Gaspereau Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Kings County,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, about 10 km south of the town of

Kentville, Nova Scotia Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929. History Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis River ...

on the South Mountain. It is the largest lake in Kings County, and the fifth largest lake in Nova Scotia. The lake is shallow with dozens of forested islands and hundreds of rocky islets ('' skerries)''. The water level of the lake is controlled by

Nova Scotia Power Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nova Scotia Power Inc pr ...

. At the natural outlet to the

Gaspereau River The Gaspereau River is a river in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a length of approximately 24 km from its source at Gaspereau Lake on the South Mountain south of Kentville to its mouth at Hortonville on the Minas Basin. The low ...

, in the north-east corner of the lake, there is a control dam and

fish ladder A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as move ...

. Another control dam at the south-east corner of the lake controls outflow to a canal which diverts water to

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

stations on the lower sections of the Gaspereau River system. In late spring the namesake fish, ''gaspereau'' ( alewife) migrate from the ocean up the Gaspereau River, and

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

in the shallow waters of Gaspereau Lake.

Archaeological Significance

The Gaspereau Lake Reservoir Site Complex is a cluster of archaeological sites on the shore of Gaspereau Lake. Possibly dating as early as 10,000 years ago, the sites show continuous occupation from at least 5000 years ago until after European contact 500 years ago. The largest of the sites, the End of Dyke Site, is the largest site in the Maine–Maritimes Region when measured by artifact density. Artifacts retrieved from the site include

lithics Lithic may refer to: *Relating to stone tools **Lithic analysis, the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts **Lithic core, the part of a stone which has had flakes removed from it **Lithic flake, the portion of a rock removed to ...

(stone flakes, projectile points, and scrapers),

ground stone In archaeology, ground stone is a category of stone tool formed by the grinding of a coarse-grained tool stone, either purposely or incidentally. Ground stone tools are usually made of basalt, rhyolite, granite, or other cryptocrystalline a ...

tools, ceramics, copper,

red ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

paintstones, shark's teeth, and faunal remains, among others. Numerous hearth features were identified. The

, which drains Gaspereau Lake, also hosts significant archaeological resources. Both areas contain large amounts of toolstone specific to the

Minas Basin , image = Lookout On Way to Cape Split - 25006718579.jpg , alt = , caption = Looking east across the Southern Bight of Minas Basin from The Lookoff , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , ca ...

in the Bay of Fundy, indicating that toolstone was transported in large numbers up the Gaspereau River and worked into artifacts. File:Orangerock.jpg, Orange Lichen (

Xanthoria elegans ''Xanthoria elegans'', commonly known as the elegant sunburst lichen, is a lichenized species of fungus in the genus ''Xanthoria'', family Teloschistaceae. Recognized by its bright orange or red pigmentation, this species grows on rocks, often ne ...

) on rocky islet in Gaspereau Lake File:Gasplakeskate.jpg, Nordic skating on Gaspereau Lake in winter

References

External links

King County Lake Monitoring Program
{{authority control Lakes of Nova Scotia Landforms of Kings County, Nova Scotia Archaeological sites in Nova Scotia