Kesagami Provincial Park

Kesagami Provincial Park is in Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada.[1] It was established in 1983 and provides backcountry canoeing, camping, and fishing opportunities. The bulk of the park consists of a large near-rectangular piece of land surrounding Kesagami Lake, as well as a linear park that protects a 200 metres (660 ft) wide strip of land on both sides of the Kesagami River from Kesagami Lake to its mouth at the Harricana River.[2] Its name means "warm water".[3]

Kesagami Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Kesagami Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Kesagami Provincial Park
LocationCochrane District, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates50°19′55″N 80°16′03″W[1]
Area55,977.00 ha (216.1284 sq mi)[2]
DesignationWilderness
Established1983
Governing bodyOntario Parks
www.ontarioparks.com/park/kesagami

The remote park, one of the most northerly in the province and just south of the tree line, is in the James Bay lowlands. Its flat, poorly drained terrain is frozen for much of the year.[2]

Sketch of peat cliffs on Kesagami Lake

Notable features of the park include historical and archaeological locations, calving sites of woodland caribou, the Kesagami River canoe route from Kesagami Lake to Hannah Bay, and typical flora and fauna of boreal forest. Another highlight of the park is the 20,780 hectares (51,300 acres) Kesagami Lake, unique for its size in the James Bay area. This shallow lake is renowned for its trophy pike and walleye fishing.[4] Furthermore, the 4-metre-high (13 ft) peat cliffs along the shores of Kesagami Lake, which have been carved by the waves into bizarre forms of deep caverns and thick columns, have long been recognized as "exceptional".[5][6]

It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services, and is only accessible via air or water. There is one commercial lodge present on Kesagami Lake.[2]

History

In 1777, the Hudson's Bay Company opened Mesackamee House,[4] a trading post on Kesagami Lake, which was formerly also called Mesackamee or Mesackamy Lake. While the post was intended to protect business at Abitibi from competitors, it was abandoned by October 1779.[7]

The park was established on June 7, 1983, and expanded by 1,777 hectares (4,390 acres) the following year.[4]

Flora and fauna

Its terrain is characterized by peat bogs, muskegs, and large fen-meadows. Stunted black spruce (Picea mariana) are the dominant tree species, with sporadic balsam, fir, and larch stands. Other tree species found are tamarack (Larix laricina), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), and white birch (Betula papyrifera)[2][4]

Animals in the park include moose, woodland caribou, bear, wolf, bog lemmings, otters, and martens.[4][8]

Fish species in Kesagami Lake include burbot, herring, northern pike, common white sucker and longnose sucker, perch, walleye, and lake whitefish.[4]

References
  1. "Kesagami Provincial Park". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. "Kesagami Provincial Park". www.ontarioparks.com. Ontario Parks. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. Walton, Lloyd (2 July 2019). Chasing the Muse: Canada. FriesenPress. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-5255-4591-7.
  4. "Kesagami Provincial Park Management Statement". ontario.ca. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. April 1998. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  5. "Selected Water Resources Abstracts". 19 (5). The Center. 1986: 25. Retrieved 7 March 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. Report of the Bureau of Mines Part I. Toronto: Ontario Bureau of Mines. 1904. p. 148. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  7. "Hudson's Bay Company. Mesackamee". pam.minisisinc.com. Archives of Manitoba. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  8. "Policy Report P3931: KESAGAMI PROVINCIAL PARK". Crown Land Use Policy Atlas. Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
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