Devil’s Lake

Devil’s Lake

 

Location: Sauk County Map

 

Description of the Devil's Lake

Devil's Lake is located just two miles south of Baraboo Wisconsin on the South Range of the Baraboo hills. Devil’s lake got it’s name from the Ho- Chunk nation. Native Americans believed that during their rituals a voice was heard coming from a lake. These celebrations are still held annually. At the south end of the lake there is a burial mount in a form of a giant bird that spreads its wings. It is located on the South end of the lake in the beginning of East Bluff trail. Devil’s Lake is part of the Devil’s lake State Park and requires permits for some of the activities like fishing for example. Park’s rock formations are also famous with rock climbers and attract thousands of professionals as well as beginners annually. Ice Age Loop is the only trail that is allowed to bikers. It is 4 miles long. Both North and South ends of the lake have areas for picnics equipped with tables, shelters, lavatories, small food stores and visitor center. Besides several trails of different difficulty go around the lake. It is not recommended for those who might encounter medical complications to take steep approaches like East Bluff, East Bluff Woods or West Bluff trail.

 

Devils Lake was so named because it is situated in a deep chasm with no visible inlet or outlet. The term, devil's lake is a misinterpretation of the Ho-Chunk name Tawacunchukdah or Da-wa-kah-char-gra, which better translates to "Sacred Lake" or "Spirit Lake." Spirit Lake is highly significant in Ho-Chunk oral history, and voices of spirits were often heard during the celebrations.

 

Climbing around the Devil's Lake

 Devil’s Lake Map for Climbing

Visitor center
The visitor center houses a three-dimensional model of the park from a top-down view.

Nature center
The exhibits at the park's nature center focus on the geology and natural history of the area. Public nature programs are offered in the summer, as well as evening programs on Saturday nights in the Northern Lights Amphitheater. The nature center also has many historical photographs that come from as far back as the 1800s. They also have many displays of examples of the flora and fauna that can be found throughout the park.

 

Devil's lake monster

An unknown aquatic creature said to live at the bottom of Devils Lake, north of Lincoln City, Oregon. While some believe that this octopus-like beast has caused countless deaths, the Nakota Indians tell tales of a struggling creature that bears a striking resemblance to the supposedly extinct plesiosaur.

One of the earliest legends about the Devil's Lake creature dates back to a Native American Indian chief who gathered his young warriors for a midnight hunt in the fertile fauna lands beyond the lake. As the full moon reflected off the blackened water, the young men and their leader slipped their canoe into the water and began their midnight trek. Suddenly, a tentacle-like object sliced through the waves, capsizing the canoe and dragging the terrified, sprawling men under the brackish water. Not a single man survived this ill-fated expedition, but their tribal companions, who heard their screams and rushed to the beach, were able to witness the horrific event firsthand thanks to the moon's afterglow. The surviving tribal warriors held an annual festival to honor their fallen comrades and to appease what they believed to be the lake demon, during which gifts and animal sacrifices were thrown into the water.

This tradition continues to this day, but is now treated like an annual picnic celebrating tribal legends and traditions. The freshwater killer octopus is not the only case in Wisconsin. As if the giant octopus-like beasts were not enough of a monster in one body of water, when the first Christian missionaries arrived on the shores of Devil's Lake, they were greeted by the Nakota and told about yet another creature that became apparent during the years of the drought. The Nakota remained near the lake during the early drought not only because it was the only source of water for thousands of people, but also because the animals they fed were forced to expose themselves to drinking water, providing the tribe with an abundant and relatively easy source of food for hunting. As summer deepened, the lakes became smaller and smaller, eventually becoming two lakes separated by a shallow strip of mud running down the middle. One morning, the Nakota woke up to find a huge fish-like creature called a "hokwa" trapped on a narrow strip of mud exposed on the bottom of the lake. The tribe watched as the creature, apparently amphibious, struggled for days to free itself from its dry perch. The sight filled the Nakota with awe and fear, and not even their bravest warriors dared approach the creature. They believed the creature to be an unkutijina, the vile offspring of the evil spirit Unk and the lizard beast known as Unkchegi, for fear that the spirit's wrath would bring more hardship than a drought. Eventually, the animal was able to free itself and (presumably) return to the deeper parts of the lake.