Kiser Lake (previously also known as Mosquito Lake) is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

Champaign County, Ohio Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,714. Its county seat and largest city is Urbana. The county takes its name from the French word for "open level country". Champaign C ...

, United States, It is located approximately northwest of St. Paris and north of

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

along

Ohio State Route 235 State Route 235 (SR 235) is a north–south state highway in the western portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at US 68 near the small town of Oldtown just north of Xenia, and its northern terminus is at State Rou ...

, at . The

Kiser Lake Wetlands State Nature Preserve Kiser Lake Wetlands State Nature Preserve, or simply Kiser Lake Wetlands, is a nature reserve located in Johnson Township, Champaign County, Ohio, United States. It is located wholly within the Kiser Lake State Park, and operated by the Ohio ...

sits at the headwaters on the southeastern edge of the lake, and the

Kiser Lake State Park Kiser Lake State Park is a public recreation area in Champaign County, Ohio, located northwest of St. Paris and north of Dayton. The state park includes Kiser Lake, for which it was named, and the Kiser Lake Wetlands State Nature Preserve ...

surrounds the rest of the lake to the north.

History

Mosquito Lake was first created in 1840, when a dam was built across Mosquito Creek in the low, swampy region of Champaign County known as Mosquito Creek Valley to build a grist and

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. After operations at the mill were shut down, the dam and lake were neglected for several years. In 1932, John W. Kiser and his family owned the land and donated several hundred acres to the State of Ohio to rebuild the lake for recreational purposes. In 1939, work on the dam started, and in 1940, all work was completed on the dam and Kiser Lake was filled.
Kiser Lake State Park
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Ohio Department of Natural Resources The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is the Ohio government agency charged with ensuring "a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all." Functions ODNR regulates Ohio's oil and gas indus ...

, 2012 The lake is maintained by the

References

Champaign County, Ohio Reservoirs in Ohio {{ChampaignCountyOH-geo-stub