Dease Lake

Dease Lake /ˈdiːs/ is a small community located in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located a few hours south of the Yukon border, it is located on Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) at the south end of the lake of the same name. Dease Lake is the last major centre before the Alaska Highway while driving north bound, and also the junction to Telegraph Creek and the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. Dease Lake Indian Reserve No. 9 is located nearby and is under the governance of the Tahltan First Nation band government.

This article is about the community. For the lake, see Dease Lake (British Columbia).

Dease Lake
Unincorporated Community
Dease Lake
Dease Lake
Coordinates: 58°26′00″N 130°01′27″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional DistrictKitimat-Stikine
Area
 • Total8.56 km2 (3.31 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total303
Area code(s)250 / 778 / 236
Highways Hwy 37

The town sits astride a pass separating the basins of the Dease River (N) from that of the Tanzilla (S), a tributary of the Stikine. The pass is part of Continental Divide and is a division point between drainage to the Pacific Ocean, via the Stikine, and the Arctic Ocean, via the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers.

The town has a school, various stores, a fuel and service station, hotel, and a Northern Lights College campus. It used to have a restaurant and a pub, but both have closed. The town sees a large influx of visitors during the summer months from tourists on their way to the Alaska Highway, Yukon, and Alaska. A majority of these tourists are from Canada or the United States. Dease Lake is also a destination for hunting and other wilderness activities, and the local economy benefits from local gold, copper, and jade mining and exploration activities.

History

In 1837 a Hudson's Bay Company post, known as Lake House, was created by Robert Campbell on the shore of Dease Lake about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Stikine River and 150 km (93 mi) south of where the present day Alaska Highway passes. The Lake had been named in 1834 for Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease, and would become a major junction for miners travelling to the gold rush in Cassiar (later an asbestos mine). Although the fort was abandoned soon after, the town based around the fort lived on, and was renamed Dease Lake in 1934 by then-Chief Trader John McLeod.

During the 1960s and 1970s, BC Rail started to build an extension of their line towards Dease Lake, but construction was halted. Grading was completed all the way, and can still be seen from the air at 58°3′N 129°49′W.

Geography

North of Dease Lake is Good Hope Lake (138 km [86 mi]) and the Alaska Highway (235 km [146 mi]). South of Dease Lake is Iskut (65 km [40 mi]), Stewart (398 km [247 mi]), and Kitwanga (489 km [304 mi]).

Climate

Dease Lake has a subarctic climate (Dfc), typical of northern British Columbia. Summers are mild, coupled with chilly nights while winters are severely cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging 84 inches (213 cm). Autumn typically begins by early September and lasts into October where Winter begins. Winter can last into late March or sometimes early April. Spring usually lasts until late May or early June, where summer begins right after. Due Dease Lake's high elevation, snowfall is possible at any month of the year.

Climate data for Dease Lake Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 7.8 10.2 13.7 21.2 33.6 31.4 33.3 34.5 29.8 20.0 11.7 6.8 34.5
Record high °C (°F) 8.9
(48.0)		 11.7
(53.1)		 14.2
(57.6)		 22.2
(72.0)		 35.3
(95.5)		 33.9
(93.0)		 33.3
(91.9)		 32.2
(90.0)		 28.9
(84.0)		 20.6
(69.1)		 14.4
(57.9)		 7.8
(46.0)		 35.3
(95.5)
Average high °C (°F) −11.7
(10.9)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 1.0
(33.8)		 7.7
(45.9)		 13.6
(56.5)		 18.2
(64.8)		 19.5
(67.1)		 18.1
(64.6)		 12.9
(55.2)		 5.0
(41.0)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −10.3
(13.5)		 5.2
(41.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) −16.1
(3.0)		 −11.9
(10.6)		 −5.7
(21.7)		 1.3
(34.3)		 6.7
(44.1)		 11.1
(52.0)		 13.0
(55.4)		 11.7
(53.1)		 7.2
(45.0)		 0.8
(33.4)		 −9.3
(15.3)		 −14.5
(5.9)		 −0.5
(31.1)
Average low °C (°F) −20.4
(−4.7)		 −17.7
(0.1)		 −12.3
(9.9)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 4.0
(39.2)		 6.4
(43.5)		 5.1
(41.2)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −3.4
(25.9)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −18.5
(−1.3)		 −6.2
(20.8)
Record low °C (°F) −51.2
(−60.2)		 −48.3
(−54.9)		 −42.8
(−45.0)		 −31.7
(−25.1)		 −14.2
(6.4)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 −6.1
(21.0)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −27.3
(−17.1)		 −42.5
(−44.5)		 −46.1
(−51.0)		 −51.2
(−60.2)
Record low wind chill −58.2 −56.4 −53.7 −35.6 −12.8 −5.9 −2.8 −4.1 −15.4 −33.0 −51.6 −58.9 −58.9
Average precipitation mm (inches) 34.7
(1.37)		 19.5
(0.77)		 20.4
(0.80)		 13.2
(0.52)		 33.7
(1.33)		 50.0
(1.97)		 66.7
(2.63)		 59.3
(2.33)		 52.6
(2.07)		 34.1
(1.34)		 32.5
(1.28)		 28.8
(1.13)		 445.3
(17.53)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.4
(0.02)		 0.1
(0.00)		 1.0
(0.04)		 2.9
(0.11)		 29.0
(1.14)		 49.9
(1.96)		 66.6
(2.62)		 59.2
(2.33)		 50.5
(1.99)		 17.6
(0.69)		 2.0
(0.08)		 0.9
(0.04)		 280.0
(11.02)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 45.0
(17.7)		 25.6
(10.1)		 26.0
(10.2)		 12.5
(4.9)		 5.2
(2.0)		 0.1
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.1
(0.0)		 2.1
(0.8)		 19.3
(7.6)		 39.7
(15.6)		 37.1
(14.6)		 212.8
(83.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 12.4 9.0 9.9 7.2 11.4 15.0 17.6 17.2 16.2 14.8 13.8 11.9 156.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.2 0.2 0.8 2.3 9.8 15.0 17.6 17.2 15.8 8.4 1.1 0.4 88.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 13.0 9.8 10.2 6.2 3.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.2 8.5 13.8 12.4 78.7
Average relative humidity (%) 78.7 67.2 53.5 42.8 43.6 46.1 52.3 53.4 58.3 68.5 79.5 83.3 60.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 58.2 97.3 142.8 189.5 211.1 220.4 212.5 188.2 117.5 74.1 50.7 38.0 1,600.3
Percent possible sunshine 26.2 37.2 39.1 43.9 40.6 40.4 39.1 39.4 30.4 23.2 21.4 18.9 33.3
Source 1: [2]
Source 2: [3]
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References
  1. Statistics Canada. 2012. Dease Lake, British Columbia (Code 590228) and British Columbia (Code 59) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released February 8, 2012. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed March 3, 2012).
  2. "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  3. "Daily Data Report for July 2009". Environment Canada. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
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