Lake Winni Fun Fact

[Shreddy]

"On August 3, 1852 on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH, a crew race between Harvard and Yale was the very first intercollegiate athletic event in the US."

I had no idea...any other fun facts about the lake?

[fatlazyless]

In 1822, the Lakeport Dam was built in Laconia and it raised the Lake Winnipesaukee water level by about 18 feet. Prior to that, Lake Winnipesaukee was about seven or eight smaller lakes that were interconnected by a natural downstream flow of water from Lee's Mills to Moultonborough to Melvin Village to the broads to the Weirs, to Paugus Bay, to the Lakeport Dam in Laconia, and over the dam and into the Winnipesaukee River. A lot of water has gone over that dam since 1822! Lake Winnipesaukee contains about 75-billion gallons of very fresh water and is about 22 miles long.

Starting in the 1820's, using water power from the Lakeport Dam, Laconia used to be a world famous mill town that produced cotton material for clothing, and railroad cars/street cars for use in railroads/trolley systems around the U.S.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Prior to that, Lake Winnipesaukee was about seven or eight smaller lakes that were interconnected by a natural downstream flow of water from Lee's Mills to Moultonborough to Melvin Village to the broads to the Weirs, to Paugus Bay, to the Lakeport Dam in Laconia, and over the dam and into the Winnipesaukee River. A lot of water has gone over that dam since 1822!

I disagree FLL.

Please visit the History of the Lake Size thread.

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

In an effort to find out how the lake looked way back when, I found these survey and rail road maps.

They give you and idea of how similar Winnipesaukee is then and now.


1756 Map of His Magesty's Provence of NH


1771 Winipifsioket Pond


1794 Survey Map of Winnipesaukee


1845 Winnipesaukee RR Map (Crooked because the map was drawn with north in the wrong place.)


1894 RR Map of Winnipesaukee Area

These maps can be found on the PhotoPost for closer detail.

I'll post more on the dam facts later, when I have more time.

[Argie's Wife]

This thread is a job for.... Super McDude!

Where's McDude these days?

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

...
I'll post more on the dam facts later, when I have more time.

I'm looking forward to more dam facts!

[Hermit Cover]

That was going to be my line!!! Great info RG! Did you say you saved all these maps since you were a little girl??

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Pepper

I'm looking forward to more dam facts!

...and more facts about those dam operators, too.

[SIKSUKR]

I DAMand that FLL be banned from posting facts.

[BroadHopper]

At one time, there was a cleft in Lakeport that diverted the flow of water out of Alton to the sea. Pretty much the path of Merrymeeting River. The lake was much bigger then. Lily Pond in Gilford was part of the big lake.

When the cleft broke in prehistoric times, the lake settled to the current depth minus about 20 feet before the dam was built. Cattle Landing was named because it was shallow enough to walk cattle from the mainland to Bear island.

When they built the dam, Endicott Rock would have been under water. It was moved from to its present location for all to enjoy as well as protect it from the weather.

The dam was built by the mills in Lowell Mass to ensure they have plenty of water to power the mills at all time. The dam also benefits mills along the Merrimack River.

[fatlazyless]

Well, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and a map is very similar to a picture, so that makes a map an excellent source of information.

My basis for what I said was a vague recollection from a few years back found on a google search on the Lakeport Dam.....just off the top of my head as I was running late and heading out the door.....so definately some more dam research is needed here to investigate this hypothicized 18' height increase made by the 1822 building of the dam. Thankyou in advance Rattlesnake Gal.

[nvtngtxpyr]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

My basis for what I said was a vague recollection from a few years back found on a google search on the Lakeport Dam.....just off the top of my head as I was running late and heading out the door.....

And that's why you should check your facts before posting. Unfortunately many people believe what they read on the Internet.

[fatlazyless]

Now, just hold on there a minute, because I still accurately claim that the Lakeport Dam, built in 1822, raised the water level by 18 feet.

This dam construction is the origin of Lake Winnipesaukee as it has existed from 1822 till today. When I say 1822, let me readjust that just a little to include the time period from 1822 till about 1827 as the time when the dam was built up to a height similar to its' existing size today.

The dam changed everything on the lake. It changed it from a group of about 7 - 8 smaller lakes into one large lake, and I can back this up with some good reference research, but not right now. I got to get going and haven't got the time right now.........so.....later....alligator!

[Bizer]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Now, just hold on there a minute, because I still accurately claim that the Lakeport Dam, built in 1822, raised the water level by 18 feet.

While possible, that seems unlikely. It may have raised the level of Paugus Bay by 18 feet, but not the entire lake. The Weirs channel (which extends from Weirs Beach to Naswa) is about four feet deep. Hence, the main part of the lake could only drop by four feet at most. At that level (and lower) there is no way for water to exit the lake.

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Lake Winnipesaukee contains about 75-billion gallons of very fresh water ...

It contains a lot more than that. With 72 square miles of surface area, there are 75 billion gallons of water in the top five feet alone.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Bizer

While possible, that seems unlikely. It may have raised the level of Paugus Bay by 18 feet, but not the entire lake. The Weirs channel (which extends from Weirs Beach to Naswa) is about four feet deep. Hence, the main part of the lake could only drop by four feet at most. At that level (and lower) there is no way for water to exit the lake.

Agreed and I believe that the channel was dredged also.

[jrc]

I think we should remember that without a dam the level of the lake was far from the stable values we have today. Today the lake varies less than 2 feet over the year. Without a dam the level would vary much more.

Maybe during dry years or at the end of summer, the channel between the main lake and Paugus bay got very shallow. We've all seen the drawings of Indians trapping fish there in the original wiers. As the lake water dropped below the bottom of the channel the lake had no exit, so it would fill until the level rose. There maybe other areas with similar natural dams.

I doubt very much the average lake level was 18 feet lower in 1822, there is too much contrary eveidence, and FLL never backs his "facts". But I could believe that the water varied 18 feet in those years, between spring flooding and a very dry fall.

I have no facts just my guesses.

[Seeker]

I believe FLL always has his dam facts correct and we should all take his words as gospel.

[NoBozo]

If we had had the environmentalist whackos we have today..back in 1822, the lake would be just a few "Duck Puddles" now. Just sayin NB

[trfour]

Credit Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Winnipesaukee



Terry
__________________________________________

[fatlazyless]

From memory, I recall the winni divers guy saying that the old shoreline is visable underwater and is eighteen feet down below. So, it's right there, down there, 18' down below, etched into the underwater terrain, for all to see. Suggest you take a deep breath and go jump in the lake tomorrow to investigate.....ha ha....only kidding.....will check it out myself and report back with some prima facia evidence on b&w film and post it here!!

www.lakeportnh.org

www.weirsbeach.com/topten/reason9frame.html

www.winnipesaukee.co/forums/showthread.php?t=931

Ok...listen up....tomorrow at 9-am, there will be a 100-question pop quiz on these three Lakeport Dam related websites. Any results lower than an 80 get you flunked plus you'll have to go find the same number as your flunking grade in cigarette butts from off of the beach at Weirs Beach! That means.....receive a 78....you need to produce 78 grubby cigarette butts.....understand!

[Misty Blue]

I once heard that the old horse boats and barges used to be beached up in the top of Braun Bay late in the year. The Lake level then went down and they spent the winter there, ice free.

There is some small wreckage by the no rafting zone which I found as a kid. For the life of me it looks(ed) like the side cabins of a horse barge. Maybe it's just a couple of bob houses or out houses. 'Don't know.

It's a fun swim. About eight feet of H2O. In a line between the little cove at the top of the bay and the little cottage on the point on the east side of the cove. About 300 feet from the east shore.

Misty Blue

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

...and more facts about those dam operators, too.

is Keeper! (Though he hasn't been around for a while.)

Originally Posted by KEEPER

Nothing out of the ordinary is planned for this fall. I've attached the current ops procedures for the big lake. It's a bit of a read, but informative.

Lake Winnipesaukee Operating Information

Water Level and Flow Constraints:

June 1 through Columbus Day (Summer Recreation Season)
To the extent that weather conditions allow, levels are managed between 504.32 and 502.80 to facilitate the use of the lake for recreational enjoyment. Depending upon events and forecasts lake levels are allowed to climb to 504.80 (about 6 inches above full) for short periods of time to allow discharges at Lakeport to be managed to alleviate or lessen downstream
flooding/flood peaks and to avoid exceeding the capacity of downstream hydropower plants. Currently, a considerable amount of judgment is applied when making decisions regarding flow release during these “high water” periods. Since the wasting of water in excess of the hydropower capacity at Lakeport Dam (1,050 cubic feet per second (cfs)) is of concern, the
decision to do it is based upon factors such as: rate of rise (inflow), soil moisture condition, basin vegetation status, precipitation forecast and estimated length of time to return levels to within the normal range. When levels reach 504.50+/-, the number of complaints regarding shoreline structure damage or usability increases. This 71-square-mile lake has hundreds of permanent and seasonal homes with varying degrees of shoreline development When the level rises much above the full pond level of 504.32, impacts begin to occur. There is at least one marina that experiences problems with bridge access (low clearance) when levels begin to climb above full.

