The scruffy town of
DEVILS LAKE
, ninety miles west of Grand Forks on US-2, shares its name with the state's largest natural body of water, which has two state parks and two private campgrounds along more than 300 sprawling, irregular and growing miles of shoreline. The damming of rivers in the northern part of the state inadvertently caused Devils Lake to rise; so far it has gone up 25 feet and quadrupled in area since 1997. Pastureland has been submerged, dikes built, roads raised, and one town, nearby Churchs Ferry, evacuated. Embarrassed engineers, nervous politicians and a frustrated public are still at a loss about how to stem the tide - $300 million has already been spent on relief. Downtown, now saved by a seven-mile-long dike, holds a smattering of nineteenth-century buildings and a few rough-and-ready bars. Most of the
places to stay
, such as the
Super 8
(tel 701/662-8656; $50-75), are strung along US-2; the Woodland Resort (tel 701/662-5996,
; $35-75) on Creel Bay, about six miles from town, rents boats, pontoons and fishing gear. You can camp three miles east of town on Hwy-2 at Shelver's Grove State Park (tel 701/766-4015) for $7 per person, $4 per vehicle, but if the lake rises another six inches you will be swimming in your tent. For more info, contact the
Devils Lake CVB
on Hwy-2 E next to the
Great American Inn
.
Spirit Lake Sioux Indian Reservation
, fifteen miles south of town, is the site of
Fort Totten Military Post
(daily 8am-5pm; $4), one of the best-preserved frontier military posts in the country. During the last weekend in July, the reservation hosts the thrilling
Spirit Lake Oyate Wacipi Powwow and Rodeo
(daily $5, $10 for a weekend pass). It's an impassioned, alcohol-free, multitribal party at which hundreds of magnificently clothed dancers of all ages compete for cash prizes.
