Lake of Two Mountains

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Lake of Two Mountains
Lac des Deux Montagnes (French)
Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge.JPG
Île aux Tourtes Bridge across Lake of Two Mountains, with Mont Oka in the background
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Location map of Lake of Two Mountains
Canada Quebec relief location map.jpg
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Lake of Two Mountains
Location Deux-Montagnes RCM / Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM / Montreal, Quebec
Coordinates 45°27′03″N74°00′00″W / 45.45083°N 74.00000°W / 45.45083; -74.00000 [1]
Primary inflows Ottawa River
Primary outflows Rivière des Mille Îles, Rivière des Prairies
Basin  countriesCanada

Lake of Two Mountains (French: Lac des Deux Montagnes) is part of the river delta widening of the Ottawa River in Quebec, Canada, at its confluence with the St. Lawrence River. Situated in the Laurentians, the village of Oka is located on the north shore with Oka National Park adjacent to the east and can be accessed by Quebec Route 344.

Lake of Two Mountains has four outflows: Rivière des Mille Îles and Rivière des Prairies, bordering Île Jésus, and two branches of the Ottawa River, flowing into the St. Lawrence via Lake Saint-Louis, on either side of Île Perrot.

The city of Deux-Montagnes is located on the lake's north shore, where it flows into Rivière des Mille Îles. The southwest portion of the city of Montreal borders the eastern part of the lake, as does the village of Senneville. The Mohawks of Kanesatake have their main reserve on the northern shore of the lake at Kanesatake (Kanehsatà:ke).

The lake was named lac des Médicis in 1612 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, then renamed lac des Soissons about 1632. By around 1684 French colonists named it as Lac des Deux Montagnes. The name refers to Calvaire Mountain and Saint-Joseph-du-Lac Hill, the two highest peaks of Mont Oka that face the lake on its northern shore.

On July 13, 1954, the Lake of Two Mountains boating accident occurred and twelve children from the Negro Community Centre of Montreal drowned in the lake. [3]

See also

References

  1. "Lac des Deux Montagnes". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  2. "Lac des Deux Montagnes". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  3. Codrington, Dionne (July 13, 2025). "Commemorations for 12 Quebec children lost in drownings become space for healing".