Chemong Lake | |
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J. A. Gifford Causeway with Bridgenorth on opposite shore | |
Location | Ontario |
Group | Kawartha lakes |
Coordinates | 44°24′N78°23′W / 44.400°N 78.383°W Coordinates: 44°24′N78°23′W / 44.400°N 78.383°W |
Primary outflows | Harrington Narrows to Buckhorn Lake |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
Max. width | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
Islands | Big Island, Goat Island, Kelly Island |
Chemong Lake, or Lake Chemong, (pronounced "shi-MONG, from the anisnaabemowin gchi-maang, meaning "big lake")" is a lake 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northwest of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, near the town of Bridgenorth. [1] The lake extends from near Fowlers Corners north to near Curve Lake. Lake Chemong has a length of 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) and a width of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi).
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people of Canada and the United States. They are one of the most numerous indigenous peoples north of the Rio Grande. In Canada, they are the second-largest First Nations population, surpassed only by the Cree. In the United States, they have the fifth-largest population among Native American peoples, surpassed in number only by the Navajo, Cherokee, Choctaw and Sioux.
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. Most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in Central Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Toronto and about 270 kilometers (167 mi) southwest of Ottawa. According to the 2016 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 81,032. The population of the Peterborough Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes the surrounding Townships of Selwyn, Cavan Monaghan, Otonabee-South Monaghan, and Douro-Dummer, was 121,721 in 2016. In 2016, Peterborough ranked No. 32 among the country’s 35 census metropolitan areas according to the CMA in Canada. Significant growth is expected starting in late 2019 when the Ontario Highway 407 extension is completed, connecting it to Highway 115/35 south of Peterborough. The current mayor of Peterborough is Diane Therrien.
Chemong is also a part of the Kawartha lakes water system and the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Communities along and near the lakeshore include Bridgenorth, Selwyn on the east, and Ennismore on the west.
Selwyn is a township in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, located in Peterborough County.
There is a causeway which crosses the lake, connecting Bridgenorth and Ennismore by road. This causeway is called the James A. Gifford Causeway.
A causeway is a track, road or railway on top of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Track in the Somerset Levels, England, that dates from the Neolithic age. Timber causeways may also be described as both boardwalks and bridges.
Chemong Lake is part of a tri-lake water system consisting of Chemong Lake, Buckhorn Lake, and Pigeon Lake. The tri-lake area is host to several popular fishing tournaments throughout the open fishing season. The most common game fish in the lake are smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, Carp, Muskellunge as well as a number of Panfish. Commercial and recreational fishing has caused the introduction of Zebra mussels, which change the ecosystem by filtering the water and making it clearer. Some fish, such as Walleye, dislike the clear water and have become less abundant.
Buckhorn Lake is a lake in the townships of Trent Lakes and Selwyn in Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada, and is one of the Kawartha lakes.
Pigeon Lake is a lake in Ontario, Canada. It is one of a group of lakes called the Kawartha lakes, which are the namesake of the city of Kawartha Lakes, and the Trent-Severn Waterway. Pigeon Lake is 27 km long and up to 3 km wide.
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus. One of the black basses, it is a popular game fish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stocking—as well as illegal introductions—to many cool-water tributaries and lakes in Canada and more so introduced in the United States. The maximum recorded size is approximately 27 inches and 12 pounds. The smallmouth bass is native to the upper and middle Mississippi River basin, the Saint Lawrence River–Great Lakes system, and up into the Hudson Bay basin. Its common names include smallmouth, bronzeback, brown bass, brownie, smallie, bronze bass, and bareback bass.
There are a number of small islands on the lake, including Big Island, Goat Island and Kelly Island. Most of the islands have cottages or are commonly used as impromptu campsites. Rocky shoals surround these islands - boaters should approach with care.
A cottage is, typically, a small house. It may carry the connotation of being an old or old-fashioned building. In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cosy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location.
