Hawk Lake  

Names for this small lake that lays west of Lake Maxinkuckee over the years has been:

• Lost Lake - 1900 Topograpical Map
• Little Maxinkuckee - 1936 Plat Map
• Little Maxenkuckee - 1898 plat map
• Hawk Lake

Many years of the plat maps bear no name at all for this little lake.

The map in connection with the Biographical survey gives 'Lost Lake' and shows the area around it -

Those of the 1960's, 1970's and 1981 bear the name "Little Maxinkuckee"; the 1995-1996 and 1996 bears "Lost Lake"; it has also been reffered to as "Little Lake if there is any plat map bearing the name "Hawk Lake" I have not found one as yet. But the name Hawk Lake is the name that has been associated with it the most. The name being derived from the David Hawk family who settled the area within it shore area and owned most of the northern and western farm ground around it at one time.

HAWK

Described by Everman & Clark, in their book, "Lake Maxinkuckee, A Physical and Biological Survey.:
The outlet of Lthe lake is just north of Long Point where a small stteam joins it to Lost Lake. A high sand ridfe separated the two lakes. Lost Lake is approximately 2, 500 feet long and 1,500 feet wide. From Lost Lake there is a small stream flowing south to the Tippecanoe river.


The Hawk family settled close to Lost Lake, known in other years as Little Maxinkuckee and sometimes Hawk Lake, taking the name of the settlers whose log house had been built, so close to its shore.

In early times, the lands of the HAWK family in Union Township consisted of 100 acres in the name of D. HAWK, west of Lost Lake; northwest of that, 92 acres, also in the name of D. HAWK; and north of the Lost Lake tract, 60 acres in the name of F. HAWK.

The settlement of the family in this township was made around 1860. DAVID and CATHERINE HAWK had come to Allen County, Indiana, about 1859. After spending a little over a year there, they came on to the Lost Lake home-site. - One Township's Yesterdays Chapter XXIX by Corwin

Descendants still own the Hawk Homstead plat and the Hawk Homestead Barn plat they are: Randy & Janice, Donald & Mary, Michael & Terry Hawk and then passed on to Kevin Hawl & Karen Harding. Up until parcels of it was sold and the final estate sale was in the late 1990's and at that time was owned by Lawrence and Veenice (Hawk) White; they had went to Frankfort, Indiana to reside in a assisted living care center.

Hawk Lake is also a natural lake and also is fed by Lake Maxinkuckee the larger lake to the east of it. The outlet from Lake Maxinkuckee being on the northerly western shore near South Street on West Shore Drive.

This is a postcard view of the outlet area of years past - with the railroad bridge crossing over it

Prior to 1924 there was an open passage between the two lakes; through a channel described by Everman & Clark, in their book, "Lake Maxinkuckee, A Physical and Biological Survey.:

This channel was described as ranging from 15 to 20 feet wide, from 6 inches to 42.5 inches deep, depending upon the gage level of the big lake, and 1,800 feet long. As a note to later issues, this channel represents public access in my opinion, and remains very much the same size today.

1932 - Did You Know?

• That at one time the gratest fepth of Lost Lake was 9 feet
• That a one time on Lost Lake there was a floating island.
• That the bottom of Lost Lake is so soft that you can push a stake or pole down into it from two to eight feet.

1932 - Mar 15 - New Fish Found

A new fish was found recently by Rollen Hawk in Lost Lake that has all the experts guessing and as yet there is no agreement

The state conservation dpeartment rates it as a Mooneye, some local fisherman declare it is an American Shad, while others beleieve ti was a glut herring

Anyway it is a new fish for the local lakes and is believed to have made its way here form the Tippecanoe River.

As Evermann and Clark made no mention of the fish among the 64 species listed by them it is believed a new specie is now in the lake and when another of its kind is found an effort will be made for a definite classification

1937 - Auf 18 - Propose Dam For Lost Lake A WPA Project

A proposale to build a dam on Lost Lake as a WPA project is being studied by local conservation enthusiasts following the receipt of information and suggestions from the Indiana Conservation Department.

Lost Lake, also known as Lillte Lake and Little Maxinkuckee, is near Lake Maxinkuckee, water flowing through it on its way to the Tippecanoe river.

