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Lac La Biche
Urban service area (hamlet)
Main street
Motto: Welcoming by Nature
Location within Lac La Biche County
Lac La BicheLocation of Lac La Biche in AlbertaShow map of AlbertaLac La BicheLac La Biche (Canada)Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 54°46′13″N 111°58′45″W / 54.77028°N 111.97917°W / 54.77028; -111.97917
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Planning region	Lower Athabasca
Specialized municipality	Lac la Biche
Founded	October 4, 1798
Dissolved	August 1, 2007
Government
• Mayor	Omer Moghrabi
• Governing body	Lac La Biche County Council Darlene Beniuk Colette Borgun Sterling Johnson George L'Heureux Omer Moghrabi Charlyn Moore Jason Stedman Lorin Tkachuk Colin Cote
Area
• Land	68.39 km (26.41 sq mi)
Elevation	560 m (1,840 ft)
Population
• Total	3,215
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code span	T0A 2C0-T0A 2C2 & T0A 3Z0
Area code	-1+780
Highways	Highway 55 Highway 36 Highway 881
Waterway	Lac la Biche
Website	laclabichecounty.com
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Notre Dame des Victoires / Lac La Biche Mission National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1989

Lac La Biche (/ˌlæk lə ˈbɪʃ/ LAK lə BISH) is a hamlet in Lac La Biche County within northeast Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 220 km (140 mi) northeast of the provincial capital of Edmonton. Previously incorporated as a town, Lac La Biche amalgamated with Lakeland County to form Lac La Biche County on August 1, 2007.

Etymology

The indigenous peoples of the area refer to the lake as Elk Lake (Plains Cree: wâwâskesiwisâkahikan, Chipewyan: tzalith tway). The earliest Europeans translated this name into English as "Red Deer Lake" and in French as "lac la Biche" ("lake of the doe"). Over time, the French name came to be used in English as well.

History

Historic voyageur highway

Lac La Biche was on the historical voyageur route that linked the Athabaskan region to Hudson Bay. David Thompson and George Simpson used the fur trade route via the Beaver River from the main Methye Portage route that reached the Athabasca River. Thompson was the first known European to record his sojourn on Lac La Biche. Thompson, who referred to the lake as Red Deers Lake, arrived October 4, 1798 and overwintered there. He entered copious notes in his diary on the Nahathaway (the Cree), their customs, traditions, and the Western Forest Land, including the large supply of whitefish and beaver.

Fur trade posts

Although the Montreal-based North West Company was already active in the area, Thompson established the first permanent settlement in Lac La Biche on his 1798 trip, a Hudson's Bay Company trading post which he named Red Deers Lake House. In 1799, Peter Fidler arrived in the area after Thompson's departure, and as the post. This new structure was known as Greenwich House. It was also abandoned by 1801, but Lac La Biche was established as a permanent place of residence for some French-Canadian and Métis freetraders and their families. Fur trade activity continued unbroken, due to the importance of the portage, and Lac La Biche was visited by fur traders such as Gabriel Franchère and Ross Cox. David Thompson returned in 1812.

Another temporary Hudson's Bay Company post was erected in 1817, but the portage was abandoned by the company in 1825. Almost no written records exist for the following two decades.

On 26 April 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, the Hudson's Bay Company post in Lac La Biche was raided by Cree forces.

Oblate mission

A Roman Catholic mission was established in 1853 by Oblate missionaries. Historian Paul Robert Magocsi notes how the settlement grew over the next few decades:

"The French-speaking element, mostly from Red River, coalesced around the Mission. It formed a community that was tightly knit, even though the influence of the church lessened and the trend was towards marrying out and establishing nuclear families. Living was largely off the land; logging and road work provided intermittent wage labour. Many of the adults were trilingual, speaking French and Cree as well as English."

The Lac La Biche Mission is now a National Historic Site and Provincial Historic Resource. It was the site of one of the first residential schools in Alberta.

Treaties and insurrection

The Government of Canada sought to extinguish the First Nations' title to the land across the prairies, in order to open the land up to settlement. Treaty 6 was negotiated in 1876 and covered the lands to the south of Lac La Biche.

The new Hudson's Bay Company post at Lac La Biche was looted on April 26, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion by members of Big Bear's band. Their plan to loot the nearby Roman Catholic mission was stopped by the local Cree and Métis population. Métis scrip records show many residents of the area were awarded scrip by the Government of Canada from 1885 until the 1920s.

