The Sandy Lake Recreation Area is situated at the outlet of Big Sandy Lake, about 120 miles North of
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The recreation area offers camping, boating, swimming, picnicking, fishing, and playground areas. Big Sandy Lake is located on the canoe route that linked Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. Evidence indicates that Indians had established villages on the lake since the glaciers retreated, 10,000 years ago. The Northwest Fur Company established a major fur-trading post at the western end of the like in the late 1700s. When the dam was built in 1859, it included a lock to pass boat traffic through. This was the farthest north a lock had been built. Today the lockhouse has been renovated to display interpretive exhibits and artifacts.
