Lake Memphremagog (; french: Lac Memphrémagog) is a
fresh water glacial lake located between
Newport, Vermont, United States and
Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake spans both Quebec and Vermont, but is mostly in Quebec. Most of the watershed that feeds the lake is located in Vermont, and is a source for accumulated phosphorus, sediments and other pollutants. Cleanup efforts since the late 1980s have improved the water quality. The lake furnishes
potable water for 200,000 people.
Physical characteristics
The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, where it drains into the
Magog River. However, three-quarters of its
watershed, , is in
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. The total is , with located in Quebec. In Vermont, the lake lies in parts of the towns of
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
and
Newport, in addition to the City of
Newport, all in
Orleans County. In Quebec, the lake lies in parts of
Austin,
Magog,
Ogden,
Potton,
Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, and
Stanstead Township, all in
Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality. The lake occupies most of what the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources calls "Basin 17".
At the very south end of the lake, there is the South Bay, connected by the narrowest part of the lake.
The lake elevation is approximately above mean sea level.
Both ends of the lake are fairly shallow, with depth ranges of to . The lake bottom takes a dramatic drop in Canada, starting opposite
Mont Owl's Head and continuing that way north to Gibraltar Point, where it starts to climb back to the shallows of the north end. Its maximum recorded depth of is located in Canada, opposite Jewett Point (at approximately ). The lake is the third deepest in Vermont.
It contains 21 islands.
Province Island, the largest, is divided by the international border.
The lake is irregular in shape, and along its shores are several striking indentations, in some places low, and in some other parts high and rocky.
Along the western shore of the lake are several mountains, prominent among which are Owl's Head, Elephantis, and the Hog's Back.
Islands
![1901 Lake Memphremagog map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/1901_Lake_Memphremagog_map.png)
There are twenty-one islands on Lake Memphremagog. Of these, five are in the United States, one is international, and fifteen are in Canada. Many of the islands have had several names throughout history; the current names are provided.
Islands in the United States
* Horseneck Island (at approximately ) is the southernmost island on the lake and is near the eastern shore.
* Bell Island (at approximately ) is one of the Twin Sister islands (the other being Black Island) and is south of Gull Rocks and Black Island.
* Gull Rocks (at approximately ) is north of Bell Island and south of Black Island.
* Black Island (at approximately ) is one of the Twin Sister islands (the other being Bell Island) and is north of Gull Rocks and Bell Island.
* Cove Island (at approximately ) is east of Black Island.
International Islands
* Province Island (at approximately ) is crossed by the international boundary. About one tenth of the southern end of the island is in the United States; the remainder is in Canada.
Islands in Canada
* Tea Table Island (at approximately ) is north-northeast of Province Island, west of Reid Bay, and south of the Cedarville Wharf.
* Round Island (at approximately ) is near the western shore of the lake.
* Whetstone Island (at approximately ) is on the eastern shore at the entrance to Fitch Bay and is south of Gull Island. It is named for the
novaculite oil stone that was mined there.
* Gull Island (at approximately ) is north of Whetstone Island and at the entrance to Fitch Bay.
* Loon Island (at approximately ) is in Fitch Bay.
* Minnow Island (at approximately ) is east of Skinner's island.
* Skinner's Island (at approximately ) is west of Minnow Island and south of Long Island.
* Long Island (at approximately ) is north of Skinner's Island.
* Molson's Island (at approximately ) is on the eastern shore.
* Lord's Island (at approximately ).
* Eagle Island (at approximately ) is north of Hermitage Point and west of Hermitage Bay.
* Three Sisters (at approximately , , and ) are three small islands that are grouped together.
* Charest Island (at approximately ) is the northernmost island on the lake and is in Magog, Quebec.
Hydrology
Four Vermont rivers directly empty into the lake: the
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
,
Barton, the
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
and the
Johns River.
In the middle of the winter, the ice on the lake can become thick.
The
Magog River, in Quebec, drains the lake towards the northeast. The hydroelectric producing Memphemagog Dam, on the Magog River, regulates the water level of the lake. The water level of the lake is governed by a treaty signed in 1935 between the United States and Canada.