Treaty 8, covering the lands north of Lac La Biche, was negotiated in 1899. This set the stage for railway construction and settlement.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac La Biche had a population of 3,215 living in 1,236 of its 1,505 total private dwellings, a change of -3.2% from its 2016 population of 3,320. With a land area of 68.39 km (26.41 sq mi), it had a population density of 47.0/km (121.8/sq mi) in 2021.

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Lac La Biche had a population of 2,314 living in 895 of its 1,048 total private dwellings, a change of -8.2% from its 2011 population of 2,520. With a land area of 6.05 km (2.34 sq mi), it had a population density of 382.5/km (990.6/sq mi) in 2016.

Lac La Biche County's 2016 municipal census counted a population of 2,682 in Lac La Biche, a -7.4% change from its 2013 municipal census population of 2,895.

Economy

The community is supported by the oil patch, logging, forestry, agriculture, and commercial fishing.

Jamie Davis Towing (featured on the Highway Thru Hell reality show) has an operation in Lac La Biche.

Attractions

Lac La Biche is home to the Lac La Biche Golf Course, while numerous lakes and campgrounds provide outdoor recreation opportunities in the area, including Lakeland Provincial Park to the east. Lac La Biche County has a small museum dedicated to sharing the history of the area, it is located in the Jubilee Hall building, beside the recreation grounds where the baseball diamonds, splash park, and green space are also located.

Government

The Hamlet of Lac La Biche comprises Lac La Biche County's Ward 7. Omer Moghrabi was elected as mayor in 2017, Councillors Lorin Tkachuk and Colin Cote represent Ward 7 on Lac La Biche County Council. Provincially, the community has been represented by every major political party in Alberta history (expand table for details).

Infrastructure

Lac La Biche Airport (YLB) is located 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) west of Lac La Biche. It features a fully serviced 5,700 by 100 ft (1,737 by 30 m) paved airstrip.

Education

The main campus of Portage College is located in Lac La Biche. The college has an ACAC hockey team named the Portage Voyageurs. The team's first season began in the fall of 2008.

Northern Lights School Division No. 69

• Vera M. Welsh Elementary School (K-3)
• Aurora Middle School (4–8)
• J.A. Williams High School (9–12)
• Lac La Biche Off-Campus (8–12)

Other

• Light of Christ Catholic School (Preschool-Grade 11)
• École Sainte-Catherine (K-4)

Media

Media outlets serving Lac La Biche and area include the Lac La Biche Post weekly newspaper and the Boom 103.5 radio station.

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of former urban municipalities in Alberta
• List of hamlets in Alberta

Notes

1. Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
2. Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
3. Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
4. Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
5. Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References

1. ^ Province of Alberta (April 1, 2007). "Order in Council (O.C.) 332-2007". Retrieved March 11, 2010.
2. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
3. "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
4. ^ "Population and dwelling count amendments, 2021 Census". Statistics Canada. December 1, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
5. Alberta Municipal Affairs (April 1, 2010). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
6. "Online Cree Dictionary: ᐋᐧᐋᐧᐢᑫᓯᐃᐧᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ". Retrieved September 17, 2018.
7. Fromhold, Joachim (2001). 2001 Indian Place Names of the West - Part 1. Calgary: Lulu. pp. CCC. ISBN 9780557438365.
8. "Disclaimer – Electronic Collection". Epe.lac-bac.gc.ca. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
9. Thompson 1916, pp. 304–305.
10. Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 74. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
11. Thompson 1916, p. 304.
12. ^ Barkwell 2013.
13. ^ Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 100. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
14. https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/laclabiche/en/abo_big.html
15. http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol14/no4/page54-eng.asp
16. Dickason 1999, p. 77.
17. Canada's Historic Places. "Notre Dame des Victoires / Lac La Biche Mission National Historic Site". Retrieved January 19, 2014.
18. Lac La Biche Mission. "Lac La Biche Mission national historic site". Retrieved December 25, 2009.
19. Johnson, Gregory A. (1999). Lac La Biche chronicles : the early years. Portage College. p. 151. ISBN 0-9686178-0-8.
20. Heather Devine (2004). The People who Own Themselves: Aboriginal Ethnogenesis in a Canadian Family, 1660–1900. University of Calgary Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-55238-115-1.
21. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
22. "Lac La Biche County 2016 Municipal Census Report". Lac La Biche County. p. 13. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
23. "2013 Census Summary". Lac La Biche County. p. 6. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
24. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
25. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 27, 2021). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
26. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (August 20, 2019). "2006 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
27. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
28. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (July 2, 2019). "Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
29. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (March 29, 2019). "1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
30. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (March 29, 2019). "Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
31. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (June 27, 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
32. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (June 27, 2019). "Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
33. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
34. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (May 26, 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part A". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
35. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (May 26, 2020). "Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part B". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
36. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada : population : vol. I - part 3 = Recensement du Canada 1971 : population : vol. I - partie 3. Ethnic groups". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
37. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada. Population . Specified ethnic groups, census divisions and subdivisions". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
38. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (April 3, 2013). "1971 Census of Canada : population : vol. I - part 1 = Recensement du Canada 1971 : population : vol. I - partie 1". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
39. "Season 5 of Highway Thru Hell has Jamie Davis and his crew dealing with a different type of crash: Alberta's economy".
40. "Controlling traffic turns Hellish on 'Highway Thru Hell'". January 26, 2016.
41. "Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club". Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
42. "Lac La Biche Museum". Lac La Biche Museum. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
43. "Council". Lac La Biche County. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
44. Voyageur Athletics Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
45. "Lac La Biche Post". Great West Newspapers LP. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
46. "Boom 103.5 - 80's & 90's". Boom 103.5. Boom 103.5 FM. Retrieved July 21, 2017.

