Reindeer Lake is a large lake in Western Canada located on the border between north-eastern Saskatchewan and north-western Manitoba, with the majority in Saskatchewan. The name of the lake appears to be a translation of the Algonquian name. It is the 24th largest lake in the world by area, as well as being the second-largest lake in Saskatchewan and the ninth largest in Canada. Eight percent of the lake lies in Manitoba while 92% of the lake is in Saskatchewan.
| Reindeer Lake | |
|---|---|
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  Reindeer Lake Location of Reindeer Lake in Saskatchewan  Reindeer Lake Reindeer Lake (Canada) | |
| Location | Division No. 18, Saskatchewan / Division No. 23, Manitoba |
| Coordinates | 57°18′N 102°22′W / 57.300°N 102.367°W |
| Lake type | Glacial |
| Primary inflows |
|
| Primary outflows | Reindeer River |
| Catchment area | 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 230 km (140 mi) |
| Max. width | 60 km (37 mi) |
| Surface area | 6,650 km2 (2,570 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Max. depth | 219 m (719 ft) |
| Water volume | 113,050,000 dam3 (91,650,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Residence time | 9 years |
| Shore length1 | 3,394 km (2,109 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 337 m (1,106 ft) |
| Settlements | |
| References | [2][3] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Access to the lake is from Saskatchewan's Highways 102 and 994 and Manitoba's Highway 394.[4] Highway 102 ends at the community of Southend at Reindeer Lake's southern end. Highway 394 ends at the Saskatchewan border and carries on as Highway 994 for 1.1 kilometres (0.7 mi) into Kinoosao on the eastern shore.
Geography
editReindeer Lake has a heavily indented shoreline and contains numerous small islands. On its eastern shore is the community of Kinoosao, at its northern end Brochet, Manitoba; and at its southern end, Southend, Saskatchewan. It drains mainly to the south, via the Reindeer River and a controlled weir, to the Churchill River and then east to Hudson Bay. Water flow out of the lake is regulated by the Whitesand Dam.
Deep Bay, located at the south end of the lake and measuring about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) wide and 220 metres (720 ft) deep, is the site of a large meteorite impact dating to about 99 million years ago.[5] According to local Cree legend, it is also the location of a lake monster.[6]
History
editSeveral early explorers travelled through Reindeer Lake, including David Thompson, who set up a fur-trade post on the west shore in 1796, called Bedford House. While surveying a route to Lake Athabasca, Thompson wintered at Reindeer Lake and abandoned the post in spring 1797.[7]
Parks and recreation
editAt the southern end of the lake, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Southend, is Norvil Olson Campground (56°20′10″N 103°16′57″W / 56.3360°N 103.2825°W), which is a provincial recreation site.[8] The park has a free campground, lake access, and a boat launch. Access is from Highway 102.[9][10][11]
Several bays and islands on Reindeer Lake host fishing lodges. Nordic Lodge, which is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Norvil Olson Campground, is a hunting and fishing outfitters with cabins and lodging.[12] Lawrence Bay Lodge is a camp 56 kilometres (35 mi) north-east of Southend. Access is by water or floatplane.[13][14]
Fishing
editFishing is an important industry in the area and sport-fishermen are drawn by its clear and deep waters. Trophy-sized pike are common at Reindeer Lake. The lake also supports light commercial fishing.[15] Fish species include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, Arctic grayling, lake whitefish, cisco, round whitefish, burbot, white sucker, goldeye, and longnose sucker.[16]
NORAD Tracks Santa
editReindeer Lake was a featured Santa Cam location from the start of the 2002 NORAD Tracks Santa tracking season to the end of the 2011 season when NORAD opted to switch to a regional format the next year instead of the individual profiling of cities they had been doing.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "NASA Visible Earth (BURN SCARS IN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA) Note: Dark to light rust coloured areas are burn scars from forest fires". 24 August 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ "Google Maps Distance Calculator". daftlogic.com. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ "World Lake Database (Reindeer Lake)". Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Lewry, Marilyn. "Reindeer Lake". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. University of Regina. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Deep Bay crater". Earth Impact Database. University of New Brunswick Planetary and Space Science Centre. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ Johnson, Will (18 August 2015). "Chasing the Deep Bay Monster". Nelson Star. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ "Hudson's Bay Company: Bedford House". pam.minisisinc.com. Archives of Manitoba - Keystone Archives Descriptive Database. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Reindeer Lake (Norvil Olson) Recreation Site". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Norvil Olson Campground". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Kos, Veronica (2 October 2018). "30 Free Places to Camp in Saskatchewan". Explore-mag. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Lemna, Sam (3 January 2023). "Where to Camp for Free in Saskatchewan". RV Direct Insurance. RV Direct Insurance Ltd. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Nordic Lodge On Reindeer Lake". Reindeer Lake. Nordic Lodge. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Lawrence Bay Lodge & Airways". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Southend". Peter Ballantyne. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Industry Profile - Commercial Fishing". SaskNetWork. Government of Saskatchewan - Ministry of Education. 2003. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ "Explore Reindeer Lake - Sask Lakes". sasklakes.ca. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ 2010 - 23 - Reindeer Lake - SK - Canada - NORAD Tracks Santa - English. North American Aerospace Defense Command. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.