Chemong Lake

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Chemong Lake
Lake Chemong - Bridgenorth ON.JPG
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 / 44.400; -78.383 Coordinates: 44°24′N78°23′W / 44.400°N 78.383°W / 44.400; -78.383
Primary outflows Harrington Narrows to Buckhorn Lake
Basin  countriesCanada
Max. length14 km (8.7 mi)
Max. width1 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).

Ojibwe group of indigenous peoples in North America

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.

Lake A body of relatively still water, in a basin surrounded by land

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, Ontario City in Ontario, Canada

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.

Contents

Chemong is also a part of the Kawartha lakes water system and the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Geography

Communities

Communities along and near the lakeshore include Bridgenorth, Selwyn on the east, and Ennismore on the west.

Selwyn, Ontario Township in Ontario, Canada

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.

Causeway Route raised up on an embankment

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.

Tri-lake water system

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 (Ontario) lake

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 (Ontario) lake

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.

Smallmouth bass species of fish

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.

Lake islands

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.

Cottage typically, a small house

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.

Campsite place used for overnight stay in the outdoors

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.

Name history

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]

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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.

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References

  1. "Chemong Lake". Canadian Geographical Names. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Ellery Leitch, Subitha Premkumar, and Kathleen Watt (March 4, 2008). "Historical Place Names: A Case Study of Three Townships on the County of Peterborough" (PDF). Trent Community Research Centre. Retrieved 19 March 2018.