East Lake (Canada – United States border) facts for kids
East Lake (which is Lac de l'Est in French) is a cool lake that crosses the border between Canada and the United States. It's partly in Quebec, Canada, specifically in a place called Mont-Carmel, Quebec in the Kamouraska Regional County Municipality. The other part is in Maine, USA, in Aroostook County.
The northwest side of the lake has some vacation spots and a road to get to them.
Where is East Lake?
This lake is found along Quebec route 287, about 36 kilometers from Highway 20. The border between Quebec and Maine crosses the southern part of the lake.
East Lake flows into a smaller lake called "Little Eastern Lake" through a narrow passage about 0.6 kilometers long. From there, the water goes into the Chimenticook River, which then flows into the Saint John River. The Saint John River eventually makes its way through Maine and New Brunswick.
The end of East Lake, where its water flows out, is in Maine. It's located:
- About 0.4 kilometers southeast of the Canada-US border.
- About 18 kilometers northwest of where the Chimenticook River joins another river in Maine.
- About 47.8 kilometers southeast of the St. Lawrence River coast near Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec.
East Lake is long and narrow, stretching about 9.1 kilometers in length and up to 0.8 kilometers wide. It's surrounded by mountains. The peaks of these mountains reach about 672 meters high on the northeast side and 535 meters on the southwest side.
What's in a Name?
People have known the name "East Lake" for over a hundred years. It got this name because it's located to the east of Lake Sainte Anne, which is another important lake in this border area.
In 1944, another name appeared on a map for the lake: Lake Kijemquispam. This name is probably from the Mi'kmaq language, which is spoken by some Indigenous peoples.
The official name "Lac de l’Est" (which means Eastern Lake in English) was made formal on December 5, 1968, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec (which is like Quebec's official board for place names).
How People Used East Lake
For a long time, people came to the northern part of East Lake to cut down trees in the highlands of Kamouraska. In 1894, the very first sawmill opened here. A builder from New Brunswick used this mill and floated the cut logs down the Saint John River.
Soon, a small village, or hamlet, grew up here, especially busy in winter. It even had its own post office by 1898. More sawmills opened over time, and the area was busiest around 1930, when about 300 people lived there all the time.
Later, this hamlet started to be called Eatonville, but the name "Lac de l’Est" (Eastern Lake) stuck for the lake itself. After the 1960s, less wood was being cut. The camps where lumberjacks lived were replaced by cottages. People started coming to East Lake for vacations, drawn by a big beach along the lake.
