loon Lake is a tremendous asset to Waseca. The city does a magnificent job of maintaining Loon Lake Park and bike and walking trails around it. I noticed a bike repair station on the east side of the lake complete with tools and even a tire pump. What city offers that???

You might want to picnic at the pavilion, watch a sunset on one of the path benches, or observe some birds or insects living in the habitat planted on the shoreline. Be sure to confirm you’re headed for the right place–Minnesota has 7 Loon Lakes!!!