In 1885 the first water began to flow after 26 months of planing and construction. Explorer John Franklin wrote in 1828 that a white rag placed in the water did not disappear until it exceeded a depth of 15 fathoms (27 m). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The Great Bear Lake (Slave: Sahtú; French: Grand lac de l'Ours) is a lake in the Canadian boreal forest. Black Friday Sale! Great Bear Lake Lake in Northwest Territories, nw Canada; the largest lake in Canada and fourth largest in North America. Retrieved from CBC News: The Great Bear Lake: Its Place in History, "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Grizzly Bear Mountain)", "Saoyú-ʔehdacho National Historic Site of Canada", "Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy (Saoyú-ʔehdacho)", "Impassable ice roads delay holiday travel", "Open and Close Dates for the NWT's Community Access Roads", "Fuel tanker plunges through Deline, N.W.T., ice road", "N.W.T. The name originated from the Chipewyan language word satudene, meaning "grizzly bear water people." The localities of Echo and Sawmill bays on the eastern shore and the trading post of Fort Franklin on the west are the lake’s main settlements. The lake is in the Northwest Territories, on the Arctic Circle between 65 and 67 degrees of northern latitude and between 118 and 123 degrees western longitude, 156 m (512 ft) above sea level. Hence, conserving it is critical for the Délı̨nę people. Bear Lake offers hiking, bike riding, boating, fishing, bird watching and cave exploring — and that's just scratching the surface. Echo Bay Mines Limited leased the old camp and mill at Port Radium to recover silver and copper values from 1965 to 1981. The Great Bear Lake, with a surface area of 31,153 square kilometers, is the eighth largest lake in the world by surface area, the fourth largest in North America, and the largest lake located entirely in Canada. The Great Bear Lake is located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, on the Arctic Circle, at an altitude of 186 meters (or 610 feet). The former mining area Port Radium, site of the Eldorado Mine, where pitchblende was discovered, was located on the eastern shore. There is a lot of fishing there, and the largest lake trout ever caught by a line was there at 72 pounds. [27] His prediction for the end of times claims that, as the world dries up, the little remaining life will flock to and end on the banks of the Great Bear Lake, a lake seen as a physical beating heart to humanity. Spanning the border of Utah and Idaho, Bear Lake, nicknamed "the Caribbean of the Rockies" for its stunning turquoise-blue water, is a destination everyone should put on their bucket list. Uranium and radium formerly were mined near the community of Port Radium, on … It was discovered before 1800 by North West Company traders and later named for the bears that inhabited its shores. Its area of 12,096 square miles (31,328 square km) makes it the largest lake entirely within Canada and the fourth largest in North America. Great Bear Lake, lake, in northern Fort Smith region and southeastern Inuvik region, Northwest Territories, Canada, lying astride the Arctic Circle. Farther south, in the Great Basin, a pluvial (rainy) period…. Gri… [19] There is an ice crossing from Deline to the winter road on the far side of the Great Bear River. [22] The truck, which was 3 km (1.9 mi) outside of Deline and close to the community's fresh water intake, as well as a major fishing area, contained approximately 30,000 l (6,600 imp gal; 7,900 US gal) of heating fuel and was one of 70 truck loads intended to resupply the community. [7] Great Bear Lake is covered with ice from late November to July. Although the lake is one of North America 's deepest, it is icebound for eight months of the year. It was discovered before 1800 by North West Company traders and later named for the bears that inhabited its shores. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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