Harrington Lake facts for kids

Lac Mousseau
Lac Mousseau Location in Quebec
Location	Gatineau Park, Quebec
Coordinates	45°34′10″N 75°57′24″W / 45.56944°N 75.95667°W / 45.56944; -75.95667
Basin countries	Canada

Harrington Lake (French: La résidence du lac Mousseau) is a special place in Canada. It's the summer home and a quiet getaway for the Prime Minister of Canada. This beautiful property is located about 35 kilometers northwest of Ottawa, in Gatineau Park, Quebec.

The land around the lake was once a farm owned by Margaret and John Harrington. They couldn't farm the land well, so they moved away. The lake itself and the surrounding area are also known as Lac Mousseau in French. This name comes from an early settler named Louis Mousseau.

Harrington Lake is a private property and is not open to the public. However, nearby you can visit the Mackenzie King Estate. This was the retreat of former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and is now a popular tourist spot.

What is Harrington Lake?

Harrington Lake is a large property that covers about 5.4 hectares (13 acres). It has several buildings and beautiful natural surroundings. Since 1986, the National Capital Commission has managed the property. This organization helps protect and develop Canada's Capital Region.

The land around the lake used to be farm fields. Now, it has grown back into a secondary forest. This means it's a forest that has regrown after being cleared.

Buildings at Harrington Lake

The main building at Harrington Lake is a cottage that looks out over the lake. Besides this main cottage, there are other buildings on the property:

• a staff cottage, where people who work at the retreat stay
• an upper guest cottage for visitors
• a lower guest cottage for more visitors
• a boat house and a dock for paddleboats
• a long dock located on the northeast side of the retreat

Getting to Harrington Lake

The Prime Minister's retreat is accessed by a road called Chemin de Lac Meech. There is a gatehouse at the driveway, where officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Protective Policing Service are stationed. They help keep the area safe and secure.

Prime Ministers usually travel to Harrington Lake from Ottawa using Quebec Autoroute 5.

History of Harrington Lake

The area around Harrington Lake has a rich history, with families like the Harringtons and Mousseaus settling there in the 1800s. Over time, the lake became known by both its English and French names. The Mousseau family even built a farm on the lake's shores.

Since the land wasn't great for farming, the lumber industry became important. In the early 1900s, two Americans built a sawmill at Harrington Lake to help with the lumber business.

The Edwards Family and the Cottage

In the 1920s, a man named Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Macpherson Edwards inherited some land around the lake. His family was well-known in the lumber industry in Ottawa. He saw that the land was perfect for recreation, not just for cutting trees.

Edwards bought more land, making his property very large. He then tore down the old sawmill buildings. In their place, he built the 16-room cottage that stands there today. It was designed in a popular style called Colonial Revival, with big stone chimneys.

Becoming an Official Residence

In 1951, the Canadian government bought Harrington Lake and the surrounding land. The goal was to create natural protected areas around the capital city.

A few years later, in 1959, people suggested that the Prime Minister needed a quiet place to relax and fish. Harrington Lake was chosen as the perfect spot. The buildings were officially made a secure home for Canada's Prime Ministers.

Prime Ministers at Harrington Lake

Many Prime Ministers have used Harrington Lake as a retreat. During the time of Pierre Trudeau, his wife, Margaret, started a vegetable garden there. This garden still provided fresh produce for the house years later.

Kim Campbell was the only Prime Minister to live at Harrington Lake for her entire time in office. She moved there so that the previous Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, could finish renovations on his own home. However, Campbell's party lost the election in 1993 before she could move to the official residence at 24 Sussex Drive.