4/5 Joshua L. 4 months ago on Google • 74 reviews
The
Pinhook
lake
was
once
the
course
of
the
St.Joseph
River
until
it
was
diverted
in
the
1920s
so
Riverside
Dr
could
connect
with
Cleaveland
Rd
without
building
a
bridge.
The
apex
of
the
lake
bend
is
a
site
of
great
historical
significance,
yet
few
know
of
it
or
why.
It
is
the
eastern
landing
of
a
portage
between
the
St.
Joseph
River
and
the
Kankakee
River
to
the
west,
and
thus
across
the
continental
divide.
It
had
been
used
by
Native
Americans
for
thousands
of
years
for
transporting
people
and
goods
between
the
North
Eastern
continent
and
the
West.
One
could
paddle
a
canoe
from
Lake
Ontario
to
the
Gulf
of
Mexico,
and
the
only
time
they
needed
to
portage
the
canoe
was
at
this
park,
only
a
couple
miles.
It
is
this
portage
that
the
Potawatomi
Indians
controlled
that
in
part
made
this
tribe
so
powerful
and
influential.
It
is
also
the
very
spot
where
the
first
white
man
set
foot
in
Northern
Indiana.
(And
most
all
the
Indiana
region
other
than
a
few
shore
landings
on
the
Northern
banks
of
the
Ohio
River)
This
man
was
the
french
trader
LaSalle,
who
married
into
the
Potawatomi
and
helped
found
South
Bend.
The
road
just
to
the
west
up
the
bank
is
named
after
this
famous
portage...
Portage
Rd.
The
park
has
plenty
of
parking.
Probably
too
much
parking
in
my
opinion.
It
also
has
a
sandy
swimming
area,
where
I
first
learned
how
to
swim
as
a
toddler.
(
And
almost
drowned
in
too,
not
recommended
for
toddlers
for
their
first
swimming
lessons)
Just
outside
of
the
swim
area,
the
seaweed
is
dense
and
so
not
safe
for
swimming
by
inexperienced
swimmers.
Fishing
is
popular
at
this
park.
There
is
a
newish
boat
dock
that
features
a
handicapped
kayak
and
canoe
loading
platform
so
even
wheelchair-bound
people
can
use
the
lake.
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