Lake Delton disappears!

[akajester]

It's a tragedy. I wonder if this would be a good site to MD in the future. The man-made lake has been there for 80 years!

Lake bursts bank and disappears: 'It was . . . full of life, now it's gone' -- chicagotribune.com

LAKE DELTON, Wis. - One of the most scenic getaways for Chicagoans is devastated.

Weekend rains of biblical proportions dumped so much water into Lake Delton that it literally burst its banks.

Tens of thousands of gallons of lake water barreled through the woods, taking with it a roadway, several houses, boats, fish and lake bed. It emptied into the nearby Wisconsin River and was gone in hours.

On Tuesday morning, some 24 hours after the catastrophe, the massive lake is nearly drained. The lake is a muddy moonscape of cracked earth. Fish bake in the sun, flopping until their deaths. Mounds of dead fish are piled high. The shoreline is jagged and cracked. Boats hang in the air suspended by what is left of the docks. In parts, the little water that is left meanders like a silent brook. The roadway and earth that held the river back is now a grand canyon.

...

[bbqcook]

Jester, I would say it would be a good place to hunt. Around the swimming beach's should be good.

[anne]

That is a shame it has gone........should be a good place to hunt

[Ric-san]

I think I was there vacationing with the wife's family about ten years or so...(we are Chicagoan's) and sorry to hear of this tragedy...BUT I would be md'ing the beaches like a mad man now that the opportunity arose. Someone will find lots of interesting stuff...!

[cntrydncr1]

I would say hunt it ASAP!!! don't miss this opportunity!

[bdahunter]

This black cloud has a silver and gold lining at least for detectorists. That lake looks like it has been a popular swimming/boating area for a number of years. I'd be hitting it Hard as soon as possible!

BDA

[schoser]

ohhh yahhh there ya go...that could give up some of it's loot for years! i bet there's gotta be a truck load of fishin' lures and crap, but gotta be rings n such as well!

[akajester]

A few houses fell into the lake when it broke through and I know their working hard to clean all that up. Not to mention all the dead fish stinking up the place. Would it be rude to go there detecting with all that in mind?

Technically the lake bed itself wouldn't be private property right?

-akajester

[Zman]

Definately hit it. I'm sure there are all sorts of coins and such waiting to be dug up. Good luck.

[leesumm]

Having lived in Wisc and not far from there I know the spot. I also know some of the law there. Unless a persons feet are wet it is determined to be trespassing. Only running water is considered to be public. But to get to most running water there one has to cross private land. Contained water from what I understood was private property . Now since there is no water there ,contained or running, the property to me would be considered private . I am not sure how far the property lines go into contained water . But I am sure if someone in Wisc. can figure a way to claim it they will no doubt .