Heritage group searches for vintage photos and info on Whitewater Lake – DiscoverWestman.com
The Turtle Mountain-Souris Plains Heritage Association (TMSPHA) has started working on their fourth video documentary, this one featuring Whitewater Lake – located between Boissevain and Deloraine.
It is an important bird area, known as a favorite stop for waterfowl, shorebirds and Tundra Swans. The Souris River Watershed District website shares that it has been reported that Whitewater Lake provides habitat for over 110 species of birds as well as over 40 species of other wildlife.
TMSPHA Project Manager, Ken Storie, is calling out to folks to search their boxes of stored away pictures and old photo albums for pictures of the lake they can use in this newest documentary film. He adds that any information on the lake is welcome, as they’ve had a more difficult time in securing photos and tales of days past.
“We’re going to look at the history of it, the ecology of it, the people, the community,” shares Storie, “and I’m trying to help out with a little bit of research, and I’ve found that it is very difficult to find good, old photos of the lake, the lake shore, anything to do with the lake. We’ve got a few, but I’m wondering if folks have some that we can use as a background. As well, the village of Whitewater.”
The rich history of Whitewater Lake includes one of the greatest ‘land swindles’ in Manitoba’s settlement years, says Storie. “This is the would-be city of Moberly over in the southwest corner of the lake. Some people decided they would survey a city and sell lots, and this wasn’t uncommon in that Manitoba boom era of 1880-1882. But the Moberly one is just over the top in terms of what they promised and what they couldn’t deliver on a bunch of marshy land!”
The lake is quite shallow, approximately 6 feet at its deepest, and consistently fills and dries, according to the snow and rain patterns of any given year.
Storie says this fluctuation between dry and flooding the surrounding area adds to the uniqueness of the lake. “It has gone completely dry at least 3 times over the last century, maybe more, and then water levels will rise and its flooding farmland. So, there’s that whole land use and water issue that makes the lake unique.”
Ken Storie says there is also a bit of a mystery surrounding Whitewater Lake that he’s hoping folks can help him solve. He read in the Beckoning Hills local history book the following paragraph, which has caused him to scratch his head in wonder.
“A ravine linking the Souris River with Whitewater Lake passed through Mr. Dickson’s homestead…Today, drift soil and graded roads have stopped the flow of this ravine but at times is often ran quite swiftly in the early spring. Travelers were often required to swim their horses or oxen if they wished to cross.”
Storie states the reason he brings this tidbit of information forward is that the lake is famous for not having a water outlet. “So, we’re trying to track down the truth of that and I’d be interested in folks have ever heard of that!”
“The more we can learn about the lake the better. The video series is just another way to get these stories out there. And every time you do it you often learn more!”
Something to note: It was once known as White Lake because of its white alkali flats. It’s also quite shallow, and consistently fills and dries, according to the snow and rain patterns of any given year.
Please listen to more of this interview with Ken Storie below!
For more information on the TMSPHA video series, visit their website, or click HERE!
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