Issues associated with the lower end of the summer recreation range relate to hull/motor damage to boats and, like high water, to structure usability. Many abutters are accustomed to a certain range of water levels during the recreation season. However, when the lake is at the lower end of the range, docks and other structures may become less accessible (ex: hull draft is larger than depth at dock). The 250 cfs minimum outflow at Lakeport Dam can sometimes far outpace inflow during the summer recreation season and this, combined with normal summer evaporation, will cause the lake level to typically drop 12 to 15 inches over the course of the summer.

Columbus Day through December 31st
To the extent that weather conditions allow, the lake level is managed between elevations 503.00 and 503.50 during this period by releasing water at a rate that can be fully utilized by the downstream hydropower plants (250 to 1,050 cfs). This is done to facilitate shoreline property maintenance. If deemed appropriate, and based upon basin conditions and weather forecasts, levels will be allowed to climb above this range to prevent releases at Lakeport from exceeding 1,050 cfs. When the level begins to encroach on the full summer elevation (504.32), releases will be increased beyond the capacity of the hydropower plants to make lowering the lake level the first priority. DES also endeavors to reach a target level of approximately 502.80 on December 31st, which is approximately six inches above the full
drawdown depth of two feet. The water stored in this remaining six-inch band is release during the coldest months of January and February.

January 1st through May 31st
To the extent that weather conditions allow, water is released from Lakeport Dam to reach the full 2-foot drawdown (502.32) in the lake by about the end of the first week of March. The actual depth of the drawdown varies from year to year depending upon meteorological conditions; including prevalent base flow rates and snowpack. From March through May 31st the lake level
is allowed to climb as snowmelt, soil moisture and lake ice conditions allow. Discharges at Lakeport Dam are made based on both actual and predicted weather events. Ideally, flows will be maintained between 500 and 1,050 cfs throughout the period. During extremely cold periods, flows lower than 500 cfs cause frazzle ice to form along a steeply sloped reach upstream of
Franklin center, causing maintenance problems and reduced turbine efficiency at the local hydropower stations.

Summary of Operation Under Normal Conditions:
Lake Winnipesaukee is filled to between elevation 504.10 and 504.32 by June 1st. From June 1st to Columbus day, Lakeport Dam is operated as necessary, and in conjunction with other dams along the reach depending upon prevailing conditions, to maintain a minimum discharge of 250 cfs and to keep the lake from rising to more than 6 inches over full (504.80). Natural
meteorological conditions, coupled with the minimum discharge, typically cause the lake to gradually drop during the months of July through October. On or near Columbus Day, a two-week shutdown of flows at Lakeport Dam is initiated to facilitate maintenance in the river reach from the dam to the confluence of the Winnipesaukee and Pemigewasset rivers. After the
shutdown, discharges are returned to between 250 and 1,050 cfs, depending upon prevailing runoff and water level conditions within the basin, to facilitate the generation of hydropower. These increased flows are maintained until the lake level drops approximately 1.5 feet to elevation 503.00. Once this level is reached, the releases are managed so as to provide for a lake level at or slightly above this elevation on January 1st. Additionally, DES endeavors
to maintain a discharge between 500 to 750 cfs through the extremely cold months, as lower flows during these periods promote the formation of frazzle ice, which complicates the operation at some of the hydropower facilities. The objective is to achieve a maximum drawdown elevation of 502.32 in late February or early March, and then begin refilling the lake in mid to late March depending upon forecasts and the extent of the snowpack.

