Big Lakes County
municipal district in Alberta, Canada
Big Lakes County, formerly the Municipal District of Big Lakes, is a municipal district in north-central Alberta, Canada.
It is located in Census Division 17, around the Lesser Slave Lake. Utikuma Lake and Winagami Lake are also located in the municipality.
History
Big Lakes County was previously known as the Municipal District of Big Lakes prior to March 6, 2015.
Geography
Communities and localities
Demographics
As a census subdivision in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Big Lakes County had a population of 4,986 living in 2,007 of its 2,632 total private dwellings, a change of −11.4% from its 2016 population of 5,625. With a land area of 13,827.58 km2 (5,338.86 sq mi), it had a population density of 0.4/km2 (0.9/sq mi) in 2021.
As a census subdivision in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Big Lakes County had a population of 5,672 living in 2,099 of its 2,728 total private dwellings, a −4.1% change from its 2011 population of 5,912. This includes the populations of three Métis settlements, East Prairie (304), Gift Lake (658) and Peavine (607), located within the census subdivision that are municipalities independent of Big Lakes County. With a land area of 13,942.43 km2 (5,383.20 sq mi), the census subdivision had a population density of 0.4/km2 (1.1/sq mi) in 2016. Excluding the three Metis settlements, Big Lakes County had a population of 4,103 in 2016, a change of −16.5% from its 2011 population of 4,914.
“Big Lakes County” enters the record as municipal district in Alberta, Canada. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Lakes, County and municipal can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Big Lakes County” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Lakes, County and municipal provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4905954. Authority coordinates are 55.417, -116.333. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015, 2021, 2016 and 2011.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Big Lakes County”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Big Lakes County primary sources, Big Lakes County archive and Lakes research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Big Lakes County”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Big Lakes County” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.