WIth a dam to maintain the water level, or possibly raise it to fill the present lowland area, it is believed the fishing condition of the lake would be greatly improved.

The Conservation Department points out that the WPA isnow building dams and that in a community having a suitable site the project can be launced without difficulty.

The main restriction is that the lake mus cover two acres as a minumum.

WPA will furnish labor up to $2,5000, while material mst be supplied by the sponsor of the project.

The engineering must be thorough as the department insists that the dams must be built to stay.

Another requitement is that the lake be near a road and in lwland that has natural banks to start with. Lost Lake meest both of these specifications, it is pointed out.

Sometime before 1957 the channel between the lakes was filled up and a dam was built in 1925.

Lake Maxinkuckee empties into the Hawk lake through the outlet and continues on through Hawk Lake and then empties into a ditch and swampy marsh area and brush covered area at the south end of the Hawk Lake where a dam was placed to control the level of the big lake and empting into Tippycanoe River.

This postcard is labeled "Peaceful Pond" it is believed to be Hawk Lake.

The Hawk Homstead farm sits on the North-western shore of Hawk Lake but in ensuing years David Hawk purchased extra acerage and by the late 1890's owned land that encompassed the area between Main Street on the east, Mill Street on the North and New State Road 17 on the west 17 to the north of the original homstead.

Little development on the shores of Hawk Lake has occured over the years. and the Hawk family had retained most of the land on the west shores into the 1990's and possibly early 2000's by Veenice (Hawk) White (d. 2004) and her husband Lawrence (d. 2000) it was then parceled off. The western shore property that once was the Hawk farm is from north to south is now owned by: William R. & Robin Harris Randy & Janice, Donald & Mary, Michael & Terry Hawk - the Hawk homestead barn Sven Johnson Steven & Judith Wardian - the Lawrence & Veenice Hawk residence David P. and Denise L. Daugharty (their residence sits across the road) Randel E. & Gloria Banks (their residence sits across the road)

There are some houses that sit within the shores of Hawk Lake in the West Shore Circle developement which stared in the late 1960's early 1970's on the eastern shore

.

1950 - Apr 12 Lost Lake has overflowed back of the Behmer cottand and the overflow lends the apprearance of a good sized lagoon or small lake.

1953 - Feb 4 - Early Land transfer's found are: Mar Cty Lbr Co. to: Harry Wallace and Madelyn Jane Dinsomre H&W; Lot 6 Hawk Lake Add. in NW 1/4 Sec. 28-32-1 Robert Earl and Wileen Wilma Butler Lot 5 Hawk Lake Add in NW 1/4 Sec. 2-32-1 by this it seems that Marshall County Lumber Company purchased the section of land and established Hawk Lake's Addition with 12 lots; sometime around 1953

Those owning the parcels of land on the banks in recent years: William R. III and Robin E. Harris Dale and Brenda Christensen Robert E. and Eileen W. Butler Eileen M. LaPointe Rhoda Niswander Roger P. Bruett family (18911 Sunny Lane)

The demise of Hawk Lake was slowly developing as a result of the Culver Sewage Plant being built on the north of the of the lake on the outlet stream of Lake Maxinkuckee in 1953. 1953 Jan. 14 - New Sewage Plant to be place in complete and permenant operation on Monday The effluent from the plant was dumped into the channel between Lake Maxinkuckee and Lost Lake. At this time Lost Lake is estimated to be 86 acres in size and considered to be eutrophic in nature. This plant was designed and constructed to meet all of the requirements established, at that time, by the Stream Pollution Control Board; Lost Lake is not and never was a stream.

1956 - Nov 14 - ...It Must Be the Lake Water by Bob Kyle

F. D. Wraight, chief snaitation engineer for the State Board of Health, and W. D. Shillinger, acting director, northwest branch office at LaPorte, came to our town recently following The Citizen article on Lost Lake pollution.

They made extensive tests and took Town Clerk-Treasurer Harry D. WInkler and this writer who handled the articel for the Citizen, on a tour of the sewage plant.

Their tests showed that the cause of the lake pollution was not due to plant operation, but to lack of oxygen in the lake wate.
MOst of this oxygen deficiency was attributed to the low water level in the big lake all smmer. And as no water ran over the outlet dam into the little lake the water became stagnant and killed fish and plant life.

