Pewaukee Lake

Acres: 2,493

Depth: 45 ft

Water Clarity: Good

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Pewaukee Lake or as the Pottawatomie Indians called it Peewaukee-wee-ning Meaning “lake of shells” lies in a pre-glacial valley. The Indians had a village near the lake and greeted the first white settler to Pewaukee Lake, Asa Clark in 1836.  He built a dam and sawmill on Pewaukee Lake.  In 1844 Increase Lapham mentioned in his geographical book the number of small bleached shells on the shores of Pewaukee Lake. He also stated that Pewaukee Lake was 4 and one half miles long with an average width of three quarters of a mile and 11 and one-sixth miles around and approximately three and one third square miles. He observed that beautiful Pewaukee Lake was fed by natural springs and was very well wooded which made a rendering sight. The largest industry that Pewaukee Lake ever had was the ice industry. The lake supplied ice for the cities of Waukesha, Milwaukee and even Chicago in the 1880s. This industry really grew when the railroad lines came to Pewaukee Lake. There were five large ice industries harvesting frozen chucks of ice from the lake. Most of the ice was harvested from the lower part of the lake. Pewaukee Lake was second in the ice production and one half of a million tons of ice was taken yearly from Pewaukee Lake at the height of this industry.  Best Brewery, which later became Pabst Brewery, was one of the large ice producers. This industry started to die out with an unusually warm winter and the introduction of electrical cooling. With the railroad came the tourist lured by the unspoiled beauty of Pewaukee Lake. In 1873 the famous Oakton Spring Hotel was opened on Pewaukee Lake. Here guest came to a summer resort or were given the fresh spring water. By 1901 Pewaukee Lake was a very popular resort area. In 1893 a plot of land on the southern side of Pewaukee Lake was set aside as a park. This became the popular Waukesha Beach Park especially when a roller coaster was added in 1910. This expanded into a large amusement park and Waukesha beach Park on Pewaukee Lake was the place to go.Pewaukee Lake kept attracting visitors and residents thorough during the 20^th century. At first most residence were summer cottages but this trend started to change during the 1960 and more and more year round residence purchased Pewaukee Lake homes.  Besides the attraction of Pewaukee Lake the proximity to Milwaukee and improvement of the roads encouraged people to stay year round. At present there are many year round Pewaukee Lake homes, but second home buyers are starting to drive the Pewaukee Lake real estate market.  The majority of buyers purchasing Pewaukee Lake homes are buyers from IL (Chicago) and "snowbirds". Snowbirds are buyers who live in FL for the winter and purchase a Pewaukee Lake home for the summer months.

Pewaukee Lake Activities

Today, Pewaukee Lake still has many attractions. There is a free public beach, Pewaukee Beach, with life guards and a fishing area and pier right next to it on the Shore of Pewaukee Lake. Wednesday night during the summer there are a variety of concerts at the beach and people come by land or boat to listen. There is a very active water ski club that provides a show on Pewaukee Lake every Thursday night. There are festivals held during the summer including Pewaukee Days and A taste of Pewaukee. Close to the each area on Pewaukee Lake is a new state of the art library with a conservatory. Also, within walking distance of Pewaukee Lake is the Pewaukee Historical Society that has a room dedicated to Asa Clark, the first settler.

 For those who like to see Pewaukee Lake from the lake sides there are a number of places to rent boats or to take a cruise or rent the Prestige Yacht that tours Pewaukee Lake.

Fishing on Pewaukee Lake

Fishing is also very popular on Pewaukee Lake. Some of the fish found in the lake are, Crappies, Perch, various types of Bass, Walleyes, Northern Pike and the most famous Muskies from Pewaukee Lake. The Musky has made Pewaukee Lake famous. There are numerous fishing contests during the year. One famous contest was in 2005 with one cast a record and prize winning musky was caught, 51 ¼ inches. The fisherman won $19,000.00. Ice fishing is also very popular during the winter on Pewaukee Lake

Pewaukee Lake Water sports

 There are many water sports on Pewaukee Lake including Kite boarding, wave boarding, canoeing, water skiing ( with a very active water skiing club), swimming, boating of various types and jet boating.

Pewaukee Lake Resturants

Pewaukee Lake has many restaurants and pubs that can be reached by boat. It is very pleasant to be able to go by boat and go for a drink, dinner, or sandwich. There are many other establishments within walking distance of Pewaukee Lake. There are a number of golf courses overlooking or very close to Pewaukee Lake. Near the beach area is another park that has tennis courts and baseball diamond available for public use. There are also ice skating rinks in the vicinity. It is a short distance in any direction to the many shopping centers and malls around Pewaukee Lake. Not far from Pewaukee Lake is the Kettle Moraine State Forest. One of the best known sites is Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary that gives a breathtaking view of the Kettle Moraine. Pewaukee Lake has many of the amenities of a large town yet the beauty of lake country living.  

Pewaukee Lake School Districts

Pewaukee Lake is surrounded by a number of excellent school districts: Pewaukee Lake Elementary and High School, Lake Country District, Kettle Moraine, Waukesha and Arrowhead.