In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt established Stump Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It was the the third national wildlife refuge in the nation and the first in North Dakota. It was established as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and was a nationally significant staging area for canvasbacks and tundra swans due to the uniquely large beds of sago pondweed.

The Refuge originally consisted of four small islands. However, in 1993, the levels of both Stump Lake and adjacent Devils Lake began to rise. By 2005, the Refuge islands were completely submerged and to this day are under 15 feet of water.