1956 - NOv. 21 Weigh Feasibility of Dam To Hold Water in Lost Lake

Test boring and a new survey were started at Lost Lake Monday to determine the feasibility of a dam to hold the wate in the Lake.

Indiana Consevation Department engineers assisted by Frad Banks and other landowners adjoining the proposed site made the tests but no coclusions have been reached.

The Citizen will keep everyone informed from time to time concerning the process of this important problem

Some wishful thinking...

1956 - Dec 12 - The new culver and bride at the the lake outlet on Ind. 17 is a sensible and badly-needed addition, placed there by the State Highway Department laskt week. It replaces as extremely narrow and dangerous bridge. Now if the channel is widended and straighted, and we nad some water to through it,we have solved part of the deterioration of Lost Lake.

1957 - Jan 30 - Dr. A. A, Norris Gives Lowdown on Lost Lake

Says Dam is a Mahor Error!

... enclosed essay on Lake Maxinkuckee, written by me a few years ago...

Lake Maxinkuckee

The Indiana State Geologist's Report for 1900, Page 235, says concerning Lake Maxinkuckee
The outlet is a sluggish stream which flows from the west side of the lake southerly to the Tippecanoe river.

The valley of the outlet is about 80 rods wife and cinsists mainly of marsh land.

As it leacves he lake it is about 16 feet wide and 20 inches deep, (summer). About 80 rods from the lake the outlet expands into a shallow pond or lake having an area of about 60 acres amd depth of 3 to 12 feet, commonly called Lost or Little Lake.

Belwo this there are about 80 rods of definite stram and then a half mile or so of marshy ponf and then a definite stream with marsh banks."


Note: Evidently Dr. Scovell did not go through the Tippecanoe River. The marsh ends about a mile from the lake, at which point the banks and bottoms of the stream are solid, no muck bottom and the banks are an oak woods, a beautiful area known to the pioneers as 'Walley's Ford'. This is the real outlet of Lake Maxinkuckee.

All the area north to the dam - marsh, ponds, channel - was once lake.

Walley's Ford is a very important area. It is hard pan. If Walley's Ford ever goes out, it will be a disaster. for the Long Point area is nothing but sand and gravel and will not hold water.

Everman and Clark, page 53 reads:
At times of high water the depth of water ar the bridge is 3 to 3 1/2 feet. In September 1899 (low water) it was 14.7 inches.


The geologist's report continues:
The springs that feed the lake are numerous.


This is no longer true.

SInce the dam was put in, springs have appeared on the east bank of the outler of Little Lake. These are ends of the undergorund streams that start in the lake, pass throught the gravel of Long Point to appear on the lower level of the outlet.

Dr. Scovell was an honest observer, but he did not recongnize the importance of Walley's Ford, and he overestimated the quanity of water which flows into the lake.

That dam is a major error. It is a sanitary hazeard; it destroys the fishing in Little Lake; it prevents fish from goign from one part of this area to the other; and it shuts off two miles of interesting outdoor life.

1957 - Mar 6 - Thousands of Dead Fish At Lost Lake

By Robert B. Kyle.

The ice has let Lost Lake with dead fish by the thousands along the shore.

Over the weekend many motorists stopped to see the large carp, bluegills, and bass left in the wake of the destrcutin, and ROllen Hawk, who has lived all his life on the shores of this smaller body of waterd formed by the wters of Lake Maxinkuckee, said that he thought every fish in the little lake had been destroyed.

The town sewage plant water flows into this lake and bilogists, sanitary engineers, and vacteriologists from the State Board of Healt have been working diligently to determine the cause of this fish destrcution.

The write went down to view the situation Sunday evening an it was AWFUL.

Dave Burns can tell Citizen readers a lot more if they are interested.

1957 - Mar 13 - Town Board President W. R. Easterday Asks State Board of Health Reason For These Lost Lake Dead Fish

Hundred of Dead Fish South of Town This exclusive Culver Citizen photograph was taken last week by Bill Yaber of the Culver News Agency. It was the first time he ever took a picture wearing a gas mask!



A Most Important Letter

Town of Culver Indiana
March 5, 1958
Indiana State Board of Health
NOrthwestern Branc Office
LaPorte, Indiana

Gentlemen:

On January 8 we wrote you to please send somebodu to investigate the complaints here that our sewer plant is contaminiating the little lake into which it drains.

