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Lake Windigo is a small lake located in northern Minnesota. The lake covers a total of 199 acres (80 hectare) and reaches a maximum depth of 15 feet (4.6 m). The littoral zone is 129 acres (52 hectare). Due to its shallow depth and subsequent abundant plant and algae growth, water clarity extends 6 feet (1.8 m). The lake hosts small populations of northern pike and walleye and large communities of panfish. Access to Lake Windigo is by a short portage from Cass Lake on the north side of the island. The lake is best navigated by canoe, rowboat, or other small watercraft.
Windigo is located in Star Island in Cass Lake. As such, the lake bears the unique distinction of being the only lake within a lake in the Northern Hemisphere, a designation noted on the television series Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Star Island is itself an historical site. The first settlers came to the island 1,500 years ago. The Ojibwe people flourished in the area up until the arrival of American and European settlers. In the early 1900s, parts of the island were sold to private entities, while the majority of the island entered the protection of the federal government as a national forest. It remains this way to this day.
The lake derives its name from the windigo ceremony of the Ojibwe people. A windigo (or Wendigo) was a malevolent, cannibalistic spirit that could possess people and inspire cannibalism. Windigo ceremonies were often performed during times of famine to remind the people to be wary of the windigo spirits. The last known windigo ceremony took place on Star Island; thus the lake was named Windigo.