Dease Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the

Stikine Plateau The Stikine Plateau is a plateau in northern British Columbia, Canada. It lies between the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains on the west and southwest and the Cassiar Mountains along its northeast, and between the Skeena Mountains on its sout ...

of the

Northern Interior of British Columbia Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located at the head of the

Dease River The Dease River flows through northwestern British Columbia, Canada and is a tributary of the Liard River. The river descends from Dease Lake, though its ultimate origin is in the headwaters of Little Dease Creek at Snow Peak, approximately we ...

, which flows north then northeast from the lake to join the

Liard River The Liard River of the North American boreal forest flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Co ...

. The community of Dease Lake, British Columbia, formerly Dease Lake Post, is located at the south end of the lake, straddling a low pass which leads into the basin from the Tanzilla River, a tributary of the Stikine. The area around the lake was the focus of the

Cassiar Gold Rush The Cassiar Country, also referred to simply as the Cassiar, is a historical geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Cassiar is located in the northwest portion of British Columbia, just to the northeast of the Stikin ...

and numerous ghost towns and former settlement sites are scattered around its shores, including Laketon and Centre City. Dease Lake is the burial site and has a monument to English travelogue writer

Warburton Pike Warburton Mayer Pike (1861-1915) was an English explorer of British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic. Pike was born in Wareham, Dorset. He was named after his grandmother's and mother's maiden names. His father (John William Pike) a ball clay mer ...

Name origin

The lake was named in 1834 by John McLeod, a Chief Trader for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

at the former

Dease Lake Post Dease may refer to: * Dease Strait, a strait in Nunavut, Canada * Dease Lake (British Columbia), a lake in BC, Canada ** Dease Lake, a town in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Airport (CYDL), an airport in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Highway, a highway ...

, for

Peter Warren Dease Peter Warren Dease (January 1, 1788 – January 17, 1863) was a Canadian fur trader and Arctic explorer. Biography Early life Peter Warren Dease was born at Michilimackinac (now Mackinac Island) on January 1, 1788, the fourth son of Dr. J ...

, superintendent of the New Caledonia Fur District from 1830 to 1834, who had served with the

Franklin Expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...

of 1825-27 and later was senior officer of the

Dease & Simpson Arctic Expedition Dease may refer to: * Dease Strait, a strait in Nunavut, Canada * Dease Lake (British Columbia), a lake in BC, Canada ** Dease Lake, a town in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Airport (CYDL), an airport in BC, Canada *** Dease Lake Highway, a highway ...

in 1837–39.''15th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada'', 31 March 1917, a supplement to the Annual Report of the Department of the Interior, Ottawa, 1917.

References

Cassiar Country Lakes of British Columbia Stikine Plateau {{BritishColumbiaInterior-geo-stub