A View of the Lake

This article submitted by Linda Lorentzen on 8/4/98.

On the way to a fast pitch softball tournament in Hutchinson, we were noticing all the wildlife along the road. A couple of hawks were sighted on top of highway signs, frogs and butterflies tried to cross the road, deer stood quietly by the road at dusk, and a hog ran down the shoulder of the highway. The hog wasn’t exactly in the wildlife category, however, my family considered it a wild event to see a hog escaping. Over the years other wildlife has made the news in and around Lake Koronis.

In the fall of 1921, a black bear was seen near Lake Koronis. The Paynesville Press reported, “Some weeks ago the bear was seen east of Lake Koronis and during the latter part of October, the writer came across a bear northwest of Lake Koronis and was able to get within almost a hundred yards of the animal. However, being armed with only a double-barrel shotgun, there was no chance of shooting the animal as it could move about readily in the thick underbrush.” The bear was spotted in a cornfield between Kimball and Watkins in October. In November the supposed same bear was killed near South Haven. No other details were available.

A different kind of wildlife was causing problems in June 1920. Army worms, striped caterpillars about 1 1/2 inches in length with a greenish brown and black speckled head with dark stripes on its back and two sides, attacked green vegetation in and around Paynesville. The millions of worms stripped trees of their leaves as they moved northward. “At the places around the Soo Line, great numbers were crossing the track and going north. At the Lake Koronis inlet bridge there was a line of the worms passing over the bridge to the north side of the river. The worms will, no doubt, be on the move every warm day.”

An article entitled, “Fly Time Nears; Plan Fight Now,” appeared in 1920 in The Paynesville Press. Certain precautions were outlined in the article to prevent a fly epidemic. “Filth and manure should not be allowed to accumulate as it is in such places that the fly lays its eggs. Flies do not like cleanliness. Early flies should be killed as they are the ones that bring the thousands later on in the season. Fly elimination can be summed up in, begin early and keep everlastingly at it.”

Wildlife, from frogs and flies to bears and bugs, has been and will always be a part of Lake Koronis. Contending with the various forms of wildlife is what makes for a challenging view from the lake.

Information for this column was taken from the following issues ofThe Paynesville Press: May 20, 1920; June 10, 1920; and November 24, 1921.


Return to Archives