Lake Wickenden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Wickenden |
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 Lake Wickenden
Location in Quebec
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| Location | Anticosti Island, Saint Lawrence River, Minganie Regional County Municipality, Côte-Nord, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°33′08″N 63°03′51″W / 49.55222°N 63.06417°W |
| Type | Natural |
| Primary inflows | (clockwise, from the mouth) discharge of Lac de la Tête, two discharges of small lakes, discharge of Wilcox lake, discharge of Lac de la Traverse. |
| Primary outflows | discharge of the lake, going to Jupiter River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 4.5 km (2.8 mi) |
| Max. width | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 196 m (643 ft) |
Lake Wickenden is the biggest lake on Anticosti Island in Quebec, Canada. It's found in the Saint Lawrence River area, within the Minganie Regional County Municipality and the Côte-Nord region.
This special lake and the land around it, covering about 69,111 km2 (26,684 sq mi), became a protected area on January 1, 1993. It was recognized by the WCPA. This protected spot is known as the "Rare Forest of Lac-Wickenden."
The main activity here is forestry, which means managing forests for wood. Tourism, where people visit for fun, is also important.
Exploring Lake Wickenden's Geography
Lake Wickenden was formed by glaciers, which are like giant ice rivers that shaped the land long ago. It's part of the Jupiter River system. Many small lakes nearby are surrounded by marshy areas.
The lake is about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long and 3.6 km (2.2 mi) wide. It sits at an elevation of 196 m (643 ft) above sea level. A narrow strip of land separates Lake Wickenden from another lake called Lac de la Tête.
There's a small village called Wickenden located at the end of a bay on the western side of the lake. Another small village, Lac-de-la-Tête, is just 0.5 km (0.31 mi) north-west of Wickenden. A road from the west helps people reach these villages and the southern shore of the lake.
How Lake Wickenden Got Its Name
Old maps from the late 1930s already showed the name "Wickenden Lake." The lake was named after Henri Robert Wickenden. He worked on Anticosti Island in the 1920s for a company called Wayagamack Paper Corporation.
Henri Wickenden was also a director for the Wayagamack Pulp and Paper Company. In 1926, his team studied the forests on Anticosti Island to see if they were valuable for business. His team gave a positive report, suggesting the island would be a good purchase.
Wickenden then represented the Anticosti Corporation, a company that included Wayagamack and other paper companies. On July 29, 1926, this company bought Anticosti Island. The seller was a French politician named Gaston Menier.
The name "lac Wickenden" was officially recognized on December 5, 1968, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is like a government office for place names in Quebec.
