Whiteshell

History: Whiteshell is a sacred place for the Anishinabe people as they believe it is where the Creator lowered the first man from the sky to the ground. The earliest record of inhabitants date back to over 8,000 years ago. Archeologists discovered various artifacts ranging from stone work to ceramics during evacuations on the Winnipeg River. They believe these findings show that people were moving with the seasons from place to place, hunting and gathering food along the way.

In 1734, Peirre Gaultier de la Verendrye entered Whiteshell on his quest for the Western Sea. Even though he didn’t make it to the Pacific Ocean, la Verendrye did encounter camps of Cree and Anishinabe people and he developed an important fur trade route that would continue on for years to come.

Geology: Whiteshell Provincial Park is full of granite cliffs, ridges, and flat areas that were used for petroform making by the First Nation peoples. Archaeological evidence within the park shows the remains of copper trading, quarts mining, and the making of stone tools. Along with the unique granite features, over 200 lakes are scattered throughout the park. Many of these lakes are interconnected by portages which allow for long canoe adventure similar to what one would experience in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota. These lakes are known for sturgeon, which are a prehistoric looking bottom feeding fish. As one of the largest fresh water fish in North America, sturgeon can be over 150 years old, weighing up to 300 pounds.

Wildlife: Whiteshell Provincial Park is home to a variety of large mammals including black bear, moose, white-tailed deer, wolves, lynx and smaller fur-bearers like otter, marten, fisher, red fox, mink, hares, beavers, raccoons, and red squirrels. The birds that can be seen in the park include owls, bald eagles, ruby throated hummingbirds, chickadees, blue jays, grosbeaks, redpolls, woodpeckers, osprey, loons, ruffed grouse, ducks and Canada geese. There are also snakes, muskrats, turtles and a wide variety of insects found in the park. The lakes and rivers within the park are home to perch, walleye, jackfish, lake sturgeon, black crappie, burbot, whitefish, trout, white bass and smallmouth bass.