Little Manitou Lake,[1] nicknamed the "Dead Sea of Canada", is a terminal salt lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Manitou is Algonquin for "mysterious being" or "spirit". The lake is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Saskatoon and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Watrous.[2] The lake sits in a glacial spillway that formed by receding glaciers at the end of the most recent ice age and is fed by underground springs. It has a mineral content high in sodium, magnesium, and potassium salts[3] due to it being a terminal lake. Little Manitou Lake is about half as salty as the Dead Sea in Israel and five times saltier than the ocean.
| Little Manitou Lake | |
|---|---|
 Manitou Beach | |
  Little Manitou Lake Location in Saskatchewan  Little Manitou Lake Little Manitou Lake (Canada) | |
| Location | Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 51°44′17″N 105°31′37″W / 51.7381°N 105.527°W |
| Type | Endorheic lake |
| Part of | Qu'Appelle River drainage basin |
| None | |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 22.5 km (14.0 mi) |
| Max. width | 1.6 km (1 mi) |
Surface area | 1,524 ha (3,770 acres) |
Average depth | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
Shore length1 | 43.3 km (26.9 mi) |
Surface elevation | 495 m (1,624 ft) |
| Settlements | Manitou Beach |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The southern shore of Little Manitou Lake borders the RM of Morris No. 312 while the northern shore borders the RM of Viscount No. 341. The resort community of Manitou Beach is on the southern shore. Access to the lake and its amenities is from Highway 365. In the 2000s, lake waters began to rise due to increased precipitation in the region. Berms and dykes were built around the community of Manitou Beach to protect it. Lake levels peaked around 2016.
There are no fish in the lake as the high salt content of the water supports little other than brine shrimp.
History
editSince the 19th century, native people have been bringing sick people to the lake they named after the spirit Manitou. The earliest known practice of using this water to heal was when some Assiniboine people afflicted with smallpox were supposedly cured after drinking and submerging themselves in the water.
Since the turn of the 20th century and the depression of the 1930s, Manitou has been a tourist resort due to its unique mineral waters. Since the late 1980s, the claimed health benefits and the buoyancy of the water have once again made it a popular tourist destination.[4][5]
Manitou Beach has spawned an arts community, made evident by the founding of an Artists' Collective called "Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail". The Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail consists of an open studio / gallery weekend tour including artists/artisans from the localities of Allan, Meacham, Watrous, and Manitou Beach.
Description
editLittle Manitou Lake is an endorheic lake that falls within the Lanigan-Manitou Sub-basin of the Upper Qu'Appelle watershed.[6] The lake and the glacial spillway it sits in were formed over 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. It is 22.5 kilometres (14.0 mi) long, 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) wide, and covers an area of 1,524 hectares (3,770 acres).[7] Little Manitou Lake used to be much deeper than its current average depth of 3.8 metres (12 ft). About 1,000 years ago, its water levels lowered significantly causing it became endorheic and salty. The lake would have to rise 6 metres (20 ft) above current levels to naturally spill over into the Lanigan Creek watershed.
The salt content of the water (180 g/L) gives it a salinity about half of that of the Dead Sea (300-400 ppt) and five times that of the ocean, allowing bathers to float easily. It has a specific gravity of 1.06. Little Manitou Lake "is one of only 5 lakes in the world (2 others are also in Saskatchewan) where dissolved salt precipitates in deep water. This occurs when the water is calm for an extended period of time; the salinity near the lake's bottom increases to the point where the water can no longer hold any more salt in the dissolved state."[8]
Water levels
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Through the 2000s and 2010s, water levels at Little Manitou Lake had risen to unprecedented heights above the normal level of about 495 metres (1,624 ft) above sea level. Since 2007, rising lake levels have been breaking water level records.[9] In response, a berm was constructed in 2011 to protect the community of Manitou Beach, properties, and other amenities at the lake.[10][11] In 2016, the lake reached a peak of 497.5 metres (1,632 ft) above sea level — roughly 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) above normal levels. By comparison, in 1965, the lake sat at 491 metres (1,611 ft).[12] In 2017, the province added a one-metre height extension at a cost of $3.9 million to 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) of existing dykes at the lake. "Since 2011, the province has spent roughly $7 million on flood protection".[13]
Former mayor Gerald Worobec had advocated for a diversion of Wellington Creek to help reduce water flowing into the lake.[14] His plan was to divert Wellington Creek, which flows into the lake at Manitou Beach, to the east and into nearby Boulder Lake. Boulder Lake[15] is a lake along the course of Lanigan Creek. Lanigan Creek is a tributary of Last Mountain Lake in the Qu'Appelle River system.[16] Manitou Beach did not have the resources for such a project.
Manitou and District Regional Park
editManitou & District Regional Park (51°42′57″N 105°27′05″W / 51.7157°N 105.4514°W) is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Watrous on Highway 365. The park is split up into three different areas near the lake. At the lake itself, there is the beach, 500 metres (1,600 ft) south along Highway 365 on the west side is Manitou Beach Golf Club,[17] and across from the golf course on the east side of the highway is the campground. Right beside the campground is the Jubilee Drive-In Theatre, one of only a few left in Saskatchewan.[18]
In 1931, one of the founding six original provincial parks was founded at the lake. It was called "Little Manitou Provincial Park". In 1962, it was changed to a regional park. The founding of the original provincial parks was a plan by the government to get people working during the Great Depression. Several buildings were built, including a natural fieldstone chalet, which was used as a commercial tourist hotel. In the 1950s, the chalet was changed to Camp Easter Seal.[19][20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Little Manitou Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ↑ Siemens, Matthew. "Little Manitou Lake". SaskLakes. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Unique Places to visit in Saskatchewan". To Do Canada. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ↑ Lewry, Marilyn. "Little Manitou Lake". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. University of Regina. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ↑ "Manitou Beach Brief History". Watrous Manitou Beach Heritage Centre. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Our Watershed". WUQWATR. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ↑ "Little Manitou Lake Fishing Map". GPS Nautical Charts. Bist. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Kudelik, Gail (7 February 2006). "Little Manitou Lake". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Province provides cash to keep Manitou Beach dry". 650 CKOM. Rawlco Radio. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Biber, Francois (10 August 2016). "Little Manitou Lake water levels threaten to wash away homes, businesses". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Hart, Hayley (18 July 2016). "Manitou Beach Residents Deal With Flood Issues". Discover Moose Jaw. Golden West Broadcasting. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "Rising waters at Manitou Beach a concern, mayor says". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Kessler, Ryan (31 May 2018). "Manitou Beach, Sask. fighting to save famed Danceland hall amid water concerns". Global NEWS. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ McNally, Ryan (17 July 2016). "Manitou Beach Battling Water Levels". Discover Humboldt. Golden West Broadcasting. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "Boulder Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Little Manitou Lake Diversion Engineering Design Concept" (PDF). Golder Associates. August 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "Manitou Beach Golf Club". Manitou Golf. Manitou Beach Golf Club. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ↑ "Saskatchewan Drive-in Theaters". DriveInMovies. DriveInMovie.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ↑ "Saskatchewan Regional Parks Little Manitou and District". saskregionalparks.ca. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ↑ "Manitou and District Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
External links
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Media related to Little Manitou Lake at Wikimedia Commons