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Lake Wingra is one of five lakes in the Yahara Chain of Lakes located in and around Madison, Wisconsin. Lake Wingra is known for its urban qualities, as it surrounded by a variety of different types of land use including university, arboretum, zoo, and residential. The smallest of all 5 lakes, Lake Wingra is our home here at Edgewood Campus School. What a gift to be able to learn from such a great teacher!
Lake Wingra is one of five lakes in the Yahara Chain of Lakes located in and around Madison, Wisconsin. Lake Wingra is known for its urban qualities, as it surrounded by a variety of different types of land use including university, arboretum, zoo, and residential. The smallest of all 5 lakes, Lake Wingra is our home here at Edgewood Campus School. What a gift to be able to learn from such a great teacher!
Image from: Ho-chunk Nation
Whose land is this?
Whose land is this?
The Edgewood Campus School occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial. In 1832, the US Government forced the Ho-chunk and other Native American communities to cede the land of Lake Wingra. While our (Edgewood Campus Schools') history at Lake Wingra is much more recent, the land and waters of Lake Wingra were home to many Native American tribes. The name "Wingra" comes from the Ho-chunk word "duck". The waters and shore lines of Lake Wingra were filled with important resources including wild rice and fresh fish and are home to over a dozen sacred burial mounds. As we hopefully look towards a future where people and ecological communities are treated with respect, we must acknowledge our past. It is important for us to continue the study of this past so that we may preserve it for the future. More info here.
contour map lake wingra.pdfLake Wingra Statistics
336 acre lake
6,000,000 m3 (210,000,000 cu ft) volume
over 1 square mile surface area
Watershed area: 3,456 acres
Surface area: 345 acres
Shoreline: 4 miles
Maximum depth: 6.7 meters or 22 feet
Mean depth: 9 feet
Flushing rate: 1.3 years
Chain of Lakes
Chain of Lakes
Lake Wingra is the smallest of the chain of lakes that make up the Yahara River Watershed.
wingra-springs-2005-2.pdfSpring fed
Spring fed
Lake Wingra is unique for many reasons. One of these reasons is that it is fed by over a dozen springs. The map above shows the location of some of these springs
Birds Eye View
Birds Eye View
Postcard from 1928 shows Kake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Wingra, Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa.
Not always an urban lake
Not always an urban lake
The image to the right shows a very different view of Lake Wingra. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the image shows "Dudgeon neighborhood looking across Monroe Street to Lake Wingra with Knickerbocker Ice house (1895-1937) in background. Houses identified from left are 628 Knickerbocker Street, 657 Knickerbocker Street, and 660 Knickerbocker Street. The future Crandall Avenue runs diagonally across the frame towards Lake Wingra."
Recreational Opportunities
Recreational Opportunities
Lake Wingra has something for everyone! The calm waters of Lake Wingra offer opportunities for swimming, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, log rolling, fishing, birding, and middle school science. The picture to the left offers an image of what swimming lessons looked like on Lake Wingra in 1958 (Wisconsin Historical Society.)
Historical evidence of springs
Historical evidence of springs
Charles E. Brown describes the many springs in and around Lake Wingra in this magazine article from 1927 from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Wisconsin Magazine of History from 1927 that describes the springs of Lake Wingra in detail
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