Hagensick's Resort

The lake outlived its resort. A 2009 state watershed report names it for Albert H. Campbell of the Pacific wagon roads and follows these grounds onward: after the sale they were Johnson's Park, kept up until the 1980s, and are now simply South Shore. Residents began sampling the water themselves in the early 1980s, and a 1983 state assessment blamed an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus. A 1990 survey found an average of five feet of water over six feet of sediment in the lake, about 800 acres, which partly winterkills roughly every fourth year.

What the plaque says

Hagensick's Resort In 1915, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hagensick purchased 14 acres of land here that, in 1917, became Hagensick's Resort. As the automobile gained popularity, thousands of summer fun-seekers sought out the resort. In 1920, it was expanded west of the bridge for a baseball field, airplane landing field, and carnival space. The resort was famous for Independence Day celebrations featuring picnicking, horseshoe tournaments, foot races, baseball and softball games, swimming, boating, and fishing. The celebration always ended with spectacular fireworks. In 1931, a large skating rink-dance hall, popular for the time, was built, providing entertainment during the Dirty Thirties for crowds so large that skating was in shifts. Also popular was a long slide guiding a water sled filled with swimmers into the lake. The Mayflower, a sightseeing boat, provided lake tours. The resort had a service shop, gas pumps, restaurant, bath houses, a band pavilion, and plenty of cool shade. It was sold in 1945 and continued on a less grand scale into the early 1960s. The Hagensicks moved to a home west of the bridge, previously where the baseball grounds were, and the large skating rink-dance hall was razed in 1994.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Lake Campbell Lutheran Church — 1.6 mi
• Brookings County / Moody County — 3.6 mi
• Medary First Townsite Dakota Territory — 3.9 mi
• First Convention in Brookings County — 3.9 mi