Turnor Lake

This article is about the community. For the lake, see Turnor Lake (Saskatchewan).

Turnor Lake

Turnor Lake, Saskatchewan

Turnor Lake is a community on the southern shore of Turnor Lake. From Highway 155 it is accessible by Highway 909. The community includes the Northern Hamlet of Turnor Lake and Turnor Lake 193B of the Birch Narrows First Nation.

The combined population was 598 in the 2011 Canada Census. Turnor Lake had 179 people and Birch Narrows (Turnor Lake 193B) had 419 people.

History

The lake was once called Island Lake (Lac des Isles). In 1895, Birch Narrows had 5 families or 25 people in residence.
Father Penard of La Loche mentions in his letter of 1911 that there are six or seven families living at "le Detroit du Bouleau" (Birch Narrows) 35 miles east of La Loche.

In 1938, Father Ducharme had a chapel built in the community.

In 1965, the people of Clear Lake were relocated to Turnor Lake. (Clear Lake had about 60 people in 1944 according to the Piercy Report.)

Birch Narrows Dene Nation

As of June 2012, Birch Narrows Dene Nation had 409 members living on reserve and 299 members living at locations off reserve. It is affiliated with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC).

Birch Narrows Dene Nation has territory at three sites:

• Turnor Lake 193B with 296.7 hectares (733 acres) , which adjoins the Northern Hamlet of Turnor Lake;
• Churchill Lake 193A with 159.8 hectares (395 acres), which contains the historic site of Clear Lake at the junction of Churchill Lake and Frobisher Lake; and
• Turnor Lake 194 with 2,445.9 hectares (6,044 acres) , which is on Peter Pond Lake east of Dillon.

See also

• Denesuline language
• Denesuline

External links

• Map of Turnor Lake at Statcan