Blue Sea Lake

Infobox lake
lake_name = Blue Sea Lake
image_lake = BlueseaQuebec.jpg
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Messines, Quebec
coords = coord|46|13|0|N|76|03|20|W|type:waterbody_region:CA-QC|display=inline,title
type =
inflow =
outflow = Blue Sea River
catchment =
basin_countries = Canada
length = km to mi|10|precision=0|abbr=yes
width = km to mi|3.4|precision=1|abbr=yes
area = km2 to mi2|14|precision=0|abbr=yes
depth =
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation = m to ft|165|abbr=yes
islands =
cities =

Blue Sea Lake (in French: "Lac Blue Sea") is a lake in the municipalities of Blue Sea and Messines, Quebec, Canada, about km to mi|90 north of Gatineau. It is known for its crystal clear water and is surrounded by cottages on its shores.

The beautiful blue waters of Blue Sea Lake, together with its dimensions and the absence of significant relief around, create the illusion of a sea.cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=142191&Latitude=46,2&Longitude=-76,08334&Zoom=1700 |title=Blue Sea (Municipalité) |accessdate=2008-08-12 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] It feeds the Blue Sea River which empties into the Picanoc River, in turn a tributary of the Gatineau River. Its name first appeared on a map of Hull County in 1928.cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=6402&Latitude=46,22389&Longitude=-76,055&Zoom=1700 |title=Lac Blue Sea |accessdate=2008-08-12 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French]

Just over km to mi|10 to the west, in Cayamant, is another, somewhat smaller lake called "Lac de la Mer Bleue", which also means "Blue Sea Lake". To differentiate these lakes from each other, the English name is used for the larger one, even in French. [cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=216186&Latitude=46,23333&Longitude=-76,23333&Zoom=1700 |title=Lac de la Mer Bleue |accessdate=2008-08-12 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French]

Geography

The town of Blue Sea is in the centre of what is known as the Upper Gatineau region and is surrounded by a number of other lakes, rivers, ponds, and wetlands — and true wilderness areas. Like so many other areas of Quebec, Blue Sea grew and prospered because of the forest industry, which in turn was dependent on the abundant waterways of the region, especially the Gatineau.

The lake, which is about 5.75 miles long and two miles wide, is clear and clean. Geological forces are at play here: Blue Sea Lake is surrounded by a halo of a dozen other lakes smaller in size all of which feed into Blue Sea and create a massive filtering system in which the waters of the entire region are constantly refreshed and replenished. It is therefore nicknamed the Pearl of the Gatineau Valley.fact|date=October 2008

History

The first Europeans to settle in this area did so towards the end of the 19th century. They were certainly pioneers given the abundance of nature and natural obstacles that faced them. They cleared the land around the lake, and by 1909 they had built a chapel. Getting to the Blue Sea area in that time required paddling upstream the Gatineau River that flows south to the Gatineau-Ottawa area.

Eventually a railway (the "Gatineau Railway") was built extending from the Ottawa River to Maniwaki. Construction begun in 1836 and completed in 1903. For many years this became the principal means of transportation of visitors to the region, in particular the Duke of Devonshire who would become Governor General of Canada between 1916 and 1921. The railway ceased functioning as a passenger train around 1960 but was still used for freight as late as 1982.fact|date=October 2008

The "cottage" that the Duke purchased was called Lismore House and here he would bring and entertain distinguished visitors. Harold Macmillan, private secretary to the Duke, would visit occasionally and was known for one of the most romantic summer romances of Blue Sea. Macmillan married the Duke's daughter and also would become prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Another of the Duke's daughters married American dancer Fred Astaire. Princess Juliana (later to become Juliana Emma Louise Marie Wilhelmina van Oranje-Nassau Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) would also spend vacation time at Lismore House on Blue Sea.fact|date=October 2008

Today, the former railway is one of the longest sections of The Trans Canada Trail, an 18,000-kilometre recreational corridor stretching across Canada.

Local folklore

According to legend, a monstrous snake-like animal with a horse head used to live in this lake. Presumably seen by several people between 1913 and 1930, this exceptionally long, large, and fast seahorse has no longer given any signs of life since, except around 1980 in the Baskatong Reservoir, located much further north. His "absence" has been explained by the increase of tourism in the region and, hence, the number of motorized boats travelling on the lake. The Algonquin of Maniwaki called this monster "Misiganebic" or Grand Serpent, who supposedly cut a trail between Blue Sea and Cedar Lakes and would have manifested itself in several surrounding lakes and rivers.

The Blue Sea area even has its aboriginal legend, a highly metaphorical narrative about a young native girl who becomes lost in the woods around the time of the autumn equinox when the sun is starting to lose its intensity. The legend characterizes Blue Sea as "Le pays de la lune" (Land of the moon). Appealing to the Moon for help in finding the girl, the people of her tribe light a great bonfire to attract the two great celestial bodies. Eventually a beautiful stag finds the girl and, in concert with the moon and sun, it leads the girl's people to her. Prayers of thanks are subsequently offered up to the Moon who provided the light by which they found the child, and as a result, for about 10 days after the autumn equinox, a second summer ("Indian summer") is enjoyed by all.fact|date=October 2008

References