Corey Lake

Corey Lake is a small, inland lake in Southwestern Michigan located just outside Three Rivers, and is home to Camp Eberhart and Camp Wakeshma.[1] The lake is lined with homes and a few restaurants that have views of the water. Recreational water sports such as boating, sailing, water skiing, and jetskiing are popular on the lake during the warmer seasons.[2]

Corey Lake
Location of the lake in Michigan.
Location of the lake in Michigan.
Corey Lake
LocationSt. Joseph / Cass counties, Michigan, United States
Coordinates41°55′55″N 85°44′30″W
TypeNatural Freshwater Lake
Primary inflowsHarwood Lake (dammed)
Primary outflowsKaiser Lake (artificial), Curtis Creek (artificial)
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area630 acres (250 ha)
Max. depth73 ft (22 m)
Residence time4.4 years
Shore length17.06 mi (11.36 km)
Surface elevation873 ft (266 m)
Islands0
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The lake is circular shaped, with North Bay and Turtle Bay sprouting from one side and Little Corey jutting out from another side. The vast majority of the lake is located in Fabius Township, St. Joseph County, although its westernmost reach extends into Newberg Township, Cass County. It is the second largest lake in St. Joseph County.

History

The St. Joseph River Valley Region was covered under glacial ice until the Last Glacial Period, during which the ice retreated and the water left behind formed into the early Great Lakes as well as countless rivers, streams, and smaller kettle lakes likely including Corey.[3] Indigenous people have long lived in the regions surrounding Corey Lake. The Belson Archeological site in nearby Leonidas Township contains clovis fragments dating to neary 13,000 years ago.[4] The Potawatomi lived in this region of Southwest Michigan until being forcibly removed in the 1840s.[5]

Corey Lake is said to be named after Joshua Corry, the first person to settle by the lake circa 1836. He died in 1888.[6] It is unknown how the spelling came to be changed.[7] Records from 1858 refer to it as Corey's Lake.[8]

The lake has one inlet and two outlets, none of which are natural. In 1889, the state House of Representatives passed House bill No. 587, authorizing $600 (equivalent to $16,750 in 2021) for the purpose of clearing and widening the channel between Corey and Kaiser Lakes.[9]

Flora and Fauna

Corey Lake is a home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, rainbow trout, yellow perch, northern pike, and bluegill. Some fish species were introduced to the lake. The lake's fish were first surveyed by the State of Michigan in 1887.[10]

Surrounding the lake are open oak woodlands. Other plants include milkweed, bluestem, and columbine. Grosbeaks, orioles, and warblers can be found in abundance.[11]

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Corey Lake
  2. "Corey Lake, Michigan, USA Vacation Info - LakeLubbers". Lakes for Vacation, Recreation and Rentals - LakeLubbers. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  3. "Late Wisconsinan glacial history of northeastern Wisconsin and western upper Michigan". 1986. doi:10.3133/b1652. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Talbot, Thomas; Wright, Henry T.; Nash, Brendan (2021-01-02). "The Belson Site: A Paleoindian Campsite on the Outwash Plains of the Central Great Lakes". PaleoAmerica. 7 (1): 76–84. doi:10.1080/20555563.2020.1848105. ISSN 2055-5563. S2CID 231689672.
  5. "Early St. Joseph County History". Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  6. "tidbits". www.migenweb.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  7. Sowers, Roy D. F. (1932). St. Joseph county historical review and business guide, 1932. Saint Joseph county historical review and business guide, 1932. Sturgis, Mich.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. "1858 Misc Info". migenweb.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  9. Representatives, Michigan Legislature House of (1889). Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan.
  10. "Corey Lake (Saint Joseph, MI) nautical chart and water depth map". usa.fishermap.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  11. "Corey Lake North Bay Preserve". SWMLC. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-12-30.


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