Last Mountain Lake

Last Mountain Lake
Last Mountain Lake
Last Mountain Lake
Location	Saskatchewan
Coordinates	51°10′N 105°15′W / 51.167°N 105.250°W / 51.167; -105.250Coordinates: 51°10′N 105°15′W / 51.167°N 105.250°W / 51.167; -105.250
Lake type	prairie lake[1]
Primary inflows	Lanigan Creek, Lewis Creek, Arm River, Saline Creek
Primary outflows	Last Mountain Creek
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	93 km (58 mi)
Max. width	3 km (2 mi)
Surface area	215 km2 (83 sq mi)[2]
Average depth	35 m (115 ft)
Max. depth	40 m (130 ft)
Islands	several in the north
Settlements	none
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	24 May 1982
Reference no.	239[3]

Last Mountain Lake,^[4] also known as Long Lake, is a prairie lake formed from glaciation 11,000 years ago. It is located in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, about 40 km (25 mi) north-west of the city of Regina. It flows into the Qu'Appelle River via Last Mountain Creek,^[5] which flows past Craven. It is approximately 93 km long, and 3 km wide at its widest point. It is the largest naturally occurring body of water in southern Saskatchewan. Only Lake Diefenbaker, which is man-made, is larger. The lake is a popular resort area for residents of south-eastern Saskatchewan.

NASA satellite image of Last Mountain Lake

History[]

In the late 1800s, access to the area for farming and settlement was opened up by the Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad and Steamboat Company which also operated steamships on the lake.^[6]

Until 1974, the lake was known as Long Lake. It was renamed Last Mountain Lake in honour of a Plains Cree legend about the Great Spirit shovelling dirt from the valley the lake now occupies and forming Last Mountain Hills, east of Duval and Strasbourg.^[7]

Last Mountain House[]

"Last Mountain House" was a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post from 1869 to 1871. It was a branch of Fort Qu'Appelle 75 km east and was about 85 km south-west of Touchwood Hills Post. It was founded in part to compete with the increasing number of independent traders in the area and because the buffalo had moved south from Touchwood Hills. Some time after the second season the post was completely destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt. The House was located on the east side of Last Mountain Lake, about a mile north of the lake's outlet, 7 km north-west of Craven, Saskatchewan, and about 40 km north-west of Regina. The area is now part of Last Mountain House Provincial Park^[8] and on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.^[9]

Geographical features[]

Several creeks and rivers flow into the lake, including , Lewis Creek, and Lanigan Creek. Saline Creek flows into Lanigan Creek. Last Mountain Creek flows out of the lake at the southern most point and into the Qu'Appelle River. During years in which the Qu'Appelle River's level is high, the Last Mountain Creek can reverse direction and flow back into Last Mountain Lake.^[10]

Named islands at the northern end of the lake include Royal Island, Bird Island, and Coney Island.^[11]

Near the southern end, on the west side of the lake, is Little Arm Bay, of which the Arm River flows into. Directly across from the bay is Pelican Point. The community of Pelican Pointe is located there.

Communities[]

Glen Harbour, Last Mountain Lake pre-1910

Camping on Last Mountain Lake pre-1910

Eight different rural municipalities border at least part of the lake. Clock-wise from the north, RMs include Wreford, Last Mountain Valley, McKillop, Longlaketon, Lumsden, Dufferin, Sarnia, and Big Arm.

Resort communities such as Kannata Valley, Arlington Beach, Grandview Beach, Eldora Beach, Regina Beach, Saskatchewan Beach, Buena Vista, Glen Harbour, Alice and Wee Too Beach, Colesdale Park, Spring Bay, Pelican Pointe, Sunset Cove, Island View, Etter's Beach, and Mohr's Beach are on the shores of the lake.^[12]

Beside Regina Beach, around Little Arm Bay, is Last Mountain Lake 80A Indian Reserve.^[13]

Parks and recreation[]

Near the town of Strasbourg along the lake's eastern shore lies . This park includes a full-service marina for boaters, a full-service campground, restaurant, mini-golf, and other facilities including a large sandy point that serves as a beach. The marina is often used by recreational boaters and sailors travelling from Regina Beach as a stop over or refuelling point, and holds a large fishing tournament every September. Last Mountain House Provincial Park is located on the south-east shore and provides tours of historical the Last Mountain House, which was built by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869.

At the southern end of the lake, where Last Mountain Creek starts, is Valeport Marsh. The area is protected by 900-acre conservation project called Valeport Wildlife Management Area Trails.^[14] It is in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited. Along the west side of the Management Area is a Nature Conservancy of Canada property called Big Valley. Big Valley is protected and managed for bird and wildlife habitat.^[15]

The United Church of Canada's Lumsden Beach Camp is "[a] short drive from Regina, ... hugging the south shore of Last Mountain Lake." Founded in 1905, it is the oldest summer camp in Western Canada.^[16]

Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary[]

The Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary, the first federal bird sanctuary in North America, was established here in 1887. As the first such wildlife reserve of this kind on the continent, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1987.^[17] Over 280 bird species have been recorded. The lake contains appropriate habitat for 9 of Canada's 36 species of vulnerable, threatened and endangered bird, such as the peregrine falcon, piping plover, burrowing owl, and whooping crane. The northern end of the lake is very shallow and contains wetlands. Part of this area of the lake and surrounding area has been set aside as the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, which is a site of regional importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.^[18][19]

Fish species[]

The lake contains a host of fish species including walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, burbot, lake whitefish, cisco, bigmouth buffalo, white sucker, and common carp.

See also[]

• List of lakes in Saskatchewan
• List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
• Tourism in Saskatchewan
• List of historic places in Saskatchewan
• Ramsar site

References[]

• Elizabeth Browne Losey, Let Them be Remembered: The Story of the Fur Trade Forts, 1999, pages 668-672
• Canada's Historic places
• Saskatchewan Parks

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Last Mountain Lake.

• Fish Species of Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
• Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan
• Rowan's Ravine Provincial Park
• Last Mountain House Provincial Park
• Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area