WINNIPEGOSIS, LAKE

lake in western Manitoba, Canada, between Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan border, a remnant of glacial Lake Agassiz. Supplied by numerous small streams on the west, the 2,075-square-mile (5,374-square-kilometre) lake is drained southeastward into Lake Manitoba and thence into Lake Winnipeg. Lake Winnipegosis is