Regina's Lake 1883–1960

Settlers in and around Regina first used Wascana Creek in practical ways. The creek was dammed in 1883 to create the reservoir now known as Wascana Lake, which provided the settlement with the only substantial body of water for 40 miles and was used mainly for watering stock and domestic household needs. In the late 1890s the CPR laid one of the first pipe lines from the reservoir to its yards to supply water for steam engines, and in 1914 the city built a power plant on the north shore east of Broad Street, using lake water to cool turbines that produced power and light for Regina. The lake also created economic opportunities: water was hauled into Regina and sold for domestic use at fifty cents a barrel, and in 1906 James Grassick founded the Capital Ice Company, which cut and sold an average of 10,000 tons of ice each year until 1950. Recreation began almost immediately as well, with boat races held on May 24, 1884, to celebrate the Queen's birthday, followed in later summers by swimming, boating, canoeing, and picnicking along the shore. The Regina Boat Club was established on the lake in 1907 and became an important part of the city's social life, while in winter the frozen lake supported snowshoeing, skiing, tobogganing, and skating. The lake also prompted civic concerns, as Alderman Robert Sinton called city council's attention on August 19, 1905, to the practice of young men bathing in the reservoir wearing nothing but a smile.

Saskatchewan · Canada