On February 7, William Ingrim of the United States Public Health Service Department; Grover Grocer Cook, bologist from the Indiana STate Board of Health; and Max T Orem assistant engingeer from the Indiana State BOard of Health, were here and looked over the plant and lake. They said thei would be back soon to ty to find a solution.

Wish they could come back right now and see the awful condition of the lake and the many dead fish along the shore. Whatever it is causing the trouble seems to have killed the plant life also. TThere is a green dirtiness in the lake that surely can be traced to something.

COuld you gentlemen come back again soon?

Very Respectfully, William R. Easterday President, Board of Trustees

1957 - Mar 20 - ...It Must Be the Lake Water by Bob Kyle

THE GEESE HANG HIGH: Fire Chief Dave Burns had 149 telephone calls, by actual count of his family, inquiring the cause of the dead fish in Lost Lake...

SOme of the nearby property owners are talking damage suits unless something is done promptly...

Sunday dirty soap bubbles were 10 feet high arounf the sewage disposal plabt, waiting to be wated against someone's nice white house.

1957 - May 29 - - ...It Must Be the Lake Water by Bob Kyle

DETERGENTS and not 'lack of oxygen" - as the buck-passing report of the State Board of Health has stated - is responsible for the killng og animal and plant life in Lost lake

Lake Water has so contended all along, although the bungling bureaucrats in the State's pay have ingnored it. Now this conclusion is backed by the wor of a St. Louis sanitation expert

Prof. D. W. Ryckman of Washington University, St. Louis, recently told an industrial congerence at Purdue Univesity that synthetic detergents may cause serious foaming at sewage treatment plants, and also create undesiradble conditions in downstream water supplies

He said that experiments indicate some detergents pass through the usual sewage treatment processed without being removed up to 90 per cent of the time.

That's just the condition we have at Last Lake and down as far as the Tippecanoe River, and nothing is being done about it because the Board of Health engineers made a mistake in approving the present badly engineered sewage plant white elephant, and haven't the honesty to admit their mistakes.

It's time Governor Handley starts bumping heads and cleaning up the Board of Healt as he is already doing commenfably in the HIghway commission

1957 - Officals Investigate condition of Hawk Lake

1959 - July 22 - Temporary dam was almost completed on Lost Lake

This is stated but I have found no accounts of it being done - the only metion found is The folks who suffer most in this deplorable instance are those ten families who reside on Hawk Lake. They were finally given a special permit last Friday to contruct a temporary dirt dam, at their own expense, in the outlet of the little lake. This will give temporary relief because it will raise the water level in the little lake about two feet. - 22 Jul 1959

In fact a statement made in the Maxinkuckee Fish & Game Club meeting notes seveal years later states:
About two years ago the club relinquished its regular meeting night and the hall to the property owners and interested parties fo the purpose of making plans to construct a dam of which time they failed to reach any agreement ... 19 AUg 1959

1957 - Oct. 3, Copper sulfate applied to lake. Water level was down 1.44 feet from year’s high

One of the earlier accounts found is: There is an air of mystery, incompentence, and neglect surrounding a recurring problem once again rearing its head at Hawk Lake. Residents there awoke Thursday morning to millions of dead minnows and hundreds of thousands of dead fish floating along the shores - bloating and rotting in the heat. By noon the odor was positively unbearable ! All homes were closed up tightly and women and children confined indoors. The usual dry midsummer heat has caused water levels in Lake Maxinkuckee - - which feed Hawk Lake - - to lower, leabing the little lake f ull of stagnant water. In addition, Culver 's sewage plant has been feeding Hawk Lake for the past seven years, causing extra fertilization to obnoxious plants in the lake and choking out desirable plants; the result is too little oxygen in the water for fish to exist. - 22 July 1959 Culver Citizen - here is what appears to be the full article an anymous Letter to the Editor

The renowned writer and Indianapolis Star reporter Robert K. Kyle even had his say.

Regarding "The Stink HOle of Lost (Hawk) Lake"

Elkhart, Ind.
Editor, Citizen

Re: The Stink Hole of Lost Lake

Just one thing will cure this and nothing else will. Open up the dam and channel between the lakes so boats and sih can go and come easily.

