McLeod Lake

McLeod Lake is an unincorporated community located on Highway 97 in northern British Columbia, Canada, 140 km (87 mi) north of Prince George. It is notable for being the first continuously inhabited European settlement established west of the Rocky Mountains in present-day Canada.

For McLeod Lake in Stockton, California, see Stockton Channel.
McLeod Lake
McLeod Lake
Location of McLeod Lake in British Columbia
Coordinates: 54°59′05″N 123°02′43″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional DistrictFraser-Fort George
Established1805
Government
 • MPBob Zimmer
 • MLAsMike Morris
Area
 • Land10.23 km2 (3.95 sq mi)
Elevation
756 m (2,496 ft)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total94
 • Density8.5/km2 (22/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Postal code span
V0J 2G0
Area code(s)250 / 778 / 236
Highways Hwy 97

History

Originally named Trout Lake Fort, it was founded by the explorer and North West Company trader Simon Fraser in 1805 and was for a while known as La Malice Fort, after an employee left in charge during Fraser's absence. It became known soon after as Fort McLeod during the tenure of Archibald Norman McLeod, who was in charge of the post for many years.[3]:170 The site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1953.[4]

McLeod Lake Indian Reserve No. 1, which is adjacent to the non-native community, has a population of around 87, the main residents being an Athabascan Sekani people known as "Tse'Khene" (the people of the rock, in reference to the Rocky Mountains). Having signed Treaty 8 in the year 2000,[5][6] the natives of the community are trying to direct themselves towards self-government and employment stability.

The lake itself is 2,290 ha (5,700 acres).

A point in the marshes on its southern shore of nearby Summit Lake marks the low point of the divide between the drainages of the Fraser and Peace Rivers, As such it is significant as the prominence col between all points south in the Rockies and beyond and their "parent" summits in northern BC and Alaska. Summit Lake col, at 710 m (2,330 ft) in elevation, is the low point on the mountain spine of the Americas that connects Pico de Orizaba (5,640 m (18,500 ft)) in Mexico with its next-higher "parent" peak, Mount Logan (5,959 m (19,551 ft)).

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See also

References
  1. 2006 Community Profiles
  2. 2016 Community Profiles
  3. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
  4. Fort McLeod National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. McLeod Lake Indian Band Final Agreement", Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Archived 2009-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. McLeod Lake Indian Band Treaty No. 8 Adhesion and Settlement Agreement Documents BC Govt Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation

Bibliography
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