Several kayakers enjoy Teal Lake in the city of Negaunee. (Journal file photo)

NEGAUNEE — Teal Lake, located within the city of Negaunee, is a gem for the West End of the County. It covers an area of 466 acres and has a maximum depth of 32 feet. Shallow shorelines are very limited with most of the lake being greater than 3.5 feet deep.

Teal Lake has provided a very popular and productive sport fishery for many years. Its species includes one of the few naturally reproducing populations of walleye found in the Upper Peninsula.

Early settlers in Negaunee made a living off of the lake. In the late 1800’s the Neely and Williamson sawmill was located on the shores of Teal Lake. Logs were cut on the opposite side of the lake floated across to the mill site, in the vicinity of the water works building.

The Thompson and Kappes families harvested ice in the winter for residents to buy for their “ice boxes” to preserve their food in the warm months. The ice was preserved in sawdust.

In 1904, Ema stilson Orr (age 42), Florence Crane (age 17), Roy Mitchell (age 16) and Gordon Piper (age 15), all lost their lives in Teal Lake as did Nazar Remillard (age 35) and Willfred Remillard (age 20) in 1907.

In the 1920’s organizations like the International Order of Oddfellows, even held pageants at Teal Lake.

Teal Lake is a year-round playground with rowing, canoeing, kayaking, sailboarding, ice fishing, and in 1995 when the city no longer used Teal Lake as a supplier for drinking water, it was opened up for swimming.

A little known fact about Teal Lake is that the “White House” was once located on a piece of land that jutted out into the lake in an area that is now known as cambria location.

This was long before U.S. 41 ran adjacent to the lake and even before there was a place known as Negaunee! It was named because of its whiteness in contrast to the woods around it.

In 1852, a wealthy man, James Reynolds, built a house on the lake for his ailing daughter. It was only used one summer for the purpose for which it was built. The young girl died before another summer would come around.

This summer home would also be used by the Reynolds family as a place for worship for the congregation now known as St. John’s Episcopal Church. It also became a barracks for the soldiers who came to preserve order during the labor riots.

When the mines opened in the Teal Lake area, it was used a boarding house for miners. The home burned to the ground in May 1879. It is thought that the fire was set intentionally because of squabbles among several parties as to who would take posession of it.