Summary of Operation Under Flood Conditions:
Releases from Lakeport Dam are kept to a maximum of 1,050 cfs (the maximum capacity of the hydropower plant at Lakeport), if possible. If the lake continues to rise or if more rain is forecast, releases at Lakeport Dam are generally increased in stages of 250 - 500 cfs per day, and flows are adjusted at the other dams along the river to keep pace with these releases and local inflow. Flows above 1,050 cfs are achieved by operating the hydro plant at maximum capacity and incrementally opening the dam’s 3 large floodgates. After the peak of the flood has passed, and after flows in the lower portion of the basin have had an opportunity to recede, flows at Lakeport Dam are increased and adjusted to keep the lake level receding
until it returns to the approximate level for that time of year. Any changes to the discharge at Lakeport Dam are made in consideration of the effects of those changes on the downstream reach.

The Weirs channel, which is relatively narrow and may be as little as 5 to 6 feet deep in some areas under full lake conditions, may act to back water up into Lake Winnipesaukee during high runoff events. In addition, the measuring flume just upstream of the Lakeport Dam may inhibit the ability to pass water downstream. However, the capacity of the flume exceeds other
constraints to flow downstream of Lakeport Dam. Therefore, the flume is not considered a limiting factor in flood operations.

Drawdown

Although Lake Winnipesaukee is operated within a 2-foot wide operating band, there isn't a traditional drawdown of this lake as experienced by many other smaller impoundments throughout the state. Rather, the traditional 9 to 12 inch drop of the lake level experienced through the summer is maintained through the Fall season. Then in January, flows are increased
at Lakeport Dam to gradually lower the lake to about elevation 502.32 - or 2 feet below full lake. This level is usually reached in late February or early March.

Originally Posted by KEEPER

Long Pine,
The drainage area of Lake Winnipesaukee does not lend itself very well to efficient inflow gaging. Though there are a few significant feeder streams - like the Merrymeeting River - the basin is so large that trying to generalize conditions for the whole basin by what is happening in the Alton/New Durham area doesn't work well. We've tried using gages at Poorfarm (Gunstock) and Shannon (Ossipee Mountains) brooks, but again we found that we were really only measuring conditions in a very small area.

What we do is use the change in lake elevation as measured at the Weirs Beach gage and the discharge at Lakeport Dam to estimate basin inflow.

inflow = (change in lake level (in hundredths of feet) X 230 cfs) + discharge at Lakeport

Example for a rising lake - yesterday to today:
level on day1 = 503.33
level on day2 = 503.43
ave. outflow at Lakeport between 7AM yesterday and 7AM today = 1017 cfs

Estimated average inflow between day1 and day2 is:
(+10x230) + 1017 = 3317 cfs

If the lake had fallen by 3 hundredths then inflow is about:
(-3x230) + 1017 = 327 cfs

If the lake is steady from one day to the next then inflow = outflow.

Though this method is approximate and doesn't provide us with "real-time" inflow values it is very useful, when combined with forecast information, in establishing inflow trends and guiding management decisions. As you state, other variables like snow melt, precip. and soil moisture can make a huge impact on inflow trends. The basin is ripe at this time of year, in general, and the water content in the current snow pack this spring is above normal.

Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Pepper

I'm looking forward to more dam facts!

.... and several posts that followed should have a warning against having anything in your mouth when reading. ..

[webmaster]

Originally Posted by Shreddy

any other fun facts about the lake?

Here's a little "fun fact" quiz question:

According to Bizer, these are the 5 largest islands on the lake in alphabetical order:

Bear, Cow, Governors, Long, Rattlesnake

Can you put them in the correct order, largest to smallest? Answer below.
























Long=1186 (acres); Bear=780; Cow=522; Governors=504; Rattlesnake=368

Anyone else surprised by the answers?

[Misty Blue]

Grant:

I too have never seen any sign of "man" which would indicate a shoreline in 15feet of water. But we did find...


A dear old pal of mine (and member) and I were snorkeling around Glines Island about ten years ago and found a most interesting structure. A fire pit. Yup, a fire pit in about five feet of water about 30-40 feet off of the western shore of the island.

This thing was not an accident. I had to be purposely made. It was (is) old. Now maybe someone decided to build a fire pit underwater or maybe it is not a fire pit at all but had some other purpose. I don't know. But if I were to guess I would say that if the Lake were five feet lower it would make a great SHORE SIDE fire pit.

Misty Blue.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by webmaster

Here's a little "fun fact" quiz question:

According to Bizer, these are the 5 largest islands on the lake in alphabetical order:

Bear, Cow, Governors, Long, Rattlesnake

Can you put them in the correct order, largest to smallest? Answer below.