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In UK English, a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this UK English use of the word is synonymous with the US English expression campground. In American English, the term campsite generally means an area where an individual, family, group, or military unit can pitch a tent or park a camper; a campground may contain many campsites.
The earliest map, from 1790, called the lake "Wubscommoug", which was also spelled "Wabuskummug", an Ojibwa word meaning "place of clay earth" or mud. Over the next century the name went through many changes and spelling variations, such as Shebaugh-tick-wyong/Shebaugh-tick-wayong East Lake (1816), Cimung/Cheemaun/Chemong/Shemong, and Cicibatigweyong. In the 19th century, Mud Lake was the official name, referring to the clay mud bottom of the lake. [2]
By 1902, the name Chemung Lake became the common name, and on October 14, 1965, this became the official name. Despite the official designation, it was often spelled with an "o" instead of an "u". But in 1978, Chemung Lake was officially changed to Chemong Lake by the Ontario Geographic Names Board. [2]
The lake was called Chemong, which is an Ojibwa word meaning "canoe", because when Europeans first approached the aboriginal village by canoe, the locals would shout "Chemong, Chemong". [2]
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a 386 kilometres (240 mi)-long canal route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron at Port Severn. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, Otonabee River, the Kawartha lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching and the Severn River. Its scenic, meandering route has been called "one of the finest interconnected systems of navigation in the world".
Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Wyandot (Huron) people. It was also known as Lake Taronto until it was renamed by John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, in memory of his father, Captain John Simcoe, Royal Navy.
The Saugeen River is located in southern Ontario, Canada, The river begins in the Osprey Wetland Conservation Lands and flows generally north-west about 160 kilometres (99 mi) before exiting into Lake Huron. The river is navigable for some distance, and was once an important barge route. Today the river is best known for its fishing and as a canoe route.
The French River is a river in Central Ontario, Canada. It flows 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Lake Nipissing west to Georgian Bay. The river largely follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District, and in most contexts is considered the dividing line between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The French River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1986.
The Otonabee River is a river in Peterborough County in Central Ontario, Canada. The river flows from Katchewanooka Lake, at the north end of the community of Lakefield, through the city of Peterborough to Rice Lake. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and forms part of the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Curve Lake First Nation 35 is an Ojibwe Indian reserve 14 km north of Peterborough, Ontario. It serves as the landbase for the Curve Lake First Nation. The reserve occupies a peninsula located between Lake Chemong and Buckhorn Lake, surrounded by the township of Selwyn, as well as several neighbouring small islands in Buckhorn Lake.
The Trent River is a river in southeastern Ontario which flows from Rice Lake to empty into the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This river is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which leads to Georgian Bay. The river is 90 kilometres (56 mi) long. The Trent drains a large portion of south-central Ontario, including most of the Kawartha Lakes and their supplying watersheds.
Rice Lake is a lake located in Northumberland and Peterborough counties in south-eastern Ontario. The lake is located south of the city of Peterborough, and the Kawartha Lakes and north of Cobourg. It is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 28 kilometres (17 mi) long and 5 km wide. Its maximum depth is 10m, with a surface water level at 187 m above sea level, raised to its present height by the Hastings Dam, built in the 19th century as part of the Trent-Severn canal system. Natives called it Pemadashdakota or "lake of the burning plains".
Lake Scugog is an artificially flooded lake in Scugog, Regional Municipality of Durham and the unitary city of Kawartha Lakes in central Ontario, Canada. It lies between the communities of Port Perry and Lindsay. The lake has been raised and lowered several times over its history. Though not technically part of the Kawartha lakes due to its shallow depths, it is often geographically linked to them. Its sole outflow, the Scugog River, connects to Sturgeon Lake. Lake Scugog is in the Great Lakes Basin and forms part of the Trent–Severn Waterway.
The Wanapitei River is a river in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a right tributary of the French River.
