Lake George, located on section 4-9-10 in Bordulac Township, was one of the big lakes of this region back in the early years. The lake was two or three miles around and eight or nine feet deep. A long arm of the lake reached past Miller's Spur and spilled into an area known as "Dry Lake". This area had no inlet or outlet having water just at the time that Lake George provided it or from rain or local drainage.
There are a couple of stories of how Lake George received its name. One theory is that it was named after George Palmer, who was the manager of the Carrington-Casey Ranch, later known as the Hanna Ranch.
Another story was that it was named for Georgia Wiseman, dubbed "the prettiest girl in the township". She married William Waiters and was the mother of Mrs. Fred Reimers. The location of the lake inspired the naming of the town of Bordulac, which is supposed to mean "border of the Lake".
At the time this country was settled this lake with several others in the surrounding country was overflowing and at high mark. Some of the shoreline was within 80 rods of the depot.
The lake was a favorite hunting headquarters for eastern hunting parties who came here by train from Milwaukee. They built several cottages along the shoreline and formed an organization known as the Milwaukee Hunting Club.
About the year 1900 the lake dried up and continued to be that way until about 1912. While the lake was dry, Mr. Thornton planted some crop on it. A flash flood came along and destroyed all the crop. The heavy rain accumulated some six feet of water on the dry bed.
(Foster County Independent, May 1, 1912)
"Lake George which has been dry for years and which has been farmed to some extent for the last two years is again a large body of water. About four feet of water is in the lake which will make boat riding good for most of the summer. Many rejoice over this fact as the lake is so close by and a number are talking about getting boats. One boat is being built by Matt Ihringer which will be propelled by a high-speed engine and no doubt will be well equipped with plenty of lifeboats and life preservers. The initial trip will be made the latter part of the week and will be under the supervision of R.J. Boyle."
From 1912 to 1926 a fairly good level of water was maintained. Then the dry years hit again. In 1934 the paper reports that the lake had completely disappeared from natural causes and that the old lake bottom was being used for farming.
About 1950-51 heavy snow fall and heavy rains filled the lake with water once more. It was deep enough to support fish life again.
In recent years the water level has dropped, although there is some water maintained most of the time due to the man-made drainage projects that have diverted the water into the lake. The surrounding area is now being farmed or used for hay.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 9