Welcome to Walgren Lake! Situated a few miles to the south of Hay Springs, Nebraska, and a few miles to the west of my parents' farm, this lake is the stuff of legends, home to the "Walgren Lake Monster." I like to think of it as a quiet place to enjoy the soft sounds of waves rippling against a narrow, sandy shore, or the louder racket of whatever is going on in my head.
Below you'll see the original rock house built in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Using rocks hauled in from a neighboring slough, this is the small gathering house described by pioneering writers in the old newspaper clippings. A shelter for settlers hiding from Sioux on "the warpath," this house is today a gathering spot for picnics and reunions.
Taken from north of the lake house, this picture hows a bit of the frozen lake and the dock leading to the lake. In the spring, summer and fall (anytime the water is flowing) you can happen upon all sorts of families fishing off this dock. Perch, bluegill, crappie and the very rare walley can be caught in this lake, and sometimes at the mouth of the creek (we say "crick" round here. This is small-time fishing, so bobbers and garden worms do the trick.
A view of the lake taken through the lake house window. Three windows of similar construction allow plenty of light and air to flow into the building, and becuase of the material, it's always nice and cool inside.
The shoreline, frozen and solid. Even in the summer the colors aren't much different; on this end of the lake there is little beachfront, and the reeds and cattails always lend their shades of gold and brown to the vivid contrasts of green and blue water.
Thanks for the tour of Lake Walgren. The picture of the lakeview from the stone lake house is so beautiful. Although it looks so cold, it somehow feels very cozy at the same time.
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