Geology
During the
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
, the lake was a
proglacial lake
In geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine during the retreat of a melting glacier, a glacial ice dam, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet due to isostatic depression of the crust around th ...
which covered
Lake Magog,
Lake Brompton, and much of the
Saint François watershed including
East Angus,
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...
, and
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
.
Ecology
Like many other lakes, Memphremagog is accumulating
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
, sediments, and other pollutants, primarily runoff from farms, but from other sources as well. Exotic species infestations are a concern, with an existing Eurasian
water milfoil
''Myriophyllum'' (water milfoil) is a genus of about 69 species of freshwater aquatic plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The center of diversity for ''Myriophyllum'' is Australia with 43 recognized species (37 endemic).
These submersed ...
population and the potential for a
zebra mussel
The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in ma ...
infestation. Since the 1970s, significant efforts have been made to reduce the polluting effects of direct discharges into the lake and its tributaries, and lake quality has improved.
In 1994, the Lake Memphremagog Watershed Association was formed to focus on solving lake and river issues. Testing done in 2008 was unable to determine the cause of excessive
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
and phosphorus. In 2010, a study revealed that farms contribute disproportionately to nutrient loads. Although farms have 16% of total land use in the drainage area, they produce 44% of the runoff. Baseline nutrients for a lake are 14 micrograms of phosphorus per litre of water. The lake was measured at 17 micrograms, 18% above the standard. Although the acreage devoted to farming has decreased, the retired land has most often been developed, itself a source of runoff.
Origin of name
The lake is within the larger territory originally inhabited by the
Abenaki
The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...
tribe. The lake's name, Memphremagog, is derived from the
Algonkian language:
*Memphremagog comes from the word ''Memrahabegek'', which means "where there is a big expanse of water".
*Memphremagog was also pronounced as "Mamphremagog". This came from the
Abenakis' ''Mamlawbagak'' which signifies "a long and large sheet of water". The prefix ''mamlaw'' denotes largeness or abundance; the particule ''baga'' denotes water; and "k" marks the name as given in local term.
History
![Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Saint-Beno%C3%AEt-du-Lac_Abbey.JPG)
In 1753, the Abenakis brought the ransomed
John Stark
Major-General John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was an American military officer who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Batt ...
down the lake and came ashore where Newport is now.
Rogers' Rangers
Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British army ...
were forced to retreat south following their attack on
Saint-Francis, Quebec in 1759. To confound their avenging pursuers, they split up on the east shore of the lake.
The first accurate depiction of the map was in 1776. This marks the beginning of interest by settlers.
The ''Mountain Maid'' paddlewheeler operated from 1850 to 1870.
The ''Lady of the Lake'' steam excursion/ferry paddlewheeler started operating in 1867. It stopped operations in 1917. It was based in Newport. The ''Anthemis'' steamer was built in 1909 to carry 300 people. It stopped operating after 1945.
In June 1942, a single-engined
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
training plane crashed into the lake near the west shore near Newport, killing the pilot, Roy N. Pate, its only occupant.
In 2010 the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
accepted a bequest of undeveloped land on the shores the lake on Eagle Point along the border with Canada.
In September 2020, a leak at the sewage treatment facility in Newport, Vermont dumped about 7,000 gallons of effluent into the lake.
Memphre
Lake Memphremagog allegedly contains a
cryptid named
Memphre
In Canadian folklore, Memphre is a lake monster said to live in Lake Memphremagog, a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada.
Background
Lake Memphremagog stretches for , with a mea ...
(or Memphré), which has received sightings since the 18th century and continues on in the folklore of the area. A sighting of Memphre was reported in 2000.
Lighthouses
Lake Memphremagog is known to have had at least three
lighthouses on the Vermont side and seven on the Quebec side. These were used in aiding boaters in navigating the waters of the large lake.
Vermont lighthouses
All three of the original lighthouses have been demolished.
