Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in Walworth County in southeastern Wisconsin. On its shores are the city of Lake Geneva, and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, and Williams Bay.>
The lake covers an area of approximately 5,401 acres (8.439 sq mi; 21.86 km2), has a maximum length of 7.5 miles (12.1 km), mean depth of 61 feet (19 m) and a maximum depth of 135 feet (41 m). Geologists believe that it is a filled-in kettle formed from a receding glacier.
Lakeshore
The lake and the community of Lake Geneva were named for the town of Geneva, New York, located on Seneca Lake, which government surveyor John Brink thought it resembled. To avoid confusion with the nearby town of Geneva, Illinois, the city was renamed Lake Geneva; later the lake was renamed Geneva Lake.
Lakeshore attractions include Big Foot Beach State Park, Lake Geneva Yacht Club, the George Williams College campus of Aurora University, and Yerkes Observatory. The observatory is owned by the University of Chicago, which has established a study group to plan a regional center for science education at the observatory.
Public access to the lake is allowed as the result of a decision by early European settlers that "20 feet of land leading up to the shoreline should be public domain." A shorepath, which is open to the public, completely surrounds the lake. Between 21 and 26 miles long, it follows the route taken by Potawatomi Indians. The path crosses the estates of the Schwinns, Swifts, Wackers, and Wrigleys.
References
External links
- Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce
- "Hydrology and Water Quality of Geneva Lake, Walworth County, Wisconsin" (PDF).  (2.0 MB), report by USGS with history and environmental info.
- My Rambles in The Enchanted Summer Land, 1881
