Lake Shetek is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota, United States, and the headwaters of the Des Moines River. It is located in The Lakes, an unincorporated community in Murray County a few miles north-northwest of Currie. The name Shetek is derived from "pelican" in the Ojibwe language.
Lake Shetek from Lake Shetek State Park
One of the WPA-built causeways
The Des Moines River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately 525 miles (845 km) long from its farther headwaters. The largest river flowing across the state of Iowa, it rises in southern Minnesota and flows across Iowa from northwest to southeast, passing from the glaciated plains into the unglaciated hills near the capital city of Des Moines, named after the river, in the center of the state. The river continues to flow in a southeastern direction away from Des Moines, later flowing directly into the Mississippi River.
The Des Moines River upstream of Ottumwa, Iowa
The Des Moines as it was depicted in 1718 by Guillaume Delisle; modern Iowa highlighted.
The Des Moines River, as it flows through downtown Des Moines, west bank, during spring high water; note the old watermarks on the flood wall.
Flood of Des Moines, 1851
