Lake Papakeechie is a small man-made lake of located in Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The lake is situated south of and drains into Lake Wawasee. The lake is owned by the papakeechie Protective Association.
History
Lake Papakeechie is named after Miami chief Papakeecha or Pa-hed-ke-teh-a, the most influential chief in the region around Lake Wawasee.
Papakeechie was created just before 1910 in the same location and in a basin where six small lakes once occupied this area. The small lakes were named Jarret's, Gan's, Hooper's and three named Hartzell's. Early in the 19th century a fish trap or fish weir was constructed at the outlet where water flowed to Lake Wawasee where settlers would easily catch fish. The lake (with dam) was deemed completed in 1913.
When an earthen dam was constructed by Charles A. Sudlow of Indianapolis on that north side, the water level rose elevating large masses of vegetation. These were loaded with rocks and filled with holes and sunk to the bottom.
A 1931 Syracuse Chamber of Commerce booklet shows 69 homes on the lake. Today, there are close to 400 houses around the lake, 300 of those on the lake front. There are still a few undeveloped lots owned by individuals adjacent to existing property and a wedge of wooded area. The lots, wide with various depths, were sold for $500 each. The of shoreline was known as “good for fishing.” The booklet, possibly used as a sales tool, provided the legend, topography, history, information about the hatcheries, the corporation and approaches, complete with photos of the various areas and survey of the property.
The Legend
The legend states three small tribes of the Great Potowattamie family often settled around the largest lake in the region. The largest and most powerful tribe occupied Conklin Hill, overlooking the lake from the west and their chieftain's name was “Wawasee.” Chief Flatbelly took his people to the peninsula on the north which now bears his name, “while the finest and bravest young chieftain of them all, having the smallest tribe, was obliged to settle on the hills and fish in the little lakes that lay adjacent to the big one, on the south.” When a map of the region was made, it was seen two lakes formed a turkey with a monstrous head with the streams as whiskers. Thus the original name of Turkey Lake.
The legend is when summer homes rose thick and fast around its shores and fashion folk came swell, the spirit of “Wawasee came floating back, ate up the turkey and fastened his name upon the lake where it shall remain imperishable as that of Caesar.”
Six Lakes
High hills, deep holes, swamps and razorback ridges made up the landscape. The deep holes were full of water and full of fish, yet the terrain around made the water inaccessible. “Immediately adjoining Lake Wawasee was a valley extending more than one mile to the inland; it was broken by several high mounds and two extensive promontories; and its border rises from above its level.” The mounds, promontories and most of the border were covered with second growth timber 40–60 feet high. Six of these little lakes from in extent and from in depth were scattered about the valley. Sudlow had a dream of “A Sportsman’s Paradise.”
History
Sudlow organized The Northern Indiana Improvement Company and bought the land within and surrounding the valley with the little lakes. The company constructed several dams aggregating in length, across the several openings and within a few rods of the shores of Wawasee. Wells were driven on all sides of the valley, tapping the artesian wells producing a lake with a level about nine feet above the level of Wawasee across the highway. More than of land was acquired with 325 submerged “making one of the most beautiful lakes of pure, clear water to be found in all the world. The mounds are islands and the promontories add thousands of feet of beautiful building sites to its shore line. It has no inlet except from the surrounding hills and subterranean source, but a perpetual stream flows from it into Lake Wawasee.