Lake Athabasca ' onMouseout='HidePop("92796")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cree_language">Woods Cree
Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Labrador, making it by far the most spoken aboriginal language in Canada...
aðapaskāw, "[where] there are plants one after another") is located in the northwest corner of
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of and a population of 1,023,810 , mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 233,923 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 194,971 live in the provincial capital, Regina...
and the northeast corner of
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
between
58°The 58th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 58° north passes through:-See also:*57th parallel north*59th parallel north...
and
60° NThe 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° north passes through:-Canada:...
.
The name in the Dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence the Athabasca River at the southwest corner of the lake.
Lake Athabasca ' onMouseout='HidePop("92796")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cree_language">Woods Cree
Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories to Labrador, making it by far the most spoken aboriginal language in Canada...
aðapaskāw, "[where] there are plants one after another") is located in the northwest corner of
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of and a population of 1,023,810 , mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 233,923 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 194,971 live in the provincial capital, Regina...
and the northeast corner of
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
between
58°The 58th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 58° north passes through:-See also:*57th parallel north*59th parallel north...
and
60° NThe 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60° north passes through:-Canada:...
.
History
The name in the Dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence the Athabasca River at the southwest corner of the lake. In 1791,
Philip TurnorPhilip Turnor was a surveyor and cartographer for the Hudson's Bay Company.Turnor hired on for three years as an inland surveyor with the HBC and landed at York Factory in August, 1778...
, cartographer for the Hudson’s Bay Company, wrote in his journal, "low swampy ground on the South side with a few willows growing upon it, from which the Lake in general takes its name Athapison in the Southern Cree tongue which signifies open country such as lakes with willows and grass growing about them".
Peter FidlerPeter Fidler was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and died at Fort Dauphin in present day Manitoba...
originally recorded the name for the river in 1790 as
the Great Arabuska. By 1801, the name had gained a closer spelling to what we know now.... Athapaskow Lake. By 1820.
George SimpsonSir George Simpson was a Scots-Quebecer and employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . His title was Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land and administrator over the Northwestern Territory and Columbia Department in British North America from 1821 to 1860.-Early years:George Simpson was born in...
referred to both the lake and the river in their modern spelling.
Geography
The lake covers , is long, has a maximum width of , and a maximum depth of , and holds of water, making it the largest and deepest lake in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the eighth largest in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Water flows northward from the lake via the
Slave RiverThe Slave River is a Canadian river that flows from Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta and empties into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories....
and
Mackenzie RiverThe Mackenzie River originates in Great Slave Lake, in the Northwest Territories, and flows north into the Arctic Ocean. It is the longest river in Canada at and, together with its headstreams the Peace and the Finlay, the second longest river in North America at in length. The Mackenzie and...
systems, eventually reaching the
Arctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest, and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions.
The International Hydrographic Organization recognizes it as an ocean, although some...
. Fort Chipewyan, one of the oldest European settlement in Alberta, is located on the western shore of the lake, where the Rivière des Rochers drains the lake and flows toward
Slave RiverThe Slave River is a Canadian river that flows from Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta and empties into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories....
, beginning its northward journey along the eastern boundary of
Wood Buffalo National ParkWood Buffalo National Park, located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the largest national park in Canada at 44,807 km². The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free roaming Wood Bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000...
.
Fidler Point on the north shore of Lake Athabasca is named for
Peter FidlerPeter Fidler was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and died at Fort Dauphin in present day Manitoba...
, a surveyor and map maker for the
Hudson's Bay CompanyThe Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and is one of the oldest in the world...
.
Development and environment
UraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Besides its 92 protons, a uranium nucleus can have between 141 and 146 neutrons. The most common uranium isotopes are U-238 and U-235 . A uranium atom has...
and
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
along the northern shore resulted in the birth of
Uranium City, SaskatchewanUranium City is a settlement in northwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is on the northern shores of Lake Athabasca near the border of the Northwest Territories. It is located at and 230 m above sea level...
, which was home to the mine workers and their families. While the last mine closed in the 1980s, the effects of mining operations have heavily contaminated the northern shores.
The Lake Athabasca Sand Dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world north of 58°, are adjacent to the southern shore. After a long struggle with government bureaucracy and opposition from mining companies, the dunes were designated a "Provincial Wilderness Park" in 1992.
Lake Athabasca contains 23 species of
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
, with a world record
lake troutLake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
of having been caught from its depths in 1961 by means of a
gillnetGillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial fishermen of all the oceans and in some freshwater and estuary areas. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and regulated by fisheries management and enforcement agencies. Mesh size, twine strength, as well as...
.