Lac La Ronge | The Canadian Encyclopedia

article

Lac La Ronge

Lac La Ronge, 1414 km2, elevation 364 m, is located in the rugged, sparsely populated Canadian Shield country of central Saskatchewan, 235 km north of Prince Albert. About 58 km long and studded with many islands, it drains northeast via the Rapid River into the Churchill River.
Lac La Ronge
Fur traders frequented this site in northern Saskatchewan as early as the 1770s (photo by Douglas E. Walker). \n

When the first Europeans arrived, the area was inhabited by Cree. Peter Pond built a fur-trade post in 1781; the village of La Ronge on the west shore is one of the oldest settlements in Saskatchewan. Today the area is a tourist centre catering to campers, fishermen and hunters. The name probably comes from the French verb ronger, "to gnaw," referring to the local beaver population.