Lake James is a natural lake located in the northeast corner of the state of Indiana in the United States. It is popular as a place for boating and fishing and has a wide variety of wildlife. As the state's fourth-largest natural lake, it has over of surface water, and consists of three basins. Its water quality is ranked among the best in Indiana lakes. The lake is the largest of a group of lakes known as the James Lake Chain. These lakes are located mostly in Steuben County, Indiana, but also extend into southern Michigan.
During the 1700s the lake was part of a huge swamp that was the hunting grounds for the Potawatomi Indians. As European fur traders made wild game scarce, the Indians were persuaded to sell their land and move west. Pokagon State Park, located along all three of the lake's basins, is named in honor of two Potawatomi leaders: Simon Pokagon and his father Leopold. The park, with grounds of more than , is open all year. Camping sites are available, and the park features hiking trails, a toboggan, and two beaches. The park's Potawatomi Inn faces the north side of the lake's lower basin.
Lake James was named by surveyor James Watson Riley. It was first surveyed in 1831 by E. H. Lytle, and settlement began shortly thereafter. Settlement around the lake was initially slow, as there were no roads that provided access. The construction of a small railroad between the city of Angola and the lake's southern tip spurred development, as visitors could ride a train to Angola and connect to the lake. After arriving at the lake by train, many of the original cottage owners took a boat to their cottage. With the exception of Pokagon State Park and a private campground, nearly all of the lake's shoreline is now developed. Much of the development consists of cottages and homes, which began over 100 years ago. Two additional lakes of significant size, Jimmerson Lake and Snow Lake, are connected to Lake James. Water from these lakes flows west, and eventually reaches Lake Michigan.
Description Lake James is a glacial lake located in the northeastern corner of the state of Indiana. The lake occupies an area west of Interstate highway 69 in Indiana's Steuben County, which borders Michigan and Ohio. The city of Angola is located about southeast of the lake's southern tip. The northern half of Lake James is in the county's Jamestown Township, while the southern half is located in Pleasant Township. The lake consists of three sections called the First, Second, and Third Basin, where the First Basin is the southernmost and the Third Basin is the northernmost of the three. Snow Lake lies on the north side of the Third (northern) Basin. Although a separate lake today, it was described as one of "four portions" of Lake James in a report from the early 20th century. Vegetation effectively separated Snow Lake from Lake James around the end of the 19th century. Lake James is also the name of an unincorporated community situated on the western side of the lake. The town established a post office in 1851 but was discontinued that same year.
As Indiana's fourth largest natural lake, Lake James is large enough to be the site of a state park and multiple boat ramps. The lake has a surface area of , and about of shoreline. Its elevation is . The lake's mean depth is . All three basins are deepest in their center, and the deepest part of the lake is . All three basins also have sunken islands, and an island in the First Basin remains above the water level.
The island located in the First Basin is about from the shore on the south side of the lake. During the early 20th century it was known as Kemery Island. It has one cottage, a pier, and several trees. Lake James has two other islands that might be more appropriately described as an islet and a tidal island. A small islet can be found near what was Bledsoe's Beach on the west side of the Second Basin near Jimmerson Creek. This tiny island is unofficially known as Goat Island. The small piece of land was not originally an island but became one as erosion created a channel on its west side. Beginning in 1969, and continuing into the 1970s, goats were left on the island during the summer to "mow" the vegetation. The practice of using goats to groom the island was discontinued later in the 1970s, but locals still call the tiny piece of land "Goat Island". The lake's Third Basin has a residential subdivision known as Eagle Island. This tidal island is located on the north side of the Third Basin and is connected to the mainland by wetlands and marshes. A group of about 10 cottages on the island are accessed via a causeway.
History Most of the native Potawatomi Indians left the region in 1830. Lake James and the surrounding area were originally surveyed in 1831 by E. H. Lytle. The lake was named by another surveyor, James Riley. It is not certain if Riley was Captain James Riley or his son, James Watson Riley—both were surveyors. James Watson Riley also had a son, James Watson Riley Jr. It is not known why the lake was named Lake James, but a logical assumption is that the name honors one (or more) of the three James Riley men.
First inhabitants
The oldest known people with sustained civilizations in Indiana are the Woodland Indians. These mound builders lived in what would become Indiana from approximately 1,000 BC to 900 AD. These Native American tribes disappeared, and were replaced by other tribes during the 1700s. In future northeast Indiana, the new tribes were the Miami and Potawatomi Indians. The Lake James area was the hunting grounds of the Potawatomi Indians, who managed the land and wildlife with periodic controlled burns.