Sources

• Barkwell, Lawrence J. (2013). Metis scrip claims from Lac la Biche, Alberta under the Dominion Lands Act (Report).
• Dickason, Olive P. (1999). "Metis". In Paul Robert Magocsi (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-2938-8.
• Thompson, David (1916). J. B. Tyrrell (ed.). David Thompson's Narrative of his Explorations in Western America 1784–1812. Toronto: Champlain Society. This is the full-text diary of David Thompson which includes numerous references to the Nahathaway in general and to the First Nations of the Lac la Biche region in particular. He describes their belief in life after death and consequences on the human soul for crimes and misdeeds.

v t e Lower Athabasca Region, Alberta
Cities	Cold Lake
Urban service areas	Fort McMurray Lac La Biche Plamondon
Towns	Bonnyville
Villages	Glendon
Summer villages	Bonnyville Beach Pelican Narrows
Hamlets	Anzac Ardmore Beaver Crossing Beaver Lake Beaverdam Cherry Grove Conklin Fort Chipewyan Fort Kent Fort Mackay Gregoire Lake Estates Hylo Iron River Janvier South La Corey Saprae Creek Therien Venice
Métis settlements	Elizabeth Fishing Lake
Municipal districts	Bonnyville
Specialized municipalities	Lac La Biche Wood Buffalo
Improvement districts	349
Indian reserves	Allison Bay 219 Beaver Lake 131 Charles Lake 225 Chipewyan 201 201A 201B 201C 201D 201E 201F 201G Clearwater 175 Cold Lake 149 149A 149B 149C Colin Lake 223 Cowper Lake 194A Devil's Gate 220 Dog Head 218 Fort McKay 174 174C 174D Gregoire Lake 176 176A 176B Heart Lake 167 167A Hokedhe Tue 196E Janvier 194 Kehewin 123 Ki Tue 196D Li Deze 196C Namur Lake 174B Namur River 174A Old Fort 217 Sand Point 221 Thabacha Nare 196 Thebathi 196 Tsu Kadhe 196F Tsu Tue 196G Tthe Jere Ghaili 196B Winefred Lake 194B
Provincial parks	Cold Lake Crow Lake Gregoire Lake Lakeland Moose Lake Sir Winston Churchill Birch Mountains Birch River Dillon River Fidler-Greywillow Fort Assiniboine Sandhills Gipsy Lake Grand Rapids Kazan Kitaskino Nuwenëné Marguerite River Richardson Stony Mountain Whitemud Falls
Other topics	Athabasca oil sands Athabasca River Bitumount CFB Cold Lake Peace-Athabasca Delta
Land-use framework regions of Alberta Treaty 8

• Designated places in Alberta
• Former towns in Alberta
• Hamlets in Alberta
• Hudson's Bay Company trading posts
• Lac La Biche County
• Populated places disestablished in 2007