The Wisconsin River
The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousing", is rooted in the Algonquian languages used by the area's American Indian tribes, but its original meaning is obscure. French explorers who followed in the wake of Marquette later modified the name to "Ouisconsin", and so it appears on Guillaume de L'Isle's map (Paris, 1718). This was simplified to "Wisconsin" in the early 19th century before being applied to Wisconsin Territory and finally the state of Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin River originates in the forests of the North Woods Lake District of northern Wisconsin, in Lac Vieux Desert near the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It flows south across the glacial plain of central Wisconsin, passing through Wausau, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids. In southern Wisconsin it encounters the terminal moraine formed during the last ice age, where it forms the Dells of the Wisconsin River. North of Madison at Portage, the river turns to the west, flowing through Wisconsin's hilly Western Upland and joining the Mississippi approximately 3 miles south of Prairie du Chien.
The highest waterfall on the river is Grandfather Falls in Lincoln County.
Petenwell Lake
Petenwell Lake is a man-made lake in central Wisconsin, in Adams, Juneau, and Wood counties next to Castle Rock Lake. It covers over 23,000 acres and is 42 feet deep.
Petenwell Lake is Wisconsin's second largest lake at 23,040 acres or approximately 36 square miles. It was created in 1948 by the Wisconsin River Power Company with the construction of a dam across the Wisconsin River near Necedah. It has a maximum depth of 42 feet and is used for skiing, sailing and fishing. Private lakefront property is very limited as most of the virgin shoreline is undeveloped forest. Wildlife includes wintering bald eagles. Game fish include walleye, northern pike, bass, panfish, and muskellunge.
The area around the lake has restaurants, a community theater, a golf course and two casinos.
Castle Rock Lake
Castle Rock Lake is a man-made drainage lake located in central Wisconsin, in Adams County and Juneau County. It has an inflow from Petenwell Lake, Yellow River, Big Roche a Cri., and Klien Creek. It has a surface area of 16,640 acres and its depth varies from 8–20 ft in most places, with area in the old river beds reaching as deep as 35 ft.
Castle Rock Lake is the fourth largest lake in Wisconsin, it covers sixteen thousand acres, and has approximately seventy miles of shoreline. Castle Rock Lake is home to a large variety of fish, birds, and many other organisms. The large body of water attracts many people to the area as well, it provides a great space for recreational hobbies such as: bird watching, boating, fishing, and recreational water sports.