Following an 1830 treaty, most of the Potawatomi moved west, although the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, led by Leopold Pokagon, negotiated an agreement that enabled them to stay in southern Michigan. Pokagon State Park, located on Lake James, is named in honor of chief Leopold Pokagon and his son Simon. The park's size is and is adjacent to all three basins of Lake James—and Lake Snow. The park has two beaches with swimming areas on Lake James. One beach is located in front of the park's Potawatomi Inn, which faces the north side of the lake's First (or Lower) Basin. The other beach (and bath house) can be found on the southeastern shore of the lake's Third (or Upper) Basin.
Settlement Settlement of the area started after the surveys of the 1830s, but the population growth was slow because access roads were limited. The nearby community of Jamestown had a population of only 779 by 1870. In 1875 Lake James was described as "remarkably clear and free from mineral matter" with water having a "pleasant taste" and "neutral to litmus paper". By that time, the lake was well known for good fishing. Cottages began appearing on Lake James during the end of the 19th century. A portion of Spring Point, located on the west side of the lake where the First and Second basins meet, was platted in 1895. Settlement accelerated when an electric railway connected the city of Angola with the southernmost shore of the lake's First Basin, known as Paltytown.
Railway The Ohio & Indiana Railway Company was incorporated in 1903. During the same year, a line was built from the New York Central Railroad station in the nearby city of Angola to the southern tip of Lake James. Following difficulties in acquiring rolling stock, additional financial backers joined the company and renamed it the Angola Railway and Power Company—although the railroad was always known as the Lake James Electric Railway. Rolling stock totaled only three pieces of equipment: two electric passenger cars and an open trailer.
Regular passenger service began on July 14, 1904. The railroad closed during the winter months and typically provided service from April until November. The line was lengthened by in 1904, connecting Angola's New York Central station with the heart of the business district. The company also built a dance hall, hotel, and amusement park at Paltytown.
By 1914 Paltytown was described as "several cottages, a supply store, a photo gallery and dancing pavilion, and the Lake James Hotel." Two piers were located at the beach, and boats were available for rent. In many cases, people reached their cottages on the lake by taking a train to Angola and then taking the electric railway to the lake. From Paltytown, they could reach their cottage by boat.
The Lake James Electric Railway was rarely profitable and never expanded after the 1904 extension. A reorganized version of the company was renamed Indiana Utilities Company in 1912. The last regularly scheduled trip made by the railroad was on October 15, 1918. The railroad was dismantled and its properties sold in 1919. The Paltytown properties were sold in 1922. Better roads and the automobile made the railroad obsolete, but it played a key role in the lake's development. In 1928 another group agreed to purchase the Paltytown properties, and the former resort became the Lake James Christian Assembly.
Mail In 1927 the United States Postal Service announced that it would provide mail delivery service to lakefront residents of Lake James using boats. Delivery by boat was provided all summer, six days per week. By the 1950s, Lake James was thought to be the only "fresh-water delivery route on an inland lake in the United States with a cottage-to-cottage delivery by speedboat." Summer service was provided from June 1 through September 15 to lakefront properties with mailboxes at the end of their piers. About 200 residences received letters, packages, and newspapers. Stamps were sold directly from the boat. During peak times, delivery could take as long as four hours using a boat powered by a 25-horsepower motor.
Bledsoe's Beach Bledsoe's Beach, located on Lake James near its intersection with Jimmerson Lake, became a popular nightspot during the 20th century. The resort eventually included a dance hall, a cocktail lounge, a hotel, a pier and swimming area, a golf course, and a recreational vehicle park. Beginning in the 1960s, Bledsoe's Beach was also the summer home of the Hoosier Basketball Camp, which was originally directed by Indiana University basketball coach Branch McCracken. In 1938, advertisements for Bledsoe's Beach proclaimed "dancing every Saturday Night". Ten years later, advertisements were proclaiming dancing every night except Monday. During the early 1960s Bledsoe's Beach was described as "the Midwest's Favorite Fun Spot", with live music and record hops featuring disc jockeys from radio station WOWO, one of the most powerful radio stations in the Midwest. In 2011 the property was sold at auction. A restaurant opened on the site in 2013 with lake views and dock space for customers arriving by boat.
Major accidents Lake James has been the site of a plane crash and a rare hang gliding fatality. In 1971 a Piper Tri-Pacer crashed into Lake James, killing the pilot. The plane was flying at low altitude when a wing hit the water about from the shore. The wing was torn off, and the plane plunged into water about deep. Another fatality happened in 1972, when a hang-glider was killed. The kite was being pulled by a boat when the flyer lost control, causing the kite (and flyer) to plummet about before striking the surface of the lake. The lake has also been the site of accidents involving thin ice. An example transpired in January 1985 when four snowmobiles broke through thin ice, and three people drowned.
Watershed Lake James and other lakes nearby were formed by glaciers approximately 10,000 years ago near the end of the Pleistocene era. Many northern Indiana lakes were formed as pieces of large glaciers broke off and became buried in the land as the main glaciers retreated north. Eventually, these large pieces of ice melted and filled the depressions in the land they originally occupied, creating numerous lakes and marshes.