Lake Hanska

Lake Hanska. . The Sioux Indians called this lake "minne hanska," meaning "long water." The basin of the lake was formed 11,000 to 15,000 years ago by the Wisconsin glacier; the original hard clay bottom is now about 50 feet below the present surface of the water. , This area south of the Little Cottonwood River was a favorite with the Indians, and it is rich in legend and history. It has evidence of prehistoric habitation in the form of scattered burial mounds, and an old Indian trail once ran north of the lake. , In the spring of 1863 Fort Hanska was built on a knob near this site, as one of the fortified posts erected in southern Minnesota following the Sioux Uprising of 1862. This fort guarded the frontier between Madelia and the Big Cottonwood River. Constructed by Company B, Ninth Minnesota Volunteers, Fort Hanska was protected by an earthen wall, eight feet high and topped with palisades. , The soldiers in 1863 thought the post ideally located, 25 rods from the lake, with excellent swimming and fishing, and a view over the countryside a dozen miles in any direction. , Financed by Natural Resources Fund , Erected by the Minnesota Historical Society , and the Brown County Historical Society , 1968.