Geography
Lake Shetek covers 3,596 acres (1,455 ha) to a maximum depth of just 10 feet (3.0 m). This modest depth is wholly typical for the Prairie Pothole Region. The shoreline totals 31.7 miles (51.0 km), about 85% of which is in private development. The watershed-to-lake ratio is 23:1, with much of that watershed under cultivation.
Lake Shetek is by far the largest of Murray County's hundred or so lakes. The next largest is currently 1,176-acre (476 ha) Lake Sarah just to the northwest. Great Oasis Lake at 1,466 acres (593 ha) was once second-largest but was drained in the early 20th century for farmland.
It is the headwaters of the West Fork of the Des Moines River, considered the river's main fork. Lake Shetek contains three main islands: Valhalla, Keeley, and Loon Islands. Causeways connect the first two to the western shore, and another connects the third to the eastern shore. Shetek also connects to Bloody Lake and Armstrong Lake.
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