Brush Lake State Park


Brush Lake State Park is a public recreation area located four miles east of the community of Dagmar, Montana. The park surrounds three sides of the highly alkaline,, sixty-foot-deep Brush Lake.

History

Brush Lake became a popular gathering place in the early years of the twentieth century, when residents of the surrounding communities were drawn to its clear, deep, spring-fed waters. Hans Christian Hansen built a summer resort on the lake after filing homesteading papers in 1914. A bar and cafe were added to the site by 1920, with a dance hall added in the 1940s. In 2004, the state purchased 450 acres surrounding the north side of the lake to create a state park, while the lake's southern portion remained in private hands.

Activities and amenities

The park offers hiking, swimming, picnicking and camping facilities as well as opportunities for boating and canoeing. The lake's high mineral content makes it inhospitable to fish life.