Beothuk Lake, formerly Red Indian Lake, is located in the interior of central

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

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 to ...

. The

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 ...

drains into the

Exploits River The Exploits River is a river in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It flows through the Exploits Valley in the central part of Newfoundland. Including the Lloyds River, which discharges in Beothuk Lake, the Exploits river has a ...

which flows through the interior of Newfoundland and exits into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

through the

Bay of Exploits The Bay of Exploits is a large bay in the northeast of Newfoundland. It extends from the mouth of the Exploits River and opens on to Notre Dame Bay to the north. It is approximately 1,000 square kilometers (386 sq. miles) in size and contains ...

. Lloyds River, the Victoria River and Star River feed into the lake.

History

The

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of indigenous people who lived on the island of Newfoundland. Beginning around AD 1500, the Beothuk culture formed. This appeared to be the most recent cultural manifestation of peoples w ...

, also known as 'Red Indians,' inhabited several campsites on the shore of the lake. An expedition into the interior by John Cartwright and brother George Cartwright in search of the Beothuk found only abandoned campsites. At the time of their discovery of the lake they named it ''Lieutenant's Lake'' and they had assumed that the lake was part of the same system as ''Lake Mickmack'', known today as Grand Lake. In January 1811, an expedition led by David Buchan travelled up the

in an attempt to establish friendly relations with the Beothuk; Buchan found them, but the encounter went badly and resulted in the deaths of two marines. John Peyton Jr. led another expedition to the lake in 1819 which also ended in tragedy, resulting in the death of the Beothuk headman Nonosbawsut and the capture of Demasduwit.

Proposed renaming

In April 2021, it was announced that the name of the lake would be changed to "Wantaqo'ti Qospem", which means "peaceful lake" in the

Mi'kmaq language The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nor ...

. However, following criticism over a lack of consultation, the Newfoundland government announced it was pausing the renaming plans and would be opening a consultation process on the name. On 4 November 2021, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador renamed the lake “Beothuk Lake”.

Economy and resources

The interior of Newfoundland became accessible on the completion of the

Newfoundland Railway The Newfoundland Railway operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of , it was the longest narrow-gauge railway system in North America. Early construction ] In 1880, a committee of the Newfoundland Leg ...

, and the forest surrounding the lake attracted attention. The lake was surveyed in 1899 by Alex McCombie and by 1901 Lewis Miller had set up a logging operation on the shore near the site of Demasduit's capture. A railway branch line to the town of Millertown was constructed, and in 1905 the Anglo-Newfoundland Development (AND) Company acquired a 99-year lease on timber and mineral rights for the land surrounding the lake. Prospectors for the AND Company also discovered a substantial deposit of base metals on the north shore of the lake, and in 1926 the town of

Buchans Buchans ( ) is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost prov ...

was established. Mining operations began the following year.

Hydro

A pulp and paper mill was constructed at Grand Falls, further downstream on the Exploits River. The mouth of Red Indian Lake was dammed, creating a vast storage reservoir for a hydroelectric generating plant at the mill in Grand Falls.

Footnotes

References

*Marshall, Ingeborg (1996). ''A History and Ethnography of the Beothuk''. McGill-Queen's University Press. . {{authority control Lakes of Newfoundland and Labrador