More lake information: Three named streams flow into the lake.  Lower Middle Inlet, Middle Inlet, and Upper Inlet.  The Outlet below the dam flows into the Peshtigo River.  The dam was built in 1929 and it maintains the water levels of the lake.

There are different stories about how the lake was formed, and some people believe it was once three separate lakes and once the dam was built it became the lake it is today.  However, If you head over to the Crivitz Museum, you will see maps of the lake as one large body of water dating back to 1832.  100 years before the dam was ever constructed. 

There are also a few stories about where the name of the lake came from. One story is believed to derive from the Ojibwe name noka or noke, which translates to ‘totem of the bear’. Since older sources of the lake have spelling Noque bay or Nocque Bay it is believed to be the French interpretation of the Bay De Noc and Noquet tribes.  As you can see on the map from 1832, it was labeled Lake Nok We Bay.  In another story, it is said the name means something about wind or the lake of many winds

It all remains a mystery!  We may never know when or if it ever was three separate lakes, or where the name came from and what it means, but one thing is for sure, its fun hearing the different stories of the lake’s long and amazing history.  We would love for you to stop by for a visit and share your thoughts or stories with us!