Lac Simard is a freshwater
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
in the municipality of
Laforce
Laforce () is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality.
History
The place saw its first settlers in 1937, and was originally called Devlin, after the geographic township of Devlin, in tur ...
, in the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of
Temiscamingue, in northwestern
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Geography
It is located near
Moffet in
Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality
Témiscamingue () is a regional county municipality in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of western Quebec, Canada. The county seat is Ville-Marie.
Though Témiscamingue borders Pontiac Regional County Municipality to the south, it is not prac ...
.
Simard Lake covers an area of 170 km². With a length of 18 km and a width of 12 km, the lake is located about 25 km west of
Decelles Reservoir Decelle, Decelles or DeCelles may refer to:
* Maxime Decelles (1849–1905), a Canadian bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe at Canada
* Decelles building of HEC Montreal
HEC or Hec may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Hautes Études Commerciales ...
and more than 50 km to the east of
Lake Timiskaming
Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (, ) is a large freshwater lake on the Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers ...
. Specifically, the Lac Simard is located to the east of
Des Quinze Lake
The Lac des Quinze () is a freshwater body extending into the municipalities of Moffet, Laverlochère-Angliers, Latulipe-et-Gaboury, Quebec, Guérin, and Rémigny in the Témiscamingue (RCM), in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue administrative regio ...
, north of the village of
Laforce
Laforce () is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality.
History
The place saw its first settlers in 1937, and was originally called Devlin, after the geographic township of Devlin, in tur ...
, at 16.5 km north of the village of
Belleterre
Belleterre () is a '' ville'' in western Quebec, Canada, in the MRC de Témiscamingue.
History
In 1930, prospector William Logan discovered gold near Mud Lake (now called Lake Guillet). This led to the establishment of the Belleterre Gold Min ...
, at 19.5 kilometers north of the
Zec de Kipawa and 64 km south of
Rouyn-Noranda
Rouyn-Noranda (; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada.
The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipalit ...
.
The key neighboring drainage slopes are:
* North side:
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
, Darlens River, Kinojévis River and Serment River;
* Side:
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
, lake Nodiere and lake des Fourches (lac Fork);
* South side: Lake Devlin, Soufflot lake, lake aux Sables and Blondeau River;
* West side:
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
, Grassy Lake, Lake Roger and
Des Quinze Lake
The Lac des Quinze () is a freshwater body extending into the municipalities of Moffet, Laverlochère-Angliers, Latulipe-et-Gaboury, Quebec, Guérin, and Rémigny in the Témiscamingue (RCM), in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue administrative regio ...
.
The
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
flows on the north shore of Lac Simard (near the "tip of the Chasse-Galerie") and travels on 6.7 kilometers to the west across Lake Simard. Upstream, the waters of this river are coming from
Decelles Reservoir Decelle, Decelles or DeCelles may refer to:
* Maxime Decelles (1849–1905), a Canadian bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe at Canada
* Decelles building of HEC Montreal
HEC or Hec may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Hautes Études Commerciales ...
, located east of the lake. From this reservoir, downstream, the river is fed by rivers Darlens, Kinojévis and Roger.
With several islands, Lake Simard proves to be an outgrowth of the
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
. The north shore of lake forms two large curves; while the south coast has several bays: Bay of Deer River (French: baie de la rivière Chevreuil), Bay Klock, Poverty Bay and Bay Snags (baie des Chicots).
The municipality of
Laforce
Laforce () is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality.
History
The place saw its first settlers in 1937, and was originally called Devlin, after the geographic township of Devlin, in tur ...
and Aboriginal settlement of
Winneway
Winneway is an Indian settlement of Anishinaabe band government in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. It is geographically located within the territory of Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality and is home to the Long Point First ...
extend on its southern shore.
Toponymy
In 1928, the "Commission géographique du Québec" (Geographic Board of Quebec) formalized this name that evokes the work of
Télesphore Simard. Born in 1863 in
Saint-Joachim
Saint-Joachim (; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is in the centre of the Brière marsh, and comprises a group of "islands" within the marsh.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique depar ...
near
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
, he graduated as a surveyor in 1887 at
Laval University
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...
.
Working for the
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...
, Simard explored the rivers of the
North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to :
Antigua and Barbuda
* Major Division of North Coast, an urban area and major division in the parish of Saint John
* North Coast, Barbuda, an administrative district of Barbuda
Australia
* New South Wa ...
and
Temiscamingue. In 1911, he conducted the survey of villages in the new riding of Abitibi. In 1916, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the provincial election. Elected in
Témiscamingue riding, Simard served until his death in 1924 at
Ville-Marie in his riding.
In the early twentieth century, the Algonquin name "Mijicowaja" (meaning a slightly extended lake) designated "Lake Simard". This name will be replaced by the English name "Expanse", probably as a result of the construction, circa 1912, of a dam on rapid of the Fifteen (French: Rapides des Quinze); which would significantly increase the surface area of the lake.
In its 1895 report, the explorer John Bignell used the name Winowa to designate the lake. The word that comes close to Algonquin Winneway, meaning "white water" refers to a particular bay and an island in the southeast of Lake Simard.
The name Lake Simard was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the "Bank of place names" of the
Commission de toponymie du Québec
The Commission de toponymie du Québec (, ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicizing Québec's place names and their origins according to th ...
(Quebec Names Board).
Commission de toponymie du Québec (Quebec Names Board) - Bank of place names - Toponym: "lake Simard"
/ref>
See also
* Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...
, a stream
* Lake Timiskaming
Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (, ) is a large freshwater lake on the Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers ...
, a body of water
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simard
Lakes of Abitibi-Témiscamingue