Wisconsin Dells 2008-Where is Lake Delton?

June 9, 2008-There had been several days of torrential rain and at 2 AM after 12" had fallen and Lake Delton was swelling residents started sand bagging. At 10 AM water began overflowing County Highway A, on the North side of Lake Delton and about 1/4 mile from the Dam. As the water flowed over County highway A and downhill into the Wisconsin River it eroded a 400 ft portion of that highway. This created a channel that drained Lake Delton in an uncontrollable torrent into the Wisconsin River 40 feet below. The 267 acre Lake Delton emptied in 2 hours. Three homes were washed away. Another two homes were destroyed when their foundations were undermined.

We were scheduled to arrive at The Wisconsin Dells three days later. After spending over a decade of summers in the Dells, this would be our first stay at The Sunsetbay Resort on the shores of Lake Delton. What a quandry! After watching the horrific videos, calling the resort to make sure they would still be open and much discussion among ourselves we decided to keep the reservations and witness the aftermath of this devastating but historic event. Getting there was difficult. It was pouring so hard we had to pull over onto the shoulder when it became impossible to see where we were going. There was flooding everywhere and they ended up closing a major highway heading into the Dells. Thankfully we were already past that point but my other kids all had to navigate the detours and it took them twice as long to reach the resort. Such was their determination to be part of our summer tradition.

The next day was sunny and warm. Walking around what was the former lake shore was surreal. We quickly realized we couldn't venture far from the edge. You would take a step and suddenly feel that sinking sensation. It was pretty scary...like stepping into quick sand. The harder you tried to get out the further you would sink.Thankfully we were there to help each other out. We heard a story about a woman who was in up to her thighs and had to be rescued by a fireman who stretched a ladder across the lake bed for her to grab onto so he could drag her out.

We found all sorts of lost treasures on the lake bed. There were cell phones and jewelry, fishing poles and anchors. There were tires, cans and bottles...years of garbage piled up on the bottom of that lake. We were there for "Clean the Bottom of the Lake" day when over 250 volunteers filled dumpsters with refuse.

Watch this amazing Time Lapse Video of the return of Lake Delton.