Long=1186 (acres); Bear=780; Cow=522; Governors=504; Rattlesnake=368

Anyone else surprised by the answers?

Yes, I am. Cow, Governor's and Rattlesnake Islands look very similar in size to me.


Rattlesnake Island is much taller than all the other islands and if you use this Land to Acre Conversion Calculator, it comes up with a certain number.
This doesn't seem to take into account the height of the land. Am I just confused?



More Commonly Known Fun Facts:

Rattlesnake Island is the tallest island in the lake.
According to Bruce Heald's book, Lake Winnipesaukee, it is 390' above lake level.

Lake Winnipesaukee is 504' above sea level.

[BroadHopper]

LOL!

Many folks did not know that Rattlesnake Island is part of the Belknap Mountain range. Eons ago it was a volcano like the Ossipee Mountain range.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Many folks did not know that Rattlesnake Island is part of the Belknap Mountain range. Eons ago it was a volcano like the Ossipee Mountain range.

Mount Major in Alton is only 1,780 feet above sea level, which makes it only 886' taller than Rattlesnake Island!



This, great for framing Duncan Press Central Lakes Region Map clearly shows both the Ossipee and Belknap volcanic ring dikes.

Notice that Rattlesnake, Ship, Moose and Sleepers Islands seem to be part of this ring.


NH Geology: The Ossipee Mountain Ring Dike Complex (Scroll down.)
This relief map can be purchased at The Old Country Store in Moultonborough.


The Ossipee Mountain “Ring Dike”

[jkjoshuatree]

Can the general public climb the hill on Rattlesnake Island?

A neighbor of mine has done it a few times but I think she was friends with an owner on Rattlesnake.

Thanks.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Is completely privately owned, with no public access. So, you do have to know someone... and you do!

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

Yes, I am. Cow, Governor's and Rattlesnake Islands look very similar in size to me.


Rattlesnake Island is much taller than all the other islands and if you use this Land to Acre Conversion Calculator, it comes up with a certain number.
This doesn't seem to take into account the height of the land. Am I just confused?

RG, the acreage measurement is from the perspective of being measured as if you are looking straight down from space. Your son works for a surveyor and they use the computer to compensate for the difference between the theoretical horizontal dimensions and the real life terrain measurements. The cliff lot you have on Rattlesnake probably as an extra 20% surface area that does not count in the deed, map, selling price or tax bill.

[SIKSUKR]

Anybody else find it humerous that the RG's are responding to each other in this thread while probably sitting a few feet apart?

[Rattlesnake Gal]

According to the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society,

Winnipesaukee contains 274 inhabitable islands of which only 132 are one-quarter acre.

Click here for the very interesting full list.

It is interesting that there are:

2 - Birch Islands

3 - Cove Islands

2 - Half Mile Islands

3 - Little Pine Islands

4 - Loon Islands

2 - Penny Islands

2 - Rock Islands

3 - Rocky Ridge Islands

2 - Round Islands

Also, interesting that many are named for animals, fish, a reptile and an arachnid

Badger

Beaver


Bear


Big Beaver
From the Gallery of flyguy


Black Cat
From the Gallery of DRH


Cow
From the Gallery of Rose


Cub
From the Gallery of DRH


Eagle

Fish


Goose
From the Gallery of McDude


Goose Egg Rock (Also known as Rocky Island - Information from 1968-1969 Navigation Chart.)

Hawk’s Nest


Hen (Also known as Gypsy Island)

Horse

Little Badger


Little Bear
From the Gallery of Sunset Bob

Little Beaver

Little Loon

Little Vixen (Vixen is a female fox)


Loon

Middle Beaver


Mink
From the Gallery of Camp Island Girl


Moose

Perch


Pig
From the Just Sold Gallery

Raccoon


Rattlesnake

Scavenger

Shephard

Spider

Spring

Squirrel


Whaleback
From the Just Sold Gallery

Whaleback Point

There are four islands named after loons and not a single one named for our very abundant deer!
From the Gallery of baja-mamma

Next year I hope we can get pictures for Winnipesaukee.com's PhotoPost Gallery for many of our islands. (Notice how many I couldn't find photos for.)
Giving them good descriptions for those of us who might be using the search feature for threads like this.

[jkjoshuatree]

That's it. That's all I wanted to say. RG Rocks!!!

Thanks so much for the post!!

Great idea about the island pics!!!