Minaki is an unincorporated area and community in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the point where the Canadian National Railways transcontinental main line crosses the Winnipeg River, between Wade to the west and Ena Lake at the east, and was accessible only by rail until about 1960. It was a fuelling and watering point in the days of steam locomotives; now few trains stop in Minaki, though the thrice-weekly Via Rail transcontinental Canadian passenger trains will stop on request at the Minaki railway station.
Lac Seul is a large, crescent shaped reservoir in Kenora District, northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 241 km (150 mi) long. It has a maximum (regulated) depth of 47.2 m, with a surface elevation of 357 m above sea level. Its level is raised in the summer and then drawn down in the winter months to reach points of as low as 16 feet below the maximum level. It is the second largest body of water entirely within the province of Ontario. The lake consists of open water bays, narrow channels, and islands. It is a relatively shallow lake with many rock shoals. This provides a good habitat for Walleye aka yellow pickerel and Northern pike as well as Yellow Perch. During the Lac Seul project of 1968-1972 no muskelunge aka masquinonge were noted in the catches of research nets set over those years. Significant numbers of whitefish, tullibee, burbot and cisco were noted as well although they infrequently were noted in the sport fishery. Lac Seul is noted for offering some of the best fishing in Ontario.
King's Highway 7A, commonly referred to as Highway 7A, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that serves as a bypass of Highway 7. The highway begins in the community of Manchester, where Highway 7 is concurrent with Highway 12, and travels east through Port Perry, Nestleton Station, Bethany and Cavan, ending at Highway 115 southwest of Peterborough. From there, Highway 7 can be reached via Highway 115 northbound. Near its midpoint the route is concurrent with Highway 35 for 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi).
Stony Lake is a lake in Peterborough County in Central Ontario, Canada. There are three interconnected lakes which together are known as Stony or Stoney Lake. Stoney Lake forms the eastern end of the Kawartha lakes region. It is primarily a summer cottage area but there are many permanent residences on the lakes.
The Cobourg and Peterborough Railway (C&PRy) was one of the first railway lines to be built in Central Ontario, Canada. The line was initially considered in 1831 as a way to bring the products from the burgeoning area around Peterborough to markets on Lake Ontario through the port in the town of Cobourg. A series of problems, including the Upper Canada Rebellion and the Panic of 1837, meant that construction did not begin until 1853, reaching Peterborough in 1854.
Wabatongushi Lake is a lake in Northern Ontario, Canada, fully within the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. The lake is highly diversified in its topography. The north end of Wabatongushi is shallow with many low, swampy areas. This is perfect habitat for Northern Pike and hungry moose. The south half of the lake is much deeper, with a maximum depth of 175' located right off Loch Island. This set up is ideal for large game fish such as Walleye and Northern Pike. The shoreline on the south end is much higher, with exposed Pre-Cambrian shield plummeting straight into the tea-stained water. Large schools of bait fish congregate off of these shorelines which attract the game fish. Fishing is excellent in these locations on the south end near Loch Island. Wabatongushi is the top lake in a chain that stretches almost 100 miles, eventually draining into lake Superior. It sits on the crest of the northern watershed. Wabatongushi Lake was a traditional transportation route from Hudson Bay to Lake Superior for both First Nations and Voyageurs. Wabatongushi in the Ojibwa language approximately means "White Sand Lake".
Little Lake is a small lake on the Otonabee River in the city of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The lake is in the downtown of the city and is used for fishing, swimming, boating, and for various special events. The lake lies on the water route from Lake Ontario to the Kawartha Lakes. The area around the lake was first settled by Europeans around the start of the 19th century. Steam- and water-powered saw mills were built on the lake and on the river upstream to prepare lumber for shipment overseas. Sawdust and other debris from the mills polluted the lake, killed the fish and clogged up the navigable channels. The smell was so noxious it drove residents near the lake to move. These problems were resolved by the end of the century, when the lake became a hub on the new Trent-Severn Waterway from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. However, industries attracted by cheap hydroelectric power used the lake for disposal of industrial chemicals for many years. The pollutants seems to be mostly contained in the sediment, and the lake is now considered safe for recreational use.
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