Above the river at Baraboo--About 120 feet. Height of West Bluff above the lake--About 500 feet. Height of East Bluff above the lake--A little less than 500 feet near the lake, 610 feet some distance to the east. Height of South Bluff--At Devil's Nose, 495 feet. Source of supply--Springs and two small creeks. Outlet--Evaporation and seepage. Area draining into the lake--About 5-1/2 square miles. Greatest length--1-1/4 miles. Average width--2,200 feet or 2/5 of a mile. Greatest depth--43 feet. Average depth--30 feet. Circumference--3-1/4 miles. Area--388 acres, or 3/5 of a square mile. Volume at low water--3,495,245,000 gallons. History On the early maps the name of the lake is given as Lake of the Hills. Of it I. A. Lapham, early Wisconsin traveler and scientist, wrote: "The lake is vulgarly called Devils Lake from the wild, rocky place in which it is found." The Indian name for Devils Lake is Minnewaukan, or Evil Spirit Lake. The lake has unusual echoing powers and for this reason, it is said, the Indians supposed the bluffs to be inhabited by powerful spirits or manitos. The Winnebago have a tradition that the buffalo clan of their tribe had its origin on its shores. First Visited The earliest record of the lake being visited by a white man was about 1839 when James S. Albin, the first permanent settler in Sauk County, came to the bluffs. Climbing the Mountain Between the railroad track and where the path begins its ascent of the East Bluff, stood the Cliff House, a pioneer hotel on the shore of the lake. In the historic structure many a noted traveler tarried, among them Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, and many social events were given; Baraboo folk often mingled with the visitors to the region. W. B. Pearl was the last landlord, leaving the place in 1904. The hotel, annex and other buildings were razed soon after. Elephant Rock and Cave The first pause of interest along the scenic, twisting trail, as one ascends the bluff is Elephant Rock. This huge, reclining pachyderm is an unusual freak of nature's chisel. Just back of Elephant Rock is the Cave, where may be seen some of the quartzite boulders rounded by the waves of the ancient Potsdam Sea. The top of the quartzite, on which the conglomerate rests, is the old sea shore, made smooth by the restless waves of that early time. Passing onward along the path from Elephant Rock, the pedestrian will see more of the conglomerate as he hugs the cliff, and the fantastic roots twining in and out will not be passed unobserved. The Tomahawk Rock Not far away is Tomahawk Rock, standing erect over the brow of the cliff, just as if placed there by some giant of other times.