Mazinaw Lake
Encyclopedia
Mazinaw Lake is a lake
in the Addington Highlands
north of Kaladar
in Eastern Ontario
. The lake is situated on the upper Mississippi River
. It has a perimeter of 49 km (30 mi) and averages 41 m (135 ft) in depth with a maximum depth of 145 m (476 ft), making it the second deepest lake in Southern Ontario besides the Great Lakes
. There is a narrows dividing the lake into the North Mazinaw and South Mazinaw sections. North Mazinaw being the larger and deeper.
Bon Echo Provincial Park
encompasses the central section of the lake, including the narrows between North and South Mazinaw and the Mazinaw Rock formation. The lake's name comes from Mazinaabikinigan-zaaga'igan, meaning "painted-image lake" in Algonkian, referring to the pictographs on Mazinaw Rock which overlooks the lake. The Mazinaw Rock, located on the eastern side of North Mazinaw, features over 260 native pictographs- often confused with petroglyphs – the largest visible collection in Canada - including the Ojibwa
trickster
figure and culture hero
, Nanabush. The rock also contains a tribute to Walt Whitman
, inscribed for Flora MacDonald Denison, who ran the Bon Echo Inn on the site of the provincial park during the 1910s.
A dam is located at the outflow of the lake to maintain the level of the lake and to control water flow into the Mississippi River
during the spring runoff time.
Mink can be spotted along the northern shores of the lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Addington Highlands
Addington Highlands, Ontario
Addington Highlands is a township in central eastern Ontario, Canada, in the County of Lennox and Addington.Bon Echo Provincial Park is for the most part located in the township.-Communities:...
north of Kaladar
Kaladar, Ontario
Kaladar is a community in the municipality of Addington Highlands in Lennox and Addington County Ontario, Canada. It is located at the junction of Highway 7 and Highway 41.To the north is Bon Echo Provincial Park...
in Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
. The lake is situated on the upper Mississippi River
Mississippi River (Ontario)
The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario in Canada. It is in length from its source in Upper Mazinaw Lake, has a drainage area of , and has a mean discharge of...
. It has a perimeter of 49 km (30 mi) and averages 41 m (135 ft) in depth with a maximum depth of 145 m (476 ft), making it the second deepest lake in Southern Ontario besides the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. There is a narrows dividing the lake into the North Mazinaw and South Mazinaw sections. North Mazinaw being the larger and deeper.
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in South Central Ontario north of Kaladar, Ontario, approximately 6 km north of Cloyne.Bon Echo features several lakes, including part of Mazinaw Lake, the second-deepest lake in Ontario...
encompasses the central section of the lake, including the narrows between North and South Mazinaw and the Mazinaw Rock formation. The lake's name comes from Mazinaabikinigan-zaaga'igan, meaning "painted-image lake" in Algonkian, referring to the pictographs on Mazinaw Rock which overlooks the lake. The Mazinaw Rock, located on the eastern side of North Mazinaw, features over 260 native pictographs- often confused with petroglyphs – the largest visible collection in Canada - including the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
figure and culture hero
Culture hero
A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group who changes the world through invention or discovery...
, Nanabush. The rock also contains a tribute to Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
, inscribed for Flora MacDonald Denison, who ran the Bon Echo Inn on the site of the provincial park during the 1910s.
A dam is located at the outflow of the lake to maintain the level of the lake and to control water flow into the Mississippi River
Mississippi River (Ontario)
The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario in Canada. It is in length from its source in Upper Mazinaw Lake, has a drainage area of , and has a mean discharge of...
during the spring runoff time.
Mink can be spotted along the northern shores of the lake.