Lac la Nonne
Encyclopedia
Lac la Nonne is a lake
in central Alberta
, Canada
. It is located between Lac Ste. Anne County
and Barrhead County, 85 km north-west from Edmonton
, east of the Grizzly Trail.
The lake is controlled by a dam
, and drains through MacDonald Creek into the Pembina River
.
, 20 km to the north. The name of the lake, “the nun” in French, has an uncertain origin. In 1827, Edward Ermatinger recorded the lake’s name in his journal as Lac La Nane. It has been suggested that the name comes from the White-winged Scoter, a duck with features similar to ducks in England known as “the nun”.
The Hudsons’s Bay Company established a trading post at the lake in the early 19th century; by the 1830s there were many Métis, and by the 1870s a Catholic mission had been established. In the 1890s several families had settled around the lake, and by 1912 most of the available land had been homesteaded.
Killdeer Beach Resort and Elksbeach Campground are the two commercial facilities at the lake. No commercial fisheries exist on the lake, although sport fishery, with the main catches being walleye and northern pike, is very popular in the summer.
Land acquisition around this lake and cottage development on the shoreline increased through to the 1970s until most of the shoreline became privately owned. Many cottages have been winterized and general lake use has intensified over the last half of the 20th century. Due to concerns about the quality of the lake, further development around the lake was halted through regulations enforced by Alberta Environment.”
Sammy Majeau was the first Metis President at the Lac la Nonne Local.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in central Alberta
Central Alberta
Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located between Lac Ste. Anne County
Lac Ste. Anne County, Alberta
Lac Ste. Anne County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada.It is located in Census Division 13, north west of Edmonton. Highway 43 stretches across this county. The municipal seat is located in the Hamlet of Sangudo....
and Barrhead County, 85 km north-west from Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, east of the Grizzly Trail.
The lake is controlled by a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, and drains through MacDonald Creek into the Pembina River
Pembina River (Alberta)
Pembina is a river in central Alberta, Canada. It is a tributary of the Athabasca River.Pembina is a Canadian French name for the high bush cranberry . The river gives the name to the Pembina oil field,an oil and gas producing region centered around Drayton Valley...
.
History
Lac la Nonne is fairly large (11.8 km2) and deep (maximum depth 19.8 m) lake located about 90 km northwest of Edmonton in the counties of Barrhead and Lac Ste. Anne. This is a highly developed and popular recreational lake. The closest large population centre is the town of BarrheadBarrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
, 20 km to the north. The name of the lake, “the nun” in French, has an uncertain origin. In 1827, Edward Ermatinger recorded the lake’s name in his journal as Lac La Nane. It has been suggested that the name comes from the White-winged Scoter, a duck with features similar to ducks in England known as “the nun”.
The Hudsons’s Bay Company established a trading post at the lake in the early 19th century; by the 1830s there were many Métis, and by the 1870s a Catholic mission had been established. In the 1890s several families had settled around the lake, and by 1912 most of the available land had been homesteaded.
Killdeer Beach Resort and Elksbeach Campground are the two commercial facilities at the lake. No commercial fisheries exist on the lake, although sport fishery, with the main catches being walleye and northern pike, is very popular in the summer.
Land acquisition around this lake and cottage development on the shoreline increased through to the 1970s until most of the shoreline became privately owned. Many cottages have been winterized and general lake use has intensified over the last half of the 20th century. Due to concerns about the quality of the lake, further development around the lake was halted through regulations enforced by Alberta Environment.”
Sammy Majeau was the first Metis President at the Lac la Nonne Local.