Early Transformation

Five Island Lake is one of many shallow lakes formed by glaciers in the northwest part of Iowa. When settlers to this area of the state first identified the body of water as part of the local landscape it was described as nothing more than a marshland or a pond. It took many people and much funding to transform the lake to what it is today. The history of this transformation is eloquently told by Dr. James Coffey in his book Saving the Glacier’s Creation.

The lake’s low water level this year is a reminder that a body of water can experience a variety of changes throughout its aging. The first written recordings of Five Island Lake were in 1853. Even its name changed four times before it was established as Five Island Lake. The forenames were Jackman’s Lake, Lake Corley, Battle Lake and Medium Lake.

As stated above early in the settlement of Emmetsburg, the shallow lake was hardly even a pond. That started to change in 1886 when William Ewart Gladstone Saunders moved to Emmetsburg as an agent of the Scottish-American Land Company. He also became a banker within the community and was elected to serve three sessions in the Iowa House of Representatives.

The following from Saving the Glacier’s Creation explains Saunders involvement in the transformation of Five Island Lake.

“Emmetsburg was fortunate in its early days that Saunders emigrated from Scotland and became a resident here. He was a visionary: he perceived that a shallow, muddy, weed-choked lake with a marsh at one end could become a beautiful body of water.

The unusual part of the story is that restoration of a lake had never been accomplished before that time – at least in Iowa. As stated before, Saunders hired an engineer, at his own expense, to survey the lake and shoreline and to determine a possible remedy. Saunders spent time and his own money observing restoration efforts in other states, acquiring expertise that could be applied locally. Also, he was the largest individual donor to the project.”

So, from 1910 to 1923 sediment and debris from the bottom of the water was dredged from the south bay. Dr. Coffey stated, “New shorelines had been built using silt from the middle of the bay. The total acreage of South Bay was reduced by a few acres as a result, but the average water depth had been increased by several feet.”

The dredging project was pivotal in the transformation of Five island Lake. Subsequent dredging projects in 1948-1950 and the one that began in 1990 might not have happened without that first successful lake restoration.

Dr. Coffee stated in his book that, “In my opinion William Ewart Gladstone Saunders is The Father of Five Island Lake.”

Previous question’s answer: Fifth Island was manmade. According to Saving the Glacier’s Creation, “Fifth Island was born when a dam was built at the outlet in 1891.” Prior to the dam, the land would have been a marsh.

Question: Name 3 types of artifacts found when dredging the north bay of Five Island Lake.

Submitted by Diane Weiland