Maxfield Point Light
![City of Magog](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/City_of_Magog.JPG)
The Maxfield Point Light was a small lighthouse constructed on the
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
side of Lake Memphremagog in 1879. A conical,
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
structure, it was 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, with a
focal plane 40 feet (12.2 m) above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
. It showed a
fixed white light, visible for 10 (16 km) miles. The lighthouse no longer exists; it is unknown what happened to it, or when it was deactivated.
Newport Wharf Light
The Newport Wharf Light was a tower that was built in the Newport section of Lake Memphremagog in 1879. The lighthouse was a steel skeleton tower, painted red, that was fixed on a concrete foundation. The tower showed a fixed red light that was visible for up to , with the height of the focal plane being 37 feet (11.2 m). As with the Maxfield Point Lighthouse, the date this lighthouse was demolished is unknown.
Whipple Point Light
Whipple Point Light was a tower that was built on the end of a pier on Whipple Point in Lake Memphremagog. Built in 1879, the tower was constructed of wood in a hexagonal shape and stood 13 feet (4 m). The light was fixed white and was visible from up to away, with a focal plane of 25 feet (7.6 m). The lighthouse was deactivated around 1906 and was demolished at an unknown date.
Quebec lighthouses
Most of the Quebec lighthouses were originally established in 1878. None of the original lighthouses have survived, although some of them have been replaced by simple navigation lights. From north to south, the lighthouses were:
Magog Lighthouse
Magog Lighthouse was located on a freight shed and had a fixed red light with a range of . It was built in 1910 and located near Magog. It was demolished on an unknown date.
Witch Shoal Lighthouse
Witch Shoal Lighthouse was located about southwest of Magog. The original lighthouse was built in 1878 as a white square wooden tower on a pier. It had a fixed white
dioptric
Dioptrics is the branch of optics dealing with refraction, similarly the branch dealing with mirrors is known as catoptrics. Dioptrics is the study of the refraction of light, especially by lenses. Telescopes that create their image with an objec ...
light located at a height of above the high water mark and with a range of .
It was rebuilt in 1900. In April 1933, it was destroyed by pressure from the ice caused by the rising level of the lake. It was rebuilt in 1960 as a small metal tower, which was swept away by spring ice in 1978. Since 1980, the mast that replaced it is left in place only from May to October each year. The tower is high with a fixed white light that has a range of and a focal plane of . The aid is owned by the Coast Guard and maintained by a private contractor.
Black Point Lighthouse
Black Point Lighthouse was located on the western side of the lake, about southwest from Witch Shoal lighthouse. It was also known as the Green Point Lighthouse. It was built in 1878 as a white square wooden tower. It had a fixed white
catoptric
Catoptrics (from grc-gre, κατοπτρικός ''katoptrikós'', "specular", from grc-gre, κάτοπτρον ''katoptron'' "mirror") deals with the phenomena of reflected light and image-forming optical systems using mirrors. A catoptric ...
light located at a height of above the high water mark and with a range of .
It had a focal plane of . It was rebuilt in 1914 and is currently in a dilapidated state.
Wadleigh's Point Lighthouse
Wadleigh's Point Lighthouse was located on the western side of the lake, about southwest of Black Point lighthouse. It was also known as the Bryant Landing Light and was near Austin. The original lighthouse was built in 1878 as a 22-foot white square wooden tower with a fixed white catoptric light located at a height of above the high water mark and with a range of .
In approximately 1914, that was replaced by a square pyramidal skeletal tower with enclosed lantern. In 1939, that was replaced by a square skeletal tower with enclosed lantern. In 1980, that was replaced by a modern steel tower with a fixed white light that has a range of . The still-active light is installed from May to October each year.
Chateau de Silva Lighthouse
Chateau de Silva Lighthouse was located on the western side of the lake at the Revere House (formerly the Chateau de Silva) hotel wharf, approximately southwest of the Wadleigh's Point lighthouse. It was built in 1878 as a white square wooden tower with a fixed white catoptric light located at a height of above the high water mark and with a range of .
The light had a focal plane of . It was demolished on an unknown date.
Molson's Island Lighthouse
Molson's Island Lighthouse was located on the southwest point of Molson's Island, approximately southeast of the Chateau de Silva lighthouse. This was on the eastern side of the lake, near Georgeville. It was built in 1878 as a white square wooden tower with a fixed white catoptric light located at a height of above the high water mark and with a range of .
The light had a focal plane of . It was rebuilt in 1914 and demolished on an unknown date. The light was replaced with a lighted buoy.
Lead Mines Lighthouse
Lead Mines Lighthouse was located on the western side of the lake, approximately southwest of the Molson's Island lighthouse. This was near Leadville, at the foot of Mount Owl's Head. It was built in 1878 as a white square wooden tower with a fixed white catoptric light located at a height of 20 feet above the high water mark and with a range of .
The light had a focal plane of . It was rebuilt in 1914 and demolished on an unknown date.
Economy
The watershed in Vermont is largely agricultural and forest land with residential development increasing in recent years in both Vermont and Quebec.
The lake furnishes potable (drinking) water for 200,000 people.
In 2011 a day cruise ship started summer operations on the Canadian side of the lake.
Sargent's Bay Yacht Club
Sargent's Bay Yacht Club, despite its name, is a small children's dinghy sailing club based out of Sargent's Bay. It operates throughout eight weeks of the summer, hosting up to 40 campers a week, with a staff of five to seven. It was started in 1935 by several families in the bay, with the goal of teaching their children the basics of the sport they all cherished so much, sailing. Since 1935, the Fisher family has graciously allowed the operation of the club to continue on their property.
Popular culture
Lake Memphremagog is mentioned in a novel by Chris Bohjalian, ''Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands'', in which the lake is the site of a nuclear reactor that has suffered a cataclysmic meltdown.
Lake Memphremagog is mentioned in ''
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
'', a historical novel by Kenneth Roberts about the 1759 Rogers' Rangers raid. In ''
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arc ...
'', the 1940 film based on the novel, Spencer Tracy uses a map that shows Lake Memphremagog and the environs.
The 1986 film ''
The Decline of the American Empire
''The Decline of the American Empire'' (french: Le Déclin de l'empire Américain) is a 1986 Canadian sex comedy- drama film directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Pierre Curzi and Dorothée Berryman. The film follows a group of ...
'' was shot at Lake Memphremagog from September to October 1985.
[André Loiselle, Denys Arcand's ''Le Déclin de L'empire Américain and Les Invasions Barbares'', University of Toronto Press, 2008, p. 23.]
The Canadian band
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...
mentions Lake Memphremagog in their 2002 unreleased song "Problem Bears", part of their ''In Violet Light'' album sessions.
Lake Memphremagog was mentioned and depicted in ''
Disappearances'', a 2006 film by director
Jay Craven
Jay Craven is a Vermont film director, screenwriter and former professor of film studies at Marlboro College.
Craven is known for creating award-winning films on modest budgets, adopting many of the novels of author Howard Frank Mosher to film. ...
starring
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
, and co-starring
Charlie McDermott
Charles Joseph McDermott Jr. (born April 6, 1990) is an American television and film actor, and musician, best known for his role as Axl Heck on ABC's '' The Middle''. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ...
and
Geneviève Bujold
Geneviève Bujold (; born July 1, 1942) is a Canadian actress. For her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the period drama film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969), Bujold received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film cre ...
.
Fictional versions of the lake appear in Howard Frank Mosher's books about the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, including God's Kingdom (St. Martin's Press, 2015).
Lake Memphremagog was the setting for the climactic scene in Kenneth Butler's satiric novel ''Holy Fool'' (TouchPoint Press, 2015).
See also
*
Memphre (Lake Monster)
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Memphremagog ConservationLake Memphremagog, Coaticook & Tomifobia Rivers Basin Planning''Lake Memphremagog''(YouTube) - Abbott Productions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Memphremagog, Lake
Derby, Vermont
Lakes of Estrie
Magog, Quebec
Newport (city), Vermont
Newport (town), Vermont
Vermont culture
Canada–United States border
International lakes of North America
Glacial lakes of the United States
Glacial lakes of Canada
Lakes of Orleans County, Vermont
Tributaries of the Saint Lawrence River
Tourist attractions in Estrie
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Vermont placenames of Native American origin