| Lac Vieux Desert | |
| Location: | Gogebic County, Michigan / Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States |
| Basin Countries: | United States |
| Length: | 4miles |
| Width: | 2miles |
| Area: | 4260acres |
| Max-Depth: | 40feet |
| Elevation: | 1683feet |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of the lake in Michigan. |
Lac Vieux Desert is a lake in the United States divided between Gogebic County, Michigan, and Vilas County, Wisconsin.[1] Fed primarily by springs in the surrounding swamps, it is the source of the Wisconsin River, which flows out of its southwest corner. The lake contains a number of small islands, especially in its northeastern lobe, including Draper Island, in Michigan, and Duck Island, in Wisconsin.[2]
Lac Vieux Desert has a surface elevation 1680feet above sea level, and a maximum depth of about 40feet. The surface area is 4260acres, of which approximately two-thirds is in Wisconsin and one third in Michigan.
Located in the Lake District of northern Wisconsin, the lake is a popular boating and fishing resort.
The lake was named by French fur trappers, who were some of the first Europeans in the region. They translated the name into French from the term used by the Ojibwe of the area: Gete-gitigaani-zaaga'igan, meaning "Lake of the Old Clearing", or "Old Garden." At the time of European colonization, the Ojibwe (also known in the US as Chippewa) occupied extensive territory around Lake Superior, in what are now the jurisdictions of northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in the United States, and northern Ontario through southeastern Manitoba in Canada.
The Michigan shore of Lac Vieux Desert is in the largest of the few small areas of Michigan that are part of the drainage or watershed of the Mississippi River. There are three such areas along the Wisconsin border with Gogebic County and a bit of Iron County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and two areas along the Indiana border with Berrien County in southern Michigan.[3]
There are multiple resorts and campgrounds on the lake. Most of the shoreline on the Wisconsin side of the lake is developed, however dense forest surrounds many of the properties.
On July 16, 1919, a tiger muskellunge claimed by both Wisconsin[4] and Michigan[5] as a state record and by the International Game Fish Association as the all-tackle world record was caught in Lac Vieux Desert. It was 54inches long[4] [5] and weighed 23.21kg (51.17lb).[4] [6] The record has stood longer than any other fishing record in either state.