Devil's Lake near Pine City

[DetectorGuy]

Yesterday Nate and I did a dive at Devils Lake near Pine City. The viz at the top 12' was 15'. There was a distinct thermocline at 12' and the viz was only 2'-3' below that. We found lots of junk. There were about a dozen tires, 6 bikes, a shopping cart, a large battery, a chest freezer, and dozens of swim trunks below the rope swing on the West side. Along with this junk we did find a few trinkets: a snowboard, a skateboard, a 14" Channellock plier, & a nice little pocket knife. There is no public access to this small but deep lake (85' deep). We had to put the Remote Access Dive Vehicle in low range 4x4 just to get the boat near the water and then physically lift the boat on and off the trailer. Now we can cross that lake off the bucket list.

[Shooter]

"mamma says" that access is the devil! We had been trying to figure out how to dive that lake for several years. rumor had it that there was a train derailment with several of the boxcars being left underwater. We were hoping to locate the cars, document the historical artifacts and anchors, and register the site with the state to keep out looters (terry). While we did confirm with some of the local historians that there was a derailment, we found no signs of the boxcars underwater.

[grumpie]

Before jumping in the lake looking for box cars. Do some Research in the local papers and see if there was a train wreck and where.  John check the back issues of the pine city paper.  Just like when you helped me find my grandparents cemetery.

[Shooter]

But we like to jump in the lake! Its much more entertaining than researching old newspapers and stuffy libraries!

I warned John about the skateboard :o, it was pretty vintage looking and closing in on "historical significance" Speaking of historical significance, did you ever hear back from MHM?

Speaking of boxcars and of my recent conversion 

[DetectorGuy]

I haven't done any real research on the possible trainwreck except online. There have been many people in the past asking questions to find out more about it, but not many answers to the questions. Near as I can tell there was a train wreck on the west side of Devils Lake. The local historian has a photo of the wreck with the lake in the background of the photo. I went up on the tracks on Saturday and I could see the curvature in the track layout where in the past the tracks swept closer to the lake than they are now. It appears that the train was heading North and the hillside gave away right after this sharp curve in the tracks. In the water there are several large stumps and 36" diameter logs with a distinct "V" cut on one end right in this area adjacent to the tracks. The underwater hillside drops very rapidly here at about a 45 degree slope. Many of the questions being asked are about a circus train in the late 1800's that derailed here.
One question from 2008:
2627. Train wreck, MN 1800s, 13 Oct 2008 - My sister lives in Pine City MN. We have heard stories of a 1800's Circus train wreck. The trail tracks run along a lake and I believe the story may be true. Its said a circus train derailed into Devils lake in Pine City, Minnesota. Devils Lake is 90 feet deep and the Circus train is at the bottom. Do you have any information that may help solve this mystery? Thank you, Christine. Reply to this message, replies go to this board, not to the message sender.

Reply: 15 Oct 2008 - Have you tried contact the Minnesota Historical Soc in St Paul? They do have some information on Circus's is Minnesota. NedCircus@aol.com

Here is a link to part of a book with photos of a train next to Devils Lake, but not of the actual derailment:


Not really related to Devils lake, but here is a report from the Army in 1880 river depths in Minnesota and this portion is about the Snake River:

If you scroll up a couple pages to page 1827, it talks about two steamboats on the Snake. One was 60' and the other was 110' long... Interesting.

[Terry]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and register the site with the state to keep out looters (terry).
                         
                                  What County's that Devils Lake in? oh, and is there a fence?
                 
                                              :-\  I remember after much research time, (donated from what little goodness there is in my heart) and extensive diving time, (close to an hour and 10 min under) on one cylinder no less, I did find, recover and restore 7 mini archaeological sites from the depths of Deer Lake out Hwy. 8 in Sconnie. I did have a difficult time trying to find the proper place to display this unique and historically significant representation of not only, the various boat securing devices, but of course, my stellar diving abilities, and ultimately, due to lack of funding, decided they would all be moved from their temporary display area, the spray dodger on the front of my zodiac, to what I had hoped to be a more permanent display location, the end of the dock, at the public launch on the east end of the lake. As I unloaded tanks from the zodiac, I admired how nice a display it was. People had already started to gather, I was proud as a peacock, (I know a lot of you might have a hard time envisioning that one) I even attracted the local sheriff, who had been busy telling people to remove the various exotic species from their boat trailers. He asked me if I intended to leave my display? No doubt I needed a permit or something in Sconnie,,,,I told him I would move my display over to the large green wheeled metal museum in the corner of the parking lot, at which time he told me no, he'd take care of it for me, how dandy I thought. As I drove away I looked back, and he was setting up his own display of these valuable historical artifacts in the back of his sheriff's cruiser. I felt good all the way home,,,,,,,,TRINITY

[Shooter]

;D Pine county, no fence yet, no public access.  :-X ( pg 95 of the [glow=red,2,300]master dive plan[/glow])

He was probably taking them to the hysterical historical society, where they could be properly inventoried  :

[Schultzy324]

Is there anyway you could send me these pictures? They won't open for me? I'm a pine city local doing research on the lake and stories surrounding it

[DetectorGuy]

Is there anyway you could send me these pictures? They won't open for me? I'm a pine city local doing research on the lake and stories surrounding it
[/quote]
I'll try to find some of them in my archives, Send me a PM and I will get your e-mail. We can swap stories about this lake.