Cedar Lake Association
Rice County Mn
Cedar Lake, Rice County MN
DNR Lake ID: 66005200
Area: 902.44 acres
Littoral Area: 673 acres
Shore Length: 11.34 miles
Mean Depth: N/A
Maximum Depth: 42 feet
Average Water Clarity: 2.0 feet
Since it's formation in 1995, the CLA's main goal has been to improve water quality
Weed cutting and chemical lake treatments have been performed since 1997 in an attempt to control and mitigate the AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species/weeds) in Cedar Lake.
- Since 2010, the lake has been on the State of MN's 303(d) list of impaired waters.
- The Cannon River Watershed has identified Cedar Lake as high priority for water quality improvement in their One Watershed, One Plan program
- Cedar Lake Management/improvement plan for 2025 is still being finalized by the MPCA
Board Meetings:
Meeting agendas, times, and locations will be published on the CLA web site and Facebook page at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.
The 2025 the all member annual meeting was held on May 31st.
In 2024, all member meetings were held on May 20th (annual meeting) and September 16th.
Of Note: Board meetings typically occur monthly and on an ad hoc basis with board and committee members working on various topics such as grant writing, lake monitoring and reporting, lake treatment plans and options, education, and various other strategic planning activities.
Cedar Lake History
- Submitted by Jon Velishek, Historian with Rice County Historical Society
Cedar Lake is the second largest lake in Rice County. The lake is 804 acres and is tied with Shields Lake as being the fifth deepest lake at 42 feet. Since it is one of the best known lakes in Rice County, it is one of the hottest fishing spots. Species in the lake include Walleye, Crappie, Large Mouth Bass, and the ever popular Sunfish. There is never a dull moment on Cedar Lake, even during the winter months fishermen flock to the lake to catch their limit. Fish are not the only attraction to the lake.
History is also very important in the Cedar Lake area. First and probably the most important, is how Cedar Lake acquired its name. From some of the accounts I found, the lake was named for the beautiful Red Cedars that stood along the lake shores. I am not sure how many there are, but it is very picturesque. Other information about Cedar Lake's past comes from a Rice County history that was printed in 1976 called "Then & Now".
Cedar Lake's historical past cannot be overlooked today. Families of original pioneers still remain in the homestead community, such as the LaCanne and LeMieux families. Dr. Harry E Whitney, headmaster of Shattuck for more than 50 years, owned the largest island on Cedar Lake and used it for a summer school camping grounds about 1917. (Mrs. G.R. Kingham is a daughter of Dr. Whitney).
As you may know, there are still many LaCannes and LeMieuxs in the area around Cedar Lake to this day and that their families date back to the homesteading of Rice County. According to the 1900 Plat of Rice County, Thomas LeMieux had the property where LeMieux's Resort is now. There is also an account of Dr. Whitney's property on the eastern side of the lake as well as the island. Of course there are two other islands on the lake, but not much is known. I have heard stories of the Indians spending time on the islands, but I would have to believe that most of it was on the large one long before Dr. Whitney owned it. The island was a good safe haven from the attacks of other tribes that were being pushed into the area or looking to take Dakota land. Not far from Cedar were some possible sites of Indian encampments so these stories could very well be true in every aspect.
There are other stories from around the area as well as other camps that now line the shores of the lake. One such camp is the Faribault Rotary Youth Camp which is located on the north shore of the lake. This camp was started in the late 1950's with the inspiration coming from Dorothy Fredrickson. The tract of land that was being looked at was only accessible by boat at that time and was owned by Basil Heselton. After being explored by Shirlee and Arnold Madow, Nancy and Bob Jirik, and Irene and Layton Hoysler, it was decided and recommended to purchase the land for the whopping sum of $9,000. Originally, the rotary thought that the land tract was only 12 acres, but after further exploration, found that it was really 18 acres of very desirable land. Over time a culvert was put in to make a way fo ra road to access the property for the camp, a shelter was built with electricity and a stone fireplace dedicated to Marguerite Kennedy, an outstanding Girl Scout leader. Many youth groups in and around Faribault have used the facility and are thankful for Mrs. Fredrickson's vision.
Other little tidbits of information from the area around Cedar Lake include: The wonderful 4th of July Celebration at North Morristown, The Mormon baptisms that occurred for converts, Mud Lake (now Caron Lake) just west of Cedar Lake, Pat's Lake (now Weinberger) just south, of Cedar Lake Willing Lake just north of Cedar Lake.
Of course there were two smaller lakes south of Pat's Lake, one known as Bonesett and the other Mormon. Boneset is no longer halfway between Mormon Lake and Pat's Lake. Over time it was either drained for farming, or just dried up. Mormom Lake seems to still be somewhat intact south of Pat's Lake and the old location of Bonesett Lake. Of course, this is where converts were baptized by a Mormon missionary and is located in Section 12 of Morristown Township.