Abraham Lake
{{Short description|Artificial lake and reservoir in Alberta, Canada}}
{{For|the lake in South Dakota|Abraham Lake (South Dakota)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Abraham Lake
| image = N saskatchewan river.jpg
| caption = Lake on the North Saskatchewan River
| alt = A satellite image if the lake and river
| location = Clearwater County, Alberta
| coords = {{Coord|52|13|25|N|116|25|38|W|region:CA-AB_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
| type = Reservoir
| inflow = North Saskatchewan River
| outflow = North Saskatchewan River
| pushpin_map = Alberta
| catchment =
| basin_countries = Canada
| length = {{convert|32|km|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|3.3|km|abbr=on}}
| area = {{convert|53.7|km2|abbr=on}}
| depth =
| volume =
| residence_time =
| shore =
| elevation = {{convert|1,340|m|abbr=on}}
| islands =
| cities =
| etymology = Silas Abraham
}}
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the "Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.{{cite web|url=https://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|website=lakelubbers.com|title=Abraham Lake|publisher=Raub's Internet for Business, LLC|access-date=11 March 2019|archive-date=5 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905224205/http://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|url-status=live}}
Description
Abraham Lake has a surface area of {{convert|53.7|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and a length of {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|date=2020-10-30|title=Abraham Lake - Ice Bubbles and More...|url=https://davidthompsoncountry.ca/explore/abraham-lake-ice-bubbles-and-more/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-04|website=David Thompson Country|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102151117/https://davidthompsoncountry.ca/explore/abraham-lake-ice-bubbles-and-more/ |archive-date=2 November 2020 }} Although man-made, the lake has the blue color of other glacial lakes in the Rocky Mountains, which is caused by rock flour.{{Cite web|title=Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada Vacation Info|url=http://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-04|website=Lakelubbers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224002836/http://www.lakelubbers.com:80/abraham-lake-2227/ |archive-date=24 February 2013 }}
Abraham Mountain, Elliott Peak, and the Cline River Heliport are located on the western shore of the lake. Mount Michener is situated on the eastern shore. Mount Ernest Ross lies at the southern tip of the lake.
History
Abraham Lake was created by the former Calgary Power Company, now TransAlta, in 1972, with the construction of the Bighorn Dam.{{cite web|url=https://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|website=lakelubbers.com|title=Abraham Lake|access-date=11 March 2019|archive-date=5 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905224205/http://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|url-status=live}} Planning of the dam involved no evaluation of the social and environmental effects it may have caused and no public hearings were held prior to the construction. Construction of the Bighorn Dam flooded the Kootenay Plains and stopped the livelihood (hunting and fur trapping) of the Bighorn band of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation that had lived in that area. It had flooded their cabins, graves and pastures.{{Cite book|last=Ross|first=Thomas E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z96iDwAAQBAJ&q=blow+to+JKKthe+bighorn+stoney%27s%27+remaining+self-sufficiency&pg=PT98|title=A Cultural Geography Of North American Indians|date=2019-04-10|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-429-71275-3|language=en|access-date=9 February 2021|archive-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612202751/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z96iDwAAQBAJ&q=blow+to+JKKthe+bighorn+stoney%27s%27+remaining+self-sufficiency&pg=PT98|url-status=live}}
The lake was built on the upper course of the North Saskatchewan River, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and lines David Thompson Highway between Saskatchewan River Crossing and Nordegg.
The Government of Alberta sponsored a contest to name the lake in February 1972, during the final stages of construction of the Bighorn Dam. Students across the province were asked to submit names taking into consideration "historical significance, prominent persons, geography and topography, and the value of the lake."The Edmonton Journal, 16 February 1972 It was eventually named after Silas Abraham ({{circa|1870}} – 1964), of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and originally from Morley, Alberta.{{cite web|title=Noted Indian Visits Stelfox|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99067049/edmonton-journal/|newspaper=Edmonton Journal|date=September 13, 1960|access-date=April 4, 2022|archive-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612202746/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99067049/edmonton-journal/|url-status=live}} {{free access}} He was a farmer and hunter who lived in the Kootenay Plains and later on the Big Horn 144A reserve.{{cite web|title=Silas Abraham, 'Gentle hunter of the Kootenay Plains'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99066482/red-deer-advocate/|newspaper=Red Deer Advocate|date=May 12, 1972|access-date=April 4, 2022|archive-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612202806/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99066482/red-deer-advocate/|url-status=live}} {{free access}}{{cite web |url=http://www.travelnordegg.com/travel_nordegg_lakes_rivers.html |website=Travel Nordegg |title=Abraham Lake |access-date=3 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524195758/http://www.travelnordegg.com/travel_nordegg_lakes_rivers.html |archive-date=24 May 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
Phenomenon
Trapped methane causes frozen bubbles to form under the ice on the lake's surface. This phenomenon results when decaying plants on the lake bed release methane gas, which creates bubbles that become trapped within the ice, in suspended animation, just below the surface as the lake begins to freeze. The visual effects formed by the resulting stacks of bubbles, frozen while rising toward the surface, combined with the clear blue water, have made Abraham Lake a popular destination for photographers and nature observers.{{Cite web|date=December 27, 2012|title=Frozen Bubbles Suspended Below Abraham Lake|url=http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/ice-bubbles-abraham-lake|url-status=live|access-date=4 April 2021|website=My Modern Met|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229232409/http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/ice-bubbles-abraham-lake |archive-date=29 December 2012 }}{{cite web|title=Abraham Lake|url=https://www.lakelubbers.com/abraham-lake-2227/|url-status=live|access-date=April 4, 2021|website=lakelubbers.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224002836/http://www.lakelubbers.com:80/abraham-lake-2227/ |archive-date=24 February 2013 }} The ice coverage of the lakes varies throughout the winter. Abraham Lake is usually frozen by late December. Ideal viewing of the ice bubble season is from mid-January to mid-February.{{cite web |first1= |title=Finding the Abraham Lake Ice Bubbles in Alberta: Everything You Need to Know |url=https://likewhereyouregoing.com/abraham-lake-ice-bubbles/ |access-date=27 January 2023 |website=Like Where You're Going|date=February 2021 }}
{{Wide image|Abraham Lake - bubbles.jpg|500px|Bubbles on frozen Abraham Lake}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline}}
- {{cite cgndb|id=IAECR|name=Abraham Lake}}
{{Alberta rivers and lakes}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Clearwater County, Alberta
Category:North Saskatchewan River
Category:Reservoirs in Alberta
{{CentralAlberta-geo-stub}}