If the people of Union townhsop want to maintian the present water level a dam should be a Walley's Ford below Lost Lake. This alone would not cure the stink but it would maintain the present water level.

If the sewer disposal plant to working properly no stink will come from that source.

Wegetation has little to fdo with the problem

If fish can go and come from the big lake as easily as they did years ago there will be no dead fish.

If that dam and channel were open as wide and as deep as formerly the increase in real estate values would more than offset the cost. - Allen A. Norris M.D. 5 AUg 1959

1959 - Concerning Hawk Lake

The Maxinkuckee Fish & Game Club does not wish to engage in a literary debate but we would like to defend the club against the misinforomation in a recently published artice concernign Hawk Lake.

About two years ago the club relinquished its regular meeting night and the hall to the property owners and interested parties fo the purpose of making plans to construct a dam of which time they failed to reach any agreement.

The club of its own accord contacted the Town Board and secured copper sulfate for the purpose of treating Hawk Lake to kill the algae and has kept the permit up to date which has to be renewed every 30 days or so to treat the lake, and has done the treating for the past three years, which is the entire life of the club.

We might also add that we have contacted the State Board of Health many times in the past three years about Hawk Lake... 19 Aug 1959 19 Aug 1959

1959 - Oct 14 - Charles Faulkenr's moved into their home on Hawk Lake.

1960 - Jan 27 - A petition filed to set Hawk lake level -

So sometime after this date the dam at the south end of Hawk's lake probably in the area of Walley's Ford that Allen Norris suggested in 1957.

In the 1970's. 1980's the home owners on the northern edge of the lake took action to try and halt the demise of Hawk Lake - this was spear headed by Larry Boetsma as well as the other homeowners of Sunny Lane, during that time period.

1991 - Nov. 13 - In order to get public funding to clean up Lost Lake there must be a public access. Lawrence White offers to deed 5 acres of land to the State of Indiana for a public access site. Representatives from the DNR and the state meet with Lawrence White to review the feasibility of the access site.

1992 - Jan. 13 - State denies the land and the access site because of the poor condition of Lost Lake.

1992 May 31 - Little Lake Maxinkuckee Association members make repairs to the Lost Lake dam and secure the channel to prevent tampering which had been occurring

1992 - July 1 - The Sewage Treatment Plant effluent is finally rerouted around Lost Lake. 1998 - June 28 Residents of Lost Lake were informed about the proposed changes to the weir on the big lake <-- although this project has been under consideration for the past two years. -->

One of the Old Hawk farm barns still stands on the western shore near there and the new home sit north of the barn and bear the lake shore.

Lawrence and Veenice (Hawk) White built the only house that stood on the western shore for years The Hawk farm land to the west of it was sold of in the late 1990's and developement on it has started to occur but most will probably be non-lake side by the laid out plats; as mentioned above.

and on the south east end one can see a small plat laid out - this was the Busart farm also remaining are the two larger plat and is still held by the heirs as Denise Runhow etal.

In 2009 Lot One of the Hawk's Lake Subdivision and adjacent property became a new subdivision "William & Robin Harris Sub Replat".

Somewhere between 2006-2011 a house was built on the north western shore across from the Hawk homstead farmhouse; this plat of ground is owned by William R. III and Robin Harris.

The folks who suffer most in this deplorable instance are those ten families who reside on Hawk Lake. They were finally given a special permit last Friday to contruct a temporary dirt dam, at their own expense, in the outlet of the little lake. This will give temporary relief because it will rais the water level in the little lake about two feet. - 22 Jul 1957 There was a dam built to maintain the water level of the lake - it assumed that it is here - on the southern edge of Hawk lake at the outlet

The Outlet again continues at the southern edge of Hawk lake off to the east of Tamarack Road. From there it continues on south through Banks Farm which belonged to Fred and Edith (Hatten) Banks and 76 acres of it still belongs to their son Randel E. and Gloria Banks and the Manchester farm on the west and the the Busart/Runhow property on the east and through the Gregory Sefchek farm to St. Rd. 110

and acrosses it into Fulton county

and crosses it into Fulton county and continues as Wilson Ditch southward approximately 12 miles on down to the Tippecanoe River.