Brush Lake State Park

Brush Lake State Park
Location in Montana
Location	Sheridan County, Montana, United States
Nearest town	Dagmar, Montana
Coordinates	48°36′10″N 104°6′46″W[1]
Area	450 acres (180 ha)
Elevation	1,959 ft (597 m)[1]
Designation	Montana state park
Established	2004[2]
Visitors	35,510 (in 2023)[3]
Administrator	Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Website	Brush Lake State Park

Brush Lake State Park is a public recreation area located four miles east of the community of Dagmar, Montana.[4] The park surrounds three sides of the highly alkaline, 280-acre (110 ha), sixty-foot-deep Brush Lake.[5]

History

Brush Lake became a popular gathering place in the early years of the twentieth century, when residents of the surrounding communities were drawn to its clear, deep, spring-fed waters.[5] Hans Christian Hansen built a summer resort on the lake after filing homesteading papers in 1914. A bar and cafe were added to the site by 1920, with a dance hall added in the 1940s.[6] In 2004, the state purchased 450 acres surrounding the northern half of the lake to create a state park, while the lake's southern portion remained in private hands.[7]

Activities and amenities

The park offers hiking, swimming, picnicking and camping facilities as well as opportunities for boating and canoeing.[4] The lake's high mineral content makes it inhospitable to fish life.[5]

References

1. "Brush Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Park Origin by Date". Montana State Parks. 2014. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
3. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (May 6, 2024). "2023 Montana State Parks Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). fwp.mt.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
4. "Brush Lake State Park". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
5. McKean, Andrew (September–October 2005). "Oasis on the Prairie". Montana Outdoors. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
6. Aarstad, Rich; et al. (2009). Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 33. ISBN 9780975919613. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
7. "Minutes". Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. December 15–19, 2004. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

External links

• Brush Lake State Park Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
• Brush Lake State Park Trail Map Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks