Meeting Lake is a shallow, fresh water lake in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Saskatchewan about north-west of
Saskatoon in the
RMs of Meeting Lake and
Spiritwood
Spiritwood is a town in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, Canada with a population of approximately 1,000.
Its location is 125 km west of Prince Albert and about 110 km northeast of North Battleford at the junction of Highway ...
. There are four small communities along the lake's shore and a
regional park. The nearest highway to the lake and its amenities is
Highway 378, which runs near its southern shore.
Prior to the settlement of Europeans, the lake was known as the Meeting Place for local
Indigenous people. During the
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...
, the lake was the possible site of a brief encounter between the
Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
and the
North-West Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...
.
Description
Meeting Lake is situated in the
Boreal Transition
Boreal may refer to:
Climatology and geography
*Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch
*Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...
ecozone of Canada. The region is characterized by rolling hills,
boreal forests, and farmland. Meeting Lake is fed by small streams from nearby hills, such as the Thickwood Hills to the south and south-east, spring runoff, and seasonal rains. It has
no natural outlet and, due to increased annual precipitation since 2011, lake levels have risen to a record high of above sea level. This has caused some flooding of cabins and the regional park.
Dykes and
berms have been built to help protect property while a long-term solution is sought. The option to build a canal to control water levels has been looked at "but the process is a long one and would be difficult".
Communities
In the RM of Spiritwood, on the north eastern shore, are the communities of
Spruce Bay and Moose Range. Along the north-eastern shore is
Mosquito, Grizzly Bear's Head, Lean Man Indian reserve. In the RM of Meeting Lake, along the southern shore, are the two small hamlets of Crescent Beach and Shady Bay.
Meeting Lake Regional Park
Meeting Lake Regional Park () was founded in 1965 and is located about north-east of
Rabbit Lake at the western end of Meeting Lake in the RM of Spiritwood. The park has a campground, cabin rentals, 18-hole
minigolf, dance hall, marina, ball diamonds, sandy beach, boat launch, and a picnic area. The campground has 37 sites, laundry, washrooms, and showers.
Fish species
Fish species commonly found in Meeting Lake include
walleye,
northern pike, and
yellow perch. The lake was last stocked with 300,000 walleye fry in 2022.
See also
*
List of lakes of Saskatchewan
References
{{Authority control
Lakes of Saskatchewan
Endorheic lakes of Canada
Meeting Lake No. 466, Saskatchewan
Spiritwood No. 496, Saskatchewan