Lynn Lake
Lynn Lake is a small town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, 1,071 km from Winnipeg. The town was named after Lynn Smith, chief engineer of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. There are numerous outfitters in the Lynn Lake area. They offer services for most wilderness experiences, including sport fishing and bear and moose hunting.
History
Lynn Lake was founded in 1950, when a deposit of nickel ore was discovered. The nickel mine was developed, and soon after, gold was also discovered. Most of Lynn Lake's 208 houses and commercial buildings were moved from Sherridon, Manitoba, over cat train trails. The houses and commercial buildings were moved by digging out the foundation, loading them on the tricycle winter freighting sleigh pulled by Linn tractors and caterpillar crawlers. The buildings once loaded were the last sleigh on the cat trains which were usually 4-5 sleighs long. The Linn Tractors were used to move the town of Sherridon, Manitoba to Lynn Lake, Manitoba in the 1950s.
After a rich vein of copper ore had been nearly depleted in Sherridon, the company sent out prospectors to find another strike. Around 1945, the expeditions were successful when one of the world's largest nickel strikes was found near the soon to be established Lynn Lake. Most of the people of Sherridon moved to Lynn Lake when housing was completed.
Gold mining was once the major industry of the town. The mine was shut down in the late 20th century, but if the price of gold and other metals rises enough, mining operations could be resumed.
Demographics
The 1996 census recorded Lynn Lake's population at 1,038. By 2001, the population of Lynn Lake had dropped 32.7% to 699. As of December, 2004, the population of Lynn Lake has stabilized somewhat at an estimated 800 residents, 208 of which are students at West Lynn Heights School. The census of 2006 found a population of 714 and that of 2011 found 482 residents.
Transporation
The town is served by Lynn Lake Airport and Manitoba Provincial Road 391. There is a functional rail line between Lynn Lake and The Pas. The rail line is owned by Hudson Bay Railway and is presently inactive between Pukatawagan and Lynn Lake.
Notable people
Canadian musician writer and Officer in the Order of Canada Tom Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake and lived there until he was 4. Lynn Johnston, the creator of the comic strip For Better or For Worse, also lived for a number of years in Lynn Lake, where she began her career.
Climate
Climate data for Lynn Lake | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
12.4 (54.3) |
27.4 (81.3) |
31.6 (88.9) |
35.2 (95.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
35.3 (95.5) |
29.3 (84.7) |
24 (75) |
11.4 (52.5) |
5.6 (42.1) |
35.3 (95.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −20.2 (−4.4) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
3.8 (38.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
19 (66) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
2.1 (35.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −25 (−13) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16 (61) |
14.3 (57.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−22.1 (−7.8) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −29.9 (−21.8) |
−26.5 (−15.7) |
−20 (−4) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.8 (44.2) |
10.2 (50.4) |
8.7 (47.7) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−16.6 (2.1) |
−26.6 (−15.9) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −46.7 (−52.1) |
−46.1 (−51.0) |
−45 (−49) |
−33 (−27) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−37.7 (−35.9) |
−47.1 (−52.8) |
−47.1 (−52.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.2 (0.76) |
16.4 (0.65) |
17.9 (0.70) |
23.1 (0.91) |
41.3 (1.63) |
62 (2.4) |
79.6 (3.13) |
69.9 (2.75) |
56.9 (2.24) |
42.6 (1.68) |
29.5 (1.16) |
20.7 (0.81) |
479 (18.9) |
Source: Environment Canada[1] |
Local media
Television
CBWRT began as Frontier Coverage Package station CBTA in September, 1967. In early 1969 the province-wide microwave system replaced the kine recordings and Lynn Lake has enjoyed live television since then.[2]
Internet
Northwest Communities Cooperative Inc, an independent broadband provider, was formed in July 2010. NCC is the first high-speed internet service of its kind to become available to the community, and has been working hard to accommodate the large demand. The company's list of subscribers has been growing steadily since its formation. MTS Allstream has stated that there are no current plans for this community of several hundred to be provided with its DSL Internet service in the foreseeable future, though their dial-up service is available. Internet is also available through external satellite providers..[3]MTS Allstream Inc. DSL Availability
References
- ^ Environment Canada - Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 23 April 2011
- ^ "Microwave Hook-Up Gives North Live TV". Winnipeg Free Press. April 29, 1969. p. 28.
- ^ "MTS Allstream Inc. DSL Availability". MTS Allstream Inc.
External links
- Town of Lynn Lake web site Maintained by the Town of Lynn Lake
- King of Obsolete is a site created by one of the local residents, which also explains a great deal of the history of Lynn Lake, including numerous archival photos.
- View of town at Terraserver
- Map of Lynn Lake at Statcan