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Brush Lake State Park

Coordinates: 48°36′10″N 104°6′46″W / 48.60278°N 104.11278°W / 48.60278; -104.11278
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Brush Lake State Park
Map showing the location of Brush Lake State Park
Map showing the location of Brush Lake State Park
Location in Montana
LocationSheridan County, Montana, United States
Nearest townDagmar, Montana
Coordinates48°36′10″N 104°6′46″W / 48.60278°N 104.11278°W / 48.60278; -104.11278[1]
Area450 acres (180 ha)
Elevation1,959 ft (597 m)[1]
DesignationMontana state park
Established2004[2]
Visitors35,510 (in 2023)[3]
AdministratorMontana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
WebsiteBrush Lake State Park

Brush Lake State Park is a public recreation area located four miles east of the community of Dagmar, Montana.[4] The park surrounds three sides of the highly alkaline, 280-acre (110 ha), sixty-foot-deep Brush Lake.[5]

History

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Brush Lake became a popular gathering place in the early years of the twentieth century, when residents of the surrounding communities were drawn to its clear, deep, spring-fed waters.[5] Hans Christian Hansen built a summer resort on the lake after filing homesteading papers in 1914. A bar and cafe were added to the site by 1920, with a dance hall added in the 1940s.[6] In 2004, the state purchased 450 acres surrounding the northern half of the lake to create a state park, while the lake's southern portion remained in private hands.[7]

Activities and amenities

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The park offers hiking, swimming, picnicking and camping facilities as well as opportunities for boating and canoeing.[4] The lake's high mineral content makes it inhospitable to fish life.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Brush Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Park Origin by Date". Montana State Parks. 2014. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (May 6, 2024). "2023 Montana State Parks Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). fwp.mt.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Brush Lake State Park". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c McKean, Andrew (September–October 2005). "Oasis on the Prairie". Montana Outdoors. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Aarstad, Rich; et al. (2009). Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 33. ISBN 9780975919613. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  7. ^ "Minutes". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. December 15–19, 2004. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
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