Mitchell Lake (Ontario)

Mitchell Lake
Lake
Photo showing the two areas of the lake, separated by the Hartley Road causeway
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Central Ontario
Municipality	Kawartha Lakes
Part of	Great Lakes Basin
Tributaries
- Primary inflow	Grass Creek
Elevation	256 m (840 ft)
Coordinates	44°34′26″N 78°57′01″W / 44.57389°N 78.95028°W / 44.57389; -78.95028
Mouth	Canal to Kirkfield Liftlock
- coordinates	44°34′12″N 78°57′39″W / 44.57000°N 78.96083°W / 44.57000; -78.96083
Length	3.3 km (2 mi)
Width	2.2 km (1 mi)
Location of Mitchell Lake in southern Ontario

Mitchell Lake is a small, man-made lake in the Great Lakes Basin and located in the city of Kawartha Lakes in Central Ontario, Canada.^[1] The lake was formed sometime in the first decade of the twentieth century alongside the construction of the Kirkfield Lift Lock, which was completed and operational by the end of 1907.^[2] It is part of the summit of the Trent-Severn Waterway, the middle of a connection via canals of Balsam Lake on the Gull River system, which flows eventually to Lake Ontario, and the Kirkfield Lift Lock and Canal Lake on the Talbot River system, which flows to Lake Simcoe and eventually to Lake Huron.

History

Prior to flooding, the Grass River (now Grass Creek) flowed through the centre of marshland above which the current lake sits in Eldon Township, Victoria County. It entered from the south-west, reaching Fennel Road (Kawartha Lakes Road 35) where it now crosses the Trent Canal. From here it turned west and followed the same course as the modern canal to Portage Road (formerly Ontario Highway 48, today Kawartha Lakes Road 48). Passing under the road, it resumed a north-easterly course towards the village of Victoria Road, where it flowed as it continues to today, now controlled by a dam, westward into the Talbot River.^[3]

Modern Mitchell Lake

Like many of the lakes of the Kawarthas, Mitchell Lake enjoys use by recreational cottagers. However, most of the lake is relatively shallow (Between 3 and 6 feet deep), swampy, and filled with partially or wholly submerged tree stumps remaining from before the flooding. As such, cottages are sparse outside of the canal zone and south eastern section of the lake. The shallow south-western section of the lake is isolated from the rest by Hartley Road, which crosses the lake by causeway, and is only navigable by canoe.

The former path of the Grass River north of Kawartha Lakes 48 is still visible beneath the shallow and undisturbed waters of the lake.^[4]

References

External links

• Cruising Ontario - Guide to Mitchell Lake

v t e City of Kawartha Lakes City seat: Lindsay Towns Lindsay Villages and unincorporated communities Ancona Point Argyle Avery Point Baddow Baker Trail Ballyduff Barclay Bellevue Bethany Bethel Bobcaygeon1 Bolsover Burnt River Burton Cambray Cameron Coboconk Dalrymple Dartmoor Daytonia Beach Dongola Downeyville Dunsford Emily Eldon Station Feir Mill Fenelon Falls Fowlers Corners Fleetwood Glenarm Greenhurst-Thurstonia Hartley Head Lake Janetville Kinmount1 Kirkfield Little Britain Long Beach Long Point Lorneville Manilla1 Manvers Mariposa Station Mariposa Norland Oakwood Omemee Pontypool Ragged Rapids Rokeby Rosedale Sadowa St. Mary's Sebright Sturgeon Point Uphill Valentia Verulam Park Victoria Road View Lake Woodville Former townships Bexley Carden Dalton Laxton, Digby and Longford Eldon Emily Fenelon Manvers Mariposa Ops Somerville Verulam Major lakes Trent River Shadow Lake Silver Lake Four Mile Lake Balsam Lake Cameron Lake Sturgeon Lake Lake Scugog Pigeon Lake Talbot River Canal Lake Mitchell Lake Talbot Lake Severn River Lake Dalrymple Cranberry Lake Head Lake Fishog Lake Topics List of roads Victoria County 1) This area lies on the border of an adjacent region, but is part of the Kawartha Lakes census.