McLeod Lake | |
|---|---|
  McLeod Lake Location of McLeod Lake inBritish Columbia | |
| Coordinates:54°59′05″N123°02′43″W / 54.98472°N 123.04528°W /54.98472; -123.04528 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional District | Fraser-Fort George |
| Established | 1805 |
| Government | |
| • MP | Bob Zimmer |
| • MLAs | Mike Morris |
| Area | |
| • Land | 10.23 km2 (3.95 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 756 m (2,480 ft) |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 94 |
| • Density | 8.5/km2 (22/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Postal code span | V0J 2G0 |
| Area code | 250 /778 /236 |
| Highways |  Highway 97 |
McLeod Lake is an unincorporated community located onHighway 97 in northernBritish Columbia, Canada, 140 km (87 mi) north ofPrince George. It is notable for being the first continuously inhabitedEuropean settlement established west of theRocky Mountains in present-day Canada.
Originally named Trout Lake Fort, it was founded by the explorer andNorth West Company traderSimon 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 ofArchibald Norman McLeod, who was in charge of the post for many years.[3]: 170 The site of the fort was designated aNational 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 anAthabascanSekani people known as "Tse'Khene" (the people of the rock, in reference to the Rocky Mountains). Having signedTreaty 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 nearbySummit Lake marks the low point of the divide between the drainages of theFraser andPeace Rivers, As such it is significant as theprominencecol between all points south in the Rockies and beyond and their "parent" summits in northern BC andAlaska. Summit Lake col, at 710 m (2,330 ft) in elevation, is the low point on the mountain spine of the Americas that connectsPico de Orizaba (5,640 m (18,500 ft)) inMexico with its next-higher "parent" peak,Mount Logan (5,959 m (19,551 ft)).
HistoricHBC operations in the Pacific Northwest | ||||||||
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