Pinantan Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pinantan Lake
Community
Pinantan Lake Location in British Columbia
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Thompson Country
Regional district	Thompson-Nicola
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
Area codes	250, 778, 236, & 672

Pinantan Lake is a small community in south-central British Columbia, Canada. It is not a city or town, but a group of homes built around a beautiful lake of the same name. You can find it about 31 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Kamloops.

About Pinantan Lake

Pinantan Lake sits in a shallow valley. It is about 878 meters (2,880 feet) above sea level. The lake covers an area of about 68 hectares (168 acres).

The lake is fairly deep for its size. Its average depth is 10.6 meters (35 feet), and its deepest point is 18.5 meters (61 feet). The edges of the lake drop off quickly. You'll see many cattails and bulrushes along the shoreline. The southeast part of the lake is marshy, with willow trees and some water birches.

Just northeast of the main Pinantan Lake, there's a smaller lake called Little Pinantan Lake. It has similar features to the larger lake.

How Pinantan Lake Got Its Name

Before the early 1900s, this area was known as Black Valley. The first settlers, Alexander McBryan and Donald G. McPherson, arrived in 1873.

There are a few ideas about how Pinantan Lake got its name. One idea is that the lake was called "Pininkantan" a long time ago. Another idea is that the name comes from a First Nations word for "moccasin," because the lake's shape might have looked like a moccasin.

In 1904, a man named Antoine Pene bought land at the northwest end of the lake. In 1913, he built a place for people to stay and fish. He called it "Penentan Lodge," which was a play on his own name. Some people think that this spelling quickly changed into "Pinantan" for both the area and the lake.

Early Days of the Community

Around 1900, more settlers began to arrive in the area. Peter Botta built a large house and lodge on a hill. This place served as a stop for people traveling by stagecoach overnight.

Pinantan Lake had its own post office from 1912 to 1955. A school also operated here from 1916 to 1958.

In 1926, the Botta lodge burned down. A smaller building was put in its place. Later, in 1936, a sawmill owned by the McDonald family was completely destroyed by fire.

Electricity came to the Pinantan Lake area in 1968, making life easier for residents.

Community Growth and Services

In 1976, a new post office opened inside the local general store. Two years later, in September 1978, a new school opened. At first, all the classes were held in temporary buildings called portables.

Around this time, the community voted on whether to raise taxes to buy a fire truck and build a fire hall for a new volunteer fire department. They first voted yes, but a few months later, they changed their minds and voted no. In November 1988, a permanent school building finally replaced the portable classrooms.

Fun and Recreation at the Lake

Pinantan Lake is a popular spot for outdoor activities. The lake was first stocked with fish in 1908. It officially opened for fishing in 1912. Fishing became so popular that even important people, like Admiral Sir Cyril Thomas Moulden Fuller, came to visit in 1928.

The Pinantan Resort opened in 1937. It has had many different owners over the years. In the late 1940s, a trout hatchery was even set up at the lake.

Today, the Pinantan Lake Resort is a large property right on the lake. It offers cabins for rent, a private beach, and rentals for kayaks and paddleboards. To keep the lake peaceful and clean, power boats are only allowed if they use electric motors up to 7.5 kilowatts.

The lake is surrounded by lots of wildlife. It's a great place for fishing, swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. From November to mid-April, the lake freezes over. Even then, you can find many rainbow trout under the ice.

Modern Pinantan Lake

The old schoolhouse, which is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) east of Pinantan, is still used for community events.

In 2012, the local fire brigade got its first fire truck. Unlike larger fire departments, this one relies on money raised by the community. In 2014, the general store burned down, but rebuilding started a few months later. In 2015, the community voted against a plan to use taxes to build a fire hall. The next year, the fire truck was put up for sale.

Pinantan Lake Elementary is part of School District 73 Kamloops/Thompson. The school and the general store (which also has the post office) serve the community. There are about 150 homes and recreational properties in the area.

Notable People

• Richard Wagamese (1955–2017), a famous author and journalist, lived in Pinantan Lake.