Minnesota abounds in lakes of great beauty. They are from one to fifty
miles in diameter, and are well stocked with a variety of fish. Those
beautiful lakes are found in every portion of the State, sparkling on
the open prairie, hidden in groves, or resting calm and pure in the
depths of the silent forest.
"It may be interesting," says John W. Bond, Secretary of the Minnesota
State Board of Immigration, "to note the areas of a few of the largest
lakes in our State. Lake Minnetonka contains 16,000 acres; Lake
Winnebagoshish, 56,000 acres; Leech Lake, 114,000 acres; and Mille Lacs,
130,000 acres. Red Lake, which is much larger than any other in the
State, has not yet been surveyed.
"The above estimate of 2,700,000 acres in lakes does not embrace the
vast water areas included in the projected boundary lines of the State
in Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods, and along the great water
stretches of the international line."
The importance to the State of having Lake Superior as an outlet for its
produce cannot be overestimated. The day is not distant when a large
amount of grain will be shipped in bulk from the Minnesota harbor
(Duluth) on Lake Superior, to the Liverpool market in England.