LAKE DARLING HOMES FOR SALE
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ABOUT LAKE DARLING
One of the most in demand lakes of Alexandria’s Chain of Lakes, Lake Darling is often referred to as Little Darling and Big Darling. Named in 1860 for an early resident of its shores, Andreas Darling, Darling is one lake that is 1,050 acres but that’s what locals will often refer to it using big or little in front of the name. Little Darling has a channel under Carlos-Darling Drive to Lake Carlos and gracing Big Darling’s shoreline are Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center and hole number two of the Alexandria Golf Club. There also is a channel to Lake Cowdry at the southwest corner of Big Darling. Depending on the water levels of the lake, it is also possible to visit Lake Alvin. Not far south of Arrowwood is a channel that connects Darling and Alvin. There have been summers that I have been able to navigate a 21 foot boat into Alvin and other summers that found the only hope was on a SeaDoo or paddleboard. All real estate at this body of water is prime. The highest demand is found on Darling Drive (sunset views), Casa Marina Lane, and Casa Marina Road as this is where you will find land level to the lake. Lure Lakebar and Zorbaz are short walks from most locations on Darling Drive.
Lake Darling is in Minnesota’s Douglas County and its lake classification is General Development.The 2020 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Lake Survey reports water clarity of 13.4 feet.
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AERIAL VIDEOS & PHOTOS OF LAKE DARLING
LAKE DARLING HISTORY
In 1937, people that owned cottages on Little Darling cut a channel at night through the sandbar that ran between Little and Big Darling. The sandbar was 150 yards wide and extended the full width of the lake from Darling Drive across to Casa Marina Lane. This cut off Little Darling into a separate lake. Lakeshore property owners on the bigger lake protested against opening such a channel because it would lower the level of Big Darling. So the folks on Little Darling slipped one over on the big lake dwellers and did the dredging under the cover of darkness, digging a trench across the bar and getting a good flow of water into their lower lake. An appeal was made to the courts, however it was ruled that government surveys of lakes show Lake Darling as one lake. In 1958, the dredging of the channels between the lakes was done again at the suggestion of the owner of Alexandria Boat Works who said that “pleasure boating” was quite the rage and it would be beneficial if the lakes could be opened to bigger boats. Prior to the dredging it was only navigable to fishing boats.
From the bottom moving up; Big Darling, Little Darling, Lake Carlos, and Lake Le Homme Dieu to the right. At the top left of the photo is a portion of Lake Miltona.