Lake Nipigon French:
lac Nipigon; Ojibwe: Animbiigoo-zaaga'igan) is part of the Great Lakes
drainage basin. It is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of
the Canadian province of Ontario.
Lying 260 metres (853
ft) above sea level, the lake drains into the Nipigon River and thence
into Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior. The lake and river are the largest
tributaries of Lake Superior. It lies about 120 kilometres (75 mi)
northeast of the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
After the Treaty of
Paris (1763), the area passed into the hands of the British, and the
Hudson's Bay Company expanded its trading area to include the Lake.
Although it was considered to be within British North America, it was
not until 1850 that the watershed draining into Lake Superior was ceded
formally by the Ojibwe Indians to the Province of Canada (see Robinson
Treaty, 1850, also known as the Robinson Superior Treaty). A four square
mile reservation was set aside on Gull River near Lake Nipigon on both
sides of the river for the Chief Mishe-muckqua (from Mishi-makwa, "Great
Bear"). In 1871 Lake Nipigon was included in the new Thunder Bay
District, Ontario.
A Week Camping Alone on
the Notorious Sixth Great Lake,
Lake Nipigon in Ontario
