About Lake Leota

Lake Leota and the surrounding park are the most beautiful assets the city has. People attending celebrations in the park comment on how the lake adds to the ambiance and those who have lived with and enjoyed the lake and park think of it as an important part of their lives. Many people have settled in Evansville due to the beauty and serenity of Lake Leota. Beyond the individual and community feeling about what the lake means to residents, it serves ecological and environmental purposes such as providing refuge for wildlife and nesting for various bird species.

The lake is not a luxury, but part of the infrastructure of Evansville and should be considered as such just as the city street and electric, water and sewer system. Just like all city assets Lake Leota has a required maintenance schedule. It needs occasional physical attention to keep it looking its best and meeting the needs of the public and the creatures living around the lake. The dam was repaired a few years ago but the lake has not received a real cleaning since it was created in the 1920's and is seriously clogged with sediment. Our mission is to rehabilitate Lake Leota and Allen creek upstream to make them both healthy assets for the community.

About SOLE

Goals and Accomplishments

SOLE (Save Our Lake Environment) is a committee of community volunteers who work closely with the Evansville City Council, Park Board and Public Works Committee to rehabilitate Lake Leota and the upper stream. To date SOLE has arranged for a detailed engineering survey and primary environmental assessment of the lake. Sole has also assisted in securing grants for future lake planning, for an upper stream conservation study to assist with erosion and land practice problems, developing habitat organizations and to educate communities about home projects such as rain gardens and fertilizer use.

The ultimate goal is to dredge and rehabilitate the lake so it supports desirable fish species, water fowl and wild life. Then citizens could again have a place for fishing, boating and enjoyment of the natural scenic beauty.

Officers & Directors

SOLE is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the law of the State of Wisconsin SS181.0821 and registered as an exempt from taxes under the CFR 501(c)(3).

The corporate officers are:

• Gilbert Wiedenhoeft, Chair
• S. David Roang, Vice Chair
• James Turner, Treasurer
• Kelly Gildner, Communications Coordinator

The directors are:

• Milford Frome
• Troy Larson
• Randy Rinehart
• Gilbert Wiedenhoeft

Lake Leota History

In the 1840's the lake was known as the mill pond and its waters powered a flour mill. In the early 1900's other types of power became available and the dam was breached and the pond drained. Evansville's citizens petitioned the city to rebuild the dam and in 1922 the city purchased the property for the park and lake. The dam was rebuilt in 1923. No one is sure where the name "Lake Leota" originated but Leota means "of the people" in old German.

Over the years the normal ageing and unwise land use upstream have nearly filled the lake with sediment. In places the water covered the sediment by only one foot. In October 2005 the lake was drained to compact the sediment, rid the lake of undesirable fish species that had forced out the more desirable species and to allow a determination of sediment characteristics and amount of soil to be removed when the lake is dredged.

Visit: http://www.evansvillehistory.net/LakeLeota.html to read the full history of Lake Leota by Ruth Ann Montgomerty.