Shoal Lake ( oj, Iskatewi-zaagaʼigan) is a lake that straddles the boundary between

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada, northwest of Lake of the Woods. Depending on the water level of Lake of the Woods, Shoal Lake runs both into and out of Lake of the Woods and, for many practical purposes, is part of that lake.

Overview

It is a body of water that is not completely charted, and caution must be taken when navigating this body of water. Smallmouth bass,

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

are its primary species of fish. At one time, it was a commercial fishery for walleye, but this was closed due to over fishing. There are a number of private cabins in this area, and several commercial fishing lodges and resorts which offer housekeeping cabins and American-plan packages for tourists. Shoal Lake is also home to Manitoba Pioneer Camp. Two

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

reserves lay claim to much of Shoal Lake. They are bands #39 and #40. The lake has a history of

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...

and as gold prices rise so does the pressure to explore mining on the lake again. This pressure is being fought by local cottagers and the City of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, which has used the lake as its main source of safe drinking water for almost 100 years. Shoal Lake falls under special and specific developmental guidelines in order to protect its water quality and unique wildlife. The City of Winnipeg operates the

Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway The Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway is a industrial railway from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Waugh on Shoal Lake near Manitoba's eastern boundary. The railway was built between 1914 and 1916 to assist in the construction and maintenance of the ...

between Shoal Lake and the City of Winnipeg. The railway provides access by maintenance staff to the

Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct The Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct supplies the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba with water from Shoal Lake in the Kenora District of Ontario. It was put in service in 1919 and cost nearly CDN $16 million. It has a capacity of 85 m ...

that is used to supply Winnipeg.

References

Lakes of Kenora District Hudson's Bay Company trading posts {{NorthernOntario-geo-stub

Overview

See also

References