The Lakes, MN

The Lakes is a Murray County census-designated place centered on Lake Shetek, the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota, between Currie and Garvin. The CDP includes all of Lake Shetek along with Lake Sarah, Lake Maria, and several smaller lakes, so the plural in the name earns its keep. Lake Shetek State Park sits on the southeast side of the lake; its trails, WPA-built causeway, Koch Cabin, and monument to settlers killed during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 give the shoreline a long memory. The Lakes is a southwestern Minnesota place whose name reads like a map legend.