Whiteshell Provincial Park
IUCN Category II - National Park
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The Whiteshell Provincial Park is a 2729 km ² large park in the south east of the Canadian province of Manitoba.
The Trans-Canada Highway runs on Falcon Lake and West Hawk Lake on along, but you can reach the park via the Provincial Road 307 to the Seven Sisters Falls Provincial Trunk Highway and the 44 at Rennie.
The most important lakes are adjacent to the Falcon and West Hawk Lake, the Caddy, the Brereton, the War Eagle and the Jessica Lake and Green and White Lake and Big Whiteshell, Betula, Nutimik, Dorothy, Eleanor and Star Lake. Are difficult to access George, Crowduck and Horseshoe Lake.
The north joins the Nopiming Provincial Park.
The entire region, consisting of provincial parks and traditional territories of the resident in the border area between Ontario and Manitoba First Nations to find by 2012 recognition as world heritage. For this purpose, based in Ontario Pikangikum First Nation and the people living in Manitoba First Nations from the Poplar River ( at Winnipeg ), Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids have come together. Part of the initiative are beyond the Woodland Caribou Park, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Manitoba Conservation. The First Nations of Ontario the Wabaseemoong, Grassy Narrows and Lac Seul which are in turn a partner of the Woodland Caribou - parks.
History
Early History
Different cultures can be detected on the basis of projectile points, scratches, and other tools and weapons, last Ojibway or Anishinabe in the area. Some of the artifacts are in the Museum at Nutimik Lake, to the west of the park. Indians lived here since at least 4000 BC They hunted, fished and traded in long-range seasonal movements. Their culture was characterized by wild rice ( Psinomani culture). Using canoes they moved primarily on the Winnipeg River and Whiteshell River.
Numerous archaeological remains are found as so-called Petroforms, so as arranged by man-made stone groups, spread over the park. Often arranged in the form of snakes, turtles, but also human- shaped or in the form of geometric patterns, they have great significance for First Nations today. They played a role in spiritual healings such as the Midewiwin, the Grand Medicine Society (Grand Medicine Society ) of the Anishinabe. Because of this assignment, they are called Ojibway Mosaics.
The name Whiteshell goes back to small, sacred shells, by, the mythology, the Creator has breathed new life into the first man. They are therefore symbols of the Creator and at the same time for the life, and are of importance for initiation and healing rituals. Therefore, the park administration asks visitors to strongly not to touch them and the Petroforms found in remote areas to report the employees.
In the area of the park quartz was mined, with tools and copper trade was operated.
First Europeans, Anishinabe displace Cree,
In 1733 it became the first European to the Frenchman Louis -Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye in the region. He had the Whiteshell River, la rivière Pichikoka, chosen as an alternative route to Winnipeg and snapped today Opapiskaw campground where Cree had built a fish weir. The Cree place around 1800 in the area continuing to the north and west, and Anishinabe from the Great Lakes took the abandoned territory in possession.
Railway line, gold finds
From 1877 a railway connection, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Winnipeg and Fort William joined in 1883 was born. Along the way Rennie, where the locomotives recordings coal and water was formed. Some 25 years later a second railway line through the park later, the Canadian National Railway. Gold discoveries in Keewatin triggered a gold rush attracted prospectors to the Falcon, the Star and the West Hawk Lake. Attempts to farm failed predominantly at the little suitable soil.
Failed National Park, Tourism, Provincial Park
When in 1919 a national park in eastern Manitoba has been sought, and the Whiteshell area was proposed but for years there was no decision. Ten years later, both the subsequent Riding Mountain National Park and the Whiteshell area to national parks should be collected, but the government of Manitoba declined from 1929 two national parks in the province.
Since the 1920s, tourism increased in the region, first along the rail tracks of the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National. This drew the regions around Brereton, Nora and Florence Lake and the surrounding West Hawk and Falcon Lake to the attention of the visitors. The government in Ottawa joined numerous rights in 1930 from Manitoba and so, in 1931 a reserve called the Whiteshell Forest Reserve in the direction of the province.
During the Great Depression, unemployed men built roads, such as 1937, the road north of Rennie, past Brereton, Red Rock, Jessica White and lake to Big Whiteshell Lake. The monitoring of forest fires took over until then, the Royal Canadian Air Force as well as canoe patrols. Now, observation towers were added, a telephone network, and later a computerized weather warning network, airplanes and helicopters are equipped with GPS. In 1961 the territory of the status of provincial parks, so construction and other usage measures were subjected to restrictions.
Museums and interpretive centers
The historical and biological importance of the area on the border to Ontario and the U.S. are dedicated to several museums and interpretive centers. The Whiteshell Natural History Museum was opened in a log cabin on Lake Nutimik 1960. How often in North America early historical and ethnological artifacts are associated with the natural history museums. The house offers accordingly beside objects and exhibitions on flora and fauna, including those of the First Nations, such as to Petro forms. This includes guides to nearby Bannock Point petro form site.
The Whiteshell Trappers Museum was founded in 1997 and corresponds structurally a log cabin from the phase of the fur trade. It is dedicated to the trappers or trappers and is located on the grounds of the Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary and Interpretive Centre, located on the provincial road 44 east of Rennie. This is dedicated to the protection of Canada geese, therefore, also offers visitors viewing opportunities and information on the history of the house and guided tours. It goes back to four orphaned geese Alf Hole 1939 found.
The geology of the area is dedicated to the West Hawk Museum, particularly the molded by some 350 million years earlier meteorite West Hawk crater, which has a diameter of 2.5 km and a depth of up to 110 m, but also the search for gold.
Finally, the Whiteshell Fish Hatchery Interpretive Centre informed of the activities of the fish.
Flora and Fauna
In addition black bear, moose, wolves and lynx and bats numerous other mammals live in the park.