history

In the beginning

"Forgotten in the wilderness, surrounded by swamp land and marshes, with scarcely any trees, windswept by gels unbroken by hills, hamlets, or groves." Incredible as it seems today, these words were descriptive of Storm Lake in 1855. By the late 1860's however, pioneers could see the promise of a bright future in this wild land and a small settlement began here.

In 1870, those who had begun settling in Storm Lake celebrated the coming of the railroad. This is when Storm Lake was officially laid out on the north shore of the lake and the little settlement on the southwest shore became known as "the old town."

What's in a name?

The most widely accepted story of the naming of Storm Lake goes as follows: At one time the lake had been called Boyer Lake, based upon the mistaken assumptions that it was the source of the Boyer River. When the error was discovered the name was abandoned, and the lake was once again nameless. One night in 1855 when a party of U.S. surveyors was encamped on the shore, an old trapper drifted in and asked to remain with them overnight. He asked the surveyors the name of the lake and was told it had none. When the surveyors also informed him that they were forbidden from naming the lake as that was a privilege reserved to old settlers or hunters, the old-timer stated that he would give the body of water a name the next day. That night a furious storm blew down the trapper's tent, and he aptly chose the name Storm Lake.

Saving the lake

In 1916 members of the Game Commission were invited to visit Storm Lake to consider how to get rid of green algae growth. Members of the 1926 State Legislature were entertained in Storm Lake at a fish fry. They were taken for a ride on and around the lake to show the need for dredging and algae treatment. The entertainment of members of the legislature, the Executive Council of Iowa and members of the state conservation commission continued until a dredge was brought in at the state's expense. For several years it worked away at pumping silt from the bottom of the lake and then was moved away.

In 1958, a Save the Lake Campaign began. The Lake Improvement Committee proposed that citizens of Storm Lake raise $50,000 for dredging in order to secure $120,000 from the state for lake restoration. The $50,000 was readily raised by a door-to-door canvass, a teen-hop, rollerama, boat races, ice cream socials and a street dance. The next year the dredge was launched in Storm Lake where it remained until the summer of 1971.

Over the past decade, significant watershed protection measures have been put into place. Siltation has halted. Dredging has been an ongoing project and will continue with funding support from Buena Vista County, the City of Storm Lake, City of Lakeside, Department of Natural Resources and individuals from the community.