We’d like to say we discovered a new place to rest our weary toes and enjoy the sweet, sporadic joy of a Wisconsin summer.
Turns out we’re about 10,500 years too late for that honor.
Still, Green Lake retains the fresh appeal that led members of the Winnebago nation (also called Ho-Chunk) to consider it sacred ground. We’re really glad we made the short, entertaining pilgrimage.
At 237 feet, Green Lake is the deepest enclosed lake in Wisconsin. That, and the fact that the last of its ice had just melted, did not stop the youngest members of our group — including Molly — from jumping in.
We had several nurses and a cardiologist on hand. That water was cold!!
A good chunk of the woods surrounding Green Lake remains undeveloped thanks to a Chicago newspaperman, his somewhat sickly wife and the Baptist church.
Chicago Daily News publisher Victor Lawson and his wife Jessie landed on the Green Lake shores during an 1888 storm. They ended up purchasing land and developing a 1,074 acre spread, which eventually included water towers and stone bridges that remain today. Upon their deaths, the Baptist church purchased that parcel of land and it remains relatively pristine to this day.
You can walk a thousand-year old trail around Green Lake and enjoy undisturbed views. You can also zip around the seven-mile long lake, pulling tubes and wake boards.
Our weekend in Green Lake turned out to be the perfect start to a summer we hope will include lots of sunshine, good friends, calm waters and peace.
Green Lake is gorgeous, but cold water is not a strong enough word. It’s more Lake Superior Like.
I can’t say how cold it was as I did not even dip my toe in that water. I plan to go back later this summer and give it a whirl. Molly said it took her breath away.