Iliamna Lake

Iliamna Lake, also called Lake Iliamna, is a big, beautiful lake in southwest Alaska. It sits at the north end of the Alaska Peninsula, between Kvichak Bay and Cook Inlet, about 100 miles west of Seldovia, Alaska. The lake shares its name with the Iliamna River, which flows into it, and the nearby village of Iliamna, Alaska.

Iliamna Lake is the largest lake in Alaska and the 7th largest lake in the United States. It is also the twenty-fourth largest lake in North America. The lake covers about 2,600 square kilometers, or 1,000 square miles. It stretches 77 miles long and up to 22 miles wide. In some places, it is almost 988 feet deep. The lake’s water flows out through the Kvichak River into Bristol Bay.

History

The lake was called 'Oz[ero] Bol[shoy] Ilyamna' (Big Ilyamna Lake) on a Russian map made in 1852. An even older map from 1802 named it 'Oz[ero] Shelekhovo' (Lake Shelekov) after a Russian explorer.

The name Iliamna comes from the Dena'ina Athabascan words Nila Vena, meaning "island's lake". It is said to be the name of a mythical great blackfish that lives in the lake and bites holes in the bidarkas of bad natives.

Economy

The Williamsport-Pile Bay Road was built in the 1930s. It connects a small place called Williamsport to Pile Bay on Iliamna Lake. This road helps people move boats and goods, and it saves time and fuel for those traveling between Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay.

Several villages, such as Iliamna, Newhalen, Kokhanok, Pedro Bay, Pope-Vannoy Landing, and Igiugig, are located around the lake.

Iliamna Lake is famous for its sport fishing. People enjoy catching trout, salmon, and grayling there. The lake is also home to one of the few groups of freshwater seals in the world and helps many red salmon grow.

Monster legend

Local people tell stories about a mysterious creature said to live in Iliamna Lake, often called the Iliamna Lake Monster. Some think it might be a special kind of fish called a white sturgeon, which would be very unusual for that area. Others think it could be a Pacific sleeper shark. In 2012, a video showed a smaller shark in a nearby place called King Cove Lagoon, and there were more reports in 2017. Once, a newspaper even offered a reward for proof that the monster exists.