Thomson Lake[1] is a reservoir in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan along the course of Wood River in the Old Wives Lake closed watershed.[2] The lake was created in 1958 for irrigation and consumption with the damming of Wood River. It was named after Dr Leonard Thomson who was the director of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) at the time.
| Thomson Lake | |
|---|---|
  Thomson Lake Location in Saskatchewan  Thomson Lake Thomson Lake (Canada) | |
| Location | RM of Wood River No. 74, Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 49°44′50″N 106°35′59″W / 49.7472°N 106.5998°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Part of | Wood River drainage basin |
| Primary inflows | Wood River |
| River sources | Wood Mountain Hills |
| Primary outflows | Wood River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 995.3 ha (2,459 acres) |
| Max. depth | 15.31 m (50.2 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 68.3 km (42.4 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 712 m (2,336 ft) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Most of Thomson Lake is within the Rural Municipality of Wood River No. 74 while the northern tip is within the Rural Municipality of Gravelbourg No. 104. Thomson Lake Regional Park is located on the eastern shore of the lake and, other than the cabins at the park, there is one small cottage community on the lake called Gaumond Bay; it is located along a bay at the northern end of the lake. Lafleche, located along Lafleche Creek,[3] is the closest town at about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the southernmost point and the town of Gravelbourg is 9.7 kilometres (6.0 mi) north of the lake. Access to the lake is from Highway 58.[4][5]
Thomson Lake Regional Park
editThomson Lake Regional Park (49°46′07″N 106°34′39″W / 49.7687°N 106.5775°W)[6] was the first regional park in Saskatchewan. It received its charter on 21 March 1961 and officially opened on 10 July of that same year. Seeing the potential for a great recreational spot, Dr Thomson was instrumental in the initial development of the park. Originally, the park had only a sand beach, bathhouse, playground, 12 campsites, 64 cottages, and a 9-hole golf course. At that time, the lake was stocked with rainbow trout.[7]
The park is now 200 acres and has over 260 campsites with modern washroom facilities, showers, laundry, and potable water. There is also a BMX track, swimming pool, hiking trails, boat launch, filleting station, ball diamond, minigolf, and swimming lessons.[8][9][10]
The golf course, which has a driving range and clubhouse with a dining lounge and pro shop, is a grass greens, par 36 course with a total of 3,007 yards.[11]
Fish species
editFish species commonly found in Thomson Lake include northern pike, yellow perch, and walleye.[12][13] The lake was last stocked with 500,000 walleye fry in 2022.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Thomson Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Old Wives Lake Watershed". Water Security Agency. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Lafleche Creek". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Regional Park". Thomson Lake. Thomson Lake Regional Park. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Fishing Map". GPS Nautical charts. Bist LLC. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake". Regional Parks of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Regional Parks. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Regional Park". Thomson Lake. Thomson Lake Regional Park. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Regional Park, Saskatchewan Map". Geodata.us. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake Golf Course". GolfPass. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Lake". Angler's Atlas. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Fishing in Thomson Lake". Fishbrain. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Explore Thomson Lake - Sask Lakes". sasklakes.ca. Retrieved 8 December 2023.