Alligator Lake (North Carolina)
| Alligator Lake | |
|---|---|
| New Lake | |
  Alligator Lake | |
| Location | Hyde County, North Carolina[1] |
| Group | Pocosin lakes |
| Coordinates | 35°38′41″N 76°20′27″W / 35.64472°N 76.34083°W[1] |
| Type | Freshwater lake |
| Primary inflows | Alligator River, Pungo River |
| Max. width | 3.5 miles (5.6 km)[2] |
| Surface area | 6,000 acres (2,400 ha)[2] |
| Max. depth | Approx 7 feet (2.1 m) |
Alligator Lake, also called New Lake,[3] is a natural freshwater lake in Hyde County, North Carolina.[4] It has a diameter of approximately 3.5 miles (5.5 kilometers),[2] and its 6,000 acre area makes it one of the five largest natural freshwater lakes in North Carolina.[5] Like the other freshwater lakes of North Carolina, it is quite shallow, having a maximum depth of between 6 and 7 feet. Its two outlets are Alligator River and Pungo River.[2]
History
[edit]It is believed that the lake formed after a ground fire created a depression by burning out pockets of peat, allowing rainwater to pool there.[6] European settlers had discovered Alligator Lake by 1765, and Mennonites had established the community of "New Lake" on the shores of Alligator Lake by 1780. Originally inaccessible by road, the community was first connected to other towns by Squyars Canal, a small waterway which was built to connect it to the a tributary of the Alligator River after 1784.[7] The earliest known map depicting the lake is from 1812.[2]
The later addition of Dunbar Canal in 1823 greatly improved the town's commercial prospects, and in 1840 Walter Gwynn led the construction of a canal linking it to Pungo River. This lowered the lake's level and created an embankment that allowed for the creation of a road connecting it to Hyde County, which Alligator Lake was eventually incorporated into.[7]
The lake has been officially called New Lake since at least 1998, but is still commonly called Alligator Lake.[6]
Currently, 85% of its area is part of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and the remaining 15% is privately owned. The wildlife refuge maintains a public access point.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "New Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c d e Powell, William S.; Hill, Michael (2010-06-15). The North Carolina Gazetteer, 2nd Ed: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places and Their History. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-8078-9829-1.
- ^ "Natural area inventory of Hyde County, North Carolina". www.govinfo.gov. p. 96. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ "New Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "Lakes | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ a b Saunders, Corinne (2023-07-24). "Refuge exudes natural diversity, wonders of pocosin lakes". Coastal Review. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ a b Sawyer, Roy T. (2010-05-05). America's Wetland: An Environmental and Cultural History of Tidewater Virginia and North Carolina. University of Virginia Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-0-8139-2969-9.
- ^ "Land of Lakes". Carolina Country. Retrieved 2024-03-08.