Here comes the Fabulous Fourth on Freeman!
We’re getting lots of questions about the 4th of July festivities. Things kick off with the July 1st Fireworks Benefit Cruise on the Madam Carroll. Music by amazing Group Therapy. The raffle winners for the golf cart and the Big Green Egg will be drawn. There are still a few raffle tickets available. The annual boat parade kicks off Saturday morning at 11:00 at the Oakdale Dam, led by the Madam Carroll. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to decorate their boat and participate. There are prizes for the best. What? Yes prizes! Register your vessel at MadamCarroll.com Click on the July 2nd Lake Freeman Boat Parade. There is also the famous volleyball tournament at the Sandbar. Makenzie Hinds is heading that up. Register your team with her at MakenzieHinds@yahoo.com. If you don’t want to play volleyball, hangout at the Sandbar, it is really a treasure on Lake Freeman. Come on out, park your boat and enjoy the incredible Air Show. Wait, stop it Bob, an Air Show? Yes! The Lima Lima group out of Gary will be entertaining us all again. The fabulous fireworks show is Saturday July 2nd approximately 9:00 PM on the West Bank across from Tall Timber Marina. Always an incredible show. AND… funded entirely by all of us. 2022 gear (T‑Shirts, Hats, Beverage Containers) are available at Tall Timbers and Susan’s Freeman Bay. A special thanks to Katrina Pearson, Pat Musser and Chris Peters. Without this power trio it just wouldn’t happen. Please be safe, be aware and be happy. If you see debris in the Lake, pick it up. Let’s keep Lake Freeman the best lake in Indiana!
Many have thought, including myself, that the name Lake Freeman came to be after the Chief Engineer, Roger Freeman intervened in a dispute between the towns of Delphi and Monticello. Delphi wanted to call the reservoir north of the newly built Oakdale Dam, Lake Delphi. In fact, there are early photos labeled with this name. Monticello thought Lake Monticello would be appropriate. When the two could not come to an agreement, they decided, because of the benevolent nature of Mr. Freeman, to call the reservoir Lake Freeman.
Here’s the true story.
I recently was contacted by Deborah Giraud (pronounced Girow). She is the granddaughter of Roger Freeman. I had the pleasure of speaking with her and her mother, Anne Freeman Giraud. The 102-year-old daughter of Roger Freeman! It was an honor to say the least. Two very sharp and well-informed ladies.
Roger Freeman designed both the Norway Dam (1923) and Oakdale Dam (1925). It was his insight and recommendation to the Indiana Hydro-Electric Company to harness the power of the Tippecanoe River and bring electricity to rural central Indiana and beyond. In fact, as early as 1856, two Norwegian immigrants, recognizing the power of the river, built a coffer dam to power a grist mill.
Mr. Freeman was not an absentee leader. He lived with the more than 500 laborers who physically built the dams. He was away from his family for months. He was just 32 when construction began on Norway. The conditions were difficult, keep in mind the crew lived at the site and worked through harsh winters.
During the winter of 1925, amid construction of the Oakdale Dam, Roger Freeman was in New York and fell ill from appendicitis and was rushed to surgery. Well, in those days an appendectomy was not a routine surgery. Mr. Freeman developed complications and passed away on January 21st, 1925. Six months before the completion of Oakdale Dam. The crew was shocked and saddened but pushed on.
In a petition by Indiana Senator Emery Sellers to the Conservation Commission of Indiana dated April 15th, 1925, he formally asked that the newly formed Lake be named, in the spirit of “ambitious effort”, Freeman Lake. Just five days later, the Commission unanimously formally approved.
The Oakdale Dam was completed on August 1st, 1925. Had it not been for the vision, ingenuity and drive of Roger Freeman, our beloved twin lakes and the power they produce, may not have every been realized. Thank you Mr. Freeman!
Roger Freeman passed at just 36 years of age
Born July 20th, 1892 • Died January 21st, 1925
Wife: Mary (Bradstreet) Freeman
Children: (1919) Anne Bradstreet Freeman Giraud, Roger Morse Freeman, Jr.
Welcome to Lake Freeman Life. We are the informative resource for the people who live and play around one of Indiana’s most beautiful lakes. Lake Freeman is located in Monticello, Indiana and is a unique treasure. Formed by the construction of the Oakdale Dam in 1925 it is ten miles long and enjoys fifty miles of shoreline. Boaters, fishermen, families and visitors have countless opportunities to enjoy the water and beauty. At Lake Freeman Life, we want to offer fresh and relevant information. Share LakeFreemanLife.com with your family and friends. Bookmark it for yourself. Come back often. We want to keep you informed with stories, news, photos, contests and conversation. We hope you find LakeFreemanLife.com useful.
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Congressman Baird vows to help Lake Freeman
Congressman Jim Baird (4th District Indiana) was re-elected to a second term. All of us on Lake Freeman could not be happier. He has been a stout advocate for the Lake. In his promise to constituents, he called the Lake Freeman situation a “Catastrophe”. He also vowed to make sure the lowering and its’ affects never happens again. A big thank you to Congressman Baird!
Sea Level Elevation: 610'
