Lac Île-à-la-Crosse
lake in Saskatchewan, Canada
Lac Île-à-la-Crosse is a Y-shaped lake in the north-central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan along the course of the Churchill River. At the centre of the "Y" is the village of Île-à-la-Crosse, the second oldest community in Saskatchewan. Situated at the confluence of the Churchill and Beaver Rivers, the lake was an important fur trading centre in the 18th and 19th centuries. The lake, and the community of Île-à-la-Crosse, are named after the game of Lacrosse as French voyageurs had witnessed local Indians playing the game on an island in the lake.
Lac Île-à-la-Crosse is reached from the south by Highway 155, which follows the Beaver River. On the north side of the mouth of the Beaver River is the Île-à-la-Crosse Indian reserve. On the south side is Fort Black, the site of a former North West Trading Company Post. Highway 918 runs along the eastern shore and provides access to Patuanak and the Wapachewunak Indian reserve. The community of Île-à-la-Crosse is reached from Highway 908. There are two airports — Île-à-la-Crosse Airport and Patuanak Airport — on the lake's shores.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lac Île-à-la-Crosse” is lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Île-à-la-Crosse, lake and Saskatchewan, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “lake in Saskatchewan, Canada” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6468085. Authority coordinates are 55.444, -107.849. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. 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 “Lac Île-à-la-Crosse”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lac Île-à-la-Crosse primary sources, Lac Île-à-la-Crosse archive and Île-à-la-Crosse 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 “Lac Île-à-la-Crosse”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lac Île-à-la-Crosse” 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.