Sokatisewin Lake

Sokatisewin Lake
Island Falls Hydroelectric Station at Sokatisewin Lake
Sokatisewin Lake
Location in Saskatchewan
Sokatisewin Lake
Sokatisewin Lake (Canada)
LocationNorthern Saskatchewan Administration District
Coordinates55°30′00″N 102°25′02″W / 55.5001°N 102.4171°W / 55.5001; -102.4171
Part ofChurchill River drainage basin
Primary inflowsChurchill River
Primary outflowsChurchill River
Catchment area210,000 km2 (81,000 sq mi)
Basin countriesCanada
Managing agencySaskPower
First flooded1930
Surface area4,708 ha (11,630 acres)
Max. depth32.5 m (107 ft)
Shore length1271.4 km (168.6 mi)
Islands
  • Campbell Island
  • Davis Island
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Sokatisewin Lake[1] is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is about 87 kilometres (54 mi) north-northwest of Creighton along the course of the Churchill River. At the lake's eastern end, a dam and Island Falls Hydroelectric Station were completed in 1930 at the site of the 17-metre (56 ft) high Big Eddy Falls. It was the first hydroelectric power plant in Saskatchewan.[2] While there are no cities on the lake, there is the former settlement of Island Falls and the Sokatisewin Sakahikan 224 Indian reserve. The reserve is located along the lake's south-western shore and the remains of Island Falls is at the eastern end near the hydroelectric station on the man-made Davis Island.[3][4] A fishing and hunting outfitters is a short distance east from the reserve.[5] Access to the outfitters and the Indian reserve is from Highway 135.[6]

The Churchill River is largely a series of interconnecting lakes. Upstream along the river from Sokatisewin Lake is Reeds Lake[7] and downstream is Wasawakasik Lake. The mean annual flow volume of the Churchill River at the lake's outflow is 21,620,000 dam3 (17,530,000 acre⋅ft).[8] Johnson Bay along the lake's southern shore[9] is named after Russell John Johnson. It was named through the GeoMemorial Commemorative Naming Program, which is a program that names geographical features in honour of those who lost their lives in the service of Canada.

Fish species

Fish species commonly found in Sokatisewin Lake include walleye, lake sturgeon, sauger, northern pike, cisco, white sucker, longnose sucker, lake whitefish, burbot, and yellow perch.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sokatisewin Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Island Falls Hydroelectric Station". SaskPower. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Davis Island". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Island Falls, Saskatchewan: 1929 – 1967" (PDF). Flin Flon Heritage Project. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Slims Cabins". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Sokatisewin Lake Fishing Map". GPS Nautical Charts. Bist. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Reeds Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  8. ^ Grajczyk, Martin. "Churchill River". Encyclopedia Saskatchewan. University of Regina. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Johnson Bay". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Sokatisewin Lake". Fishbrain. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  11. ^ Siemens, Matthew. "Sokatisewin Lake". SaskLakes. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  • Olson, Harry, "The Story of Island Falls", Northern Lights Magazine, September 1955, published quarterly by Hudbay

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