Turtle Lake (Saskatchewan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Turtle Lake |
|
|---|---|
 Turtle Lake
Location in Saskatchewan
|
|
| Location | Parkdale No. 498 / Mervin No. 499, Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 53°34′N 108°39′W / 53.567°N 108.650°W |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 21 km (13 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Settlements | Closest Cities are North Battleford and Lloydminster. |
Turtle Lake is a cool lake located in the central-west part of Saskatchewan, Canada. It's quite long, stretching about 21 kilometers, but it's not very wide, only about 5 kilometers across. The closest town is Livelong, and the closest big cities are North Battleford, SK, and Lloydminster, AB.
The lake got its name from an old Cree legend. This story talks about a giant creature that lives in the lake. Sometimes, local people still share tales about a monster of some kind in its waters! You can learn more about this legend at Turtle Lake Monster.
Water from Turtle Lake flows out through the Turtle River. This river travels south and eventually joins the North Saskatchewan River.
Contents
Fish and Wildlife at Turtle Lake
Fish Friends in the Lake
Turtle Lake is home to many different kinds of fish! You can find Sturgeon, Northern Pike (also known as Jackfish), Walleye, and Whitefish here.
Helping the Fish Grow
A special program to help fish populations in Turtle Lake started way back in 1950. It has been running regularly for over 80 years! The main goal of this program is to boost the numbers of walleye and lake whitefish.
Whitefish stocking began in 1927 and stopped in 1984. During that time, millions of tiny whitefish fry (newly hatched fish) were put into the lake. For walleye, over 14 million fry were stocked between 1932 and 1962.
A study in 1964-65 showed that these early efforts weren't very successful, so the program paused. However, because many anglers (people who fish) wanted more walleye, the stocking program started again in 1969. From 1969 to 2004, another 22 million walleye fry were added. Plus, 461,300 walleye fingerlings (which are about 5 centimeters long) were also stocked. Today, about 500,000 walleye fry are put into Turtle Lake every spring.
Land Animals Around the Lake
The area around Turtle Lake is full of different land animals. You might see small creatures like squirrels, rabbits, and skunks. There are also larger animals such as deer and moose. Sometimes, you might even spot a black bear! Black bears occasionally come to the lake to eat fish.
Communities Around Turtle Lake
Turtle Lake is a very popular spot for fun and relaxation. Many people own cabins here, and there are over 1500 cabins around the lake! This means the lake is surrounded by several small communities where cabin owners live.
Some of these communities include Turtle Lake Lodge, Indian Point, Golden Sands, Sunset View, Evergreen Acres, South Bay, Kopps Cove, Aspen Cove, Parkland Beach, Powm Beach, All Seasons Resort, Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. Most of these areas have people who live there all year round. Only a few have cabins you can rent.
In the past, Turtle Lake Lodge and Moonlight Bay had small stores. Now, South Bay is the only place on the lake with a store, gas station, restaurant, and lounge. These services are open during the summer season.
History of Turtle Lake Lodge
The area where Turtle Lake Lodge is now was first settled by John Matthews in the early 1930s. Farming was hard here because the land was rocky. So, John found other ways to make a living, like fishing, building boats, and trapping.
John's beach became known as "Matthews Beach." He built boats for others and even had a lumber mill. Soon, people started coming to his beach to fish and wanted to rent boats. This was the beginning of what would become Turtle Lake Lodge. In the late 1940s, he started renting out simple cabins to visiting fishermen.
In 1957, John's son, Ottmer, took over the business. He continued to grow the resort and started renting out lots along the lakefront. Later, in 1964, Ottmer sold the land and business to Al Corrigal. The place then became known as "Al's Beach." Mr. Corrigal ran a small store, selling treats and ice that was cut from the lake in winter. He also continued to rent boats and cabins.
In the mid-1970s, Maurice and Jeanette Blais bought the resort and renamed it "Turtle Lake Lodge." They built a new, bigger store and several new cabins. They also improved the gas station, added more items to the store, and offered rental bikes and pedal boats. The business grew a lot during this time.
Brian and Les Clark, along with Bob and Maureen Craig, took over the business in 1997. They ran the Turtle Lake Lodge store for 13 seasons. They lived there full-time and served the community, including winter guests who came for hunting, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.
Over time, many small seasonal stores in Saskatchewan started to close. The value of the Turtle Lake Lodge as a business went down, but the value of the land it was on went up. In 2009, the store closed for good. The Clarks moved the store building to a new spot and turned it into their retirement home.
Today, the area legally known as Turtle Lake Lodge is a quiet residential community. It no longer has commercial services. The public beach has been improved, and there are more street lights and playgrounds. It has changed from a busy business area to a peaceful place for homes.
The Turtle Lake Lodge Welcome Sign
The welcome sign at Turtle Lake Lodge was first made for the store owners, Maurice and Jeanette Blais. Maurice Blais designed it, and Marcel DeRoo created it. When the Turtle Lake Lodge business closed, the owners, Brian and Les Clark, gave the sign to the Turtle Lake Lodge community.
After 30 years, the sign needed some care. Kevin and Fay Hope cleaned it up, repainted the artwork, and added a fresh protective coating. Materials for a new structure around the sign were donated by the Hopes and the Co-op in Turtleford.
Willy Thompson, who lives in the Turtle Lake Lodge area, helped with the design and built the wooden parts. He also helped set up the sign in its new spot at the community's entrance. Kevin and Fay painted the new structure a dark brown to make the original sign stand out. Kevin and Willy also gathered rocks to build a base around it. This sign is a unique piece of art and an important part of Turtle Lake's history!
Gallery
-
Classic A-Frame cabin Sunset View Beach
-
View of A Frame Cabin from water
-
1972 Vanguard Boat
-
Indian point, Moes Beach
-
Sunset at Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan
