History & Museums

Our History
Aboriginal history in Lesser Slave Lake Region dates back over a thousand years. The first white man, David Thompson, arrived here in the early spring of 1799 travelling by canoe up the Lesser Slave River - only to turn back immediately because the lake was still frozen over.

The area was, and still is, rich in fur bearing mammals resulting in the establishment of five fur trading posts on the Lesser Slave Lake through the period of 1799 - 1820. The Hudson's Bay Company erected a post at the east end of the Lake and its business was eventually taken over by the Northwest Company. After the depletion of the fur resources, the region continued to play an important role in the fur trade as a way station along the Peace River Trail. Bison, moose, beaver, bear and waterfowl abounded then, and happily Big Lake Country's wildlife resources have rebounded to the delight of sportsman and wildlife enthusiasts alike

There is still some debate as to the origin of Lesser Slave Lake. Modern researchers have found little evidence that the Slavey aboriginals from around Greater Slave Lake were ever inhabitants of this part of Alberta. It has been confirmed that Chipewyan and Beaver Nations were early inhabitants with the Cree migrating here during the early part of the 18th century. The addition of the word "Lesser" came by way of 19th century mapmakers who chose to differentiate between the two lakes and two rivers bearing the same name.

Museums
Lesser Slave Lake Rgion museums give you a fascinating insight into aboriginal and modern history alike - enjoy! For more information call 1-800-267-4654 or Email tourism@lesserslavelake.ca

Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/lessersl/public_html/history.php on line 112