I can cover Bear Island (St. John's Church, the Old Hotel Foundation, the Mail Dock, Sunset Rock, Camp Nakomis, Camp Lawerence,, etc.)

Now I have a project for next year.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Next spring I will definitely start a thread for island pictures.
There's a lot of islands capture and I welcome the help to get pictures of them all.

If anyone is out this winter on sleds, some winter pictures would be great too - of the islands and perhaps the towns from the ice.
That is something a lot of us never get to see.

It hit me last night that the list from LWHS may not be 100% accurate.
They list Hen and Gypsy, which is only one island, as well as Goose Egg Rock and Rocky, which is only one island too.

Did anyone else notice any others with the same situation?
If you all would, can you take a look at the list and the area of the lake you frequent? Are all the islands you know of listed? Thanks!

Bizer is also looking for island names - let's help him out!

[jkjoshuatree]

...I make a few trips up during the winter and can definitely take some pictures of Meredith from the ice and possibly Centre Harbor as well.

As far as names, I think Jay Island would be perfect!!

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Excerpt from Let Me Show You New Hampshire, by Ella Shannon Bowles. 1938

The Dangerous reef Witch Rocks is still to be reckoned with when navigating boats between The Weirs and the southern and eastern parts of the lake. Everything possible is done to aid pilots. In 1899 the New Hampshire Legislature authorized the placing of buoys on rocks and reefs in the lake. Today the Public Service Commission has marked three hundred hazards in Winnipesaukee by means of flashing electric lights, steady lanterns, and spar buoys. But the Great Lake is not the only one marked, for buoys are kept up on twenty-three bodies of fresh water where boating is a pastime. All motor boats and outboard motors are licensed and the fees are used to maintain buoys already up and to mark new places in other lakes. Last year 3,424 craft on ninety-six of New Hampshire's lakes, ponds, and streams were licensed, and as the fee for each is three dollars, you can figure the sum out for yourself.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Shreddy

"On August 3, 1852 on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH, a crew race between Harvard and Yale was the very first intercollegiate athletic event in the US."

I had no idea...any other fun facts about the lake?

That race was also discussed in this thread:
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=4347

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Lake Winnipesaukee was a warm water fishery until about 1860, with yellow perch, chain pickerel, brown bullheads, shad, cusk, round and lake whitefish, brook and lake trout and alewife are to name a few.

Shad, not salmon were the fish that were trapped at The Weirs with weirs by the Native Americans. Atlantic salmon and American shad traveled up the Merrimack River for spawning in the spring. The salmon took a left in Franklin and went on to the White Mountains via the Pemigewasset River. The shad took a right to the Winnipesaukee River.

Some sixty to seventy species of fish have been introduced into Lake Winnipesaukee through the last 150 years. Land locked salmon did not appear until the late 1870’s. They were introduced by the hatchery in Meredith and came from the St. Croix and Penobscot Basins in Mane.

Small and largemouth bass, rainbow and brown trout are some of the many fish, which were stocked. Either by individual fishermen or the state agencies, which significantly altered the Lake Winnipesaukee native fishery.

[Grant]

Wow -- thanks for all the great info.

This could be one of my favorite threads of all time.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

The Merrimack River: Its Source and its tributaries, by By J. W. Meader. 1869
Page 100

The lake abounds in fish of many varieties; the lake trout and the pickerel being the most important and valuable. Cusk are much prized by many, and perch and horned-pout may be taken at any time, by the most inexperienced angles, in quantities to suit. A variety of salt-water fish were some years since placed in this lake by experimenting parties; but as nothing was seen or know of them afterwards, it was presumed they found their level either in a “watery grave,” or through the channel of the Winnipesaukee and the Merrimack in a more congenial element, the briny deep.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Winnipesaukee is an Indian name, and is derived from winne (beautiful), nipe (water), and kees (high), and auke (a place); and the Indian tribe that inhabited the territory adjacent to the lake took the name, the Winnipesaukee, as well as the lake itself, - “Beautiful water of the high place.”

Another interpretation has frequently been given to this word, which, entirely inaccurate, is yet exquisitely beautiful, and has, no doubt, been suggested by its eminent appropriateness: “The smile of the Great Spirit.” Emphatically a “smile,” equally to the Indian and the white man, of the Great Spirit, this lovely lake has been.

Also an excerpt from:
The Merrimack River: Its Source and its tributaries, by By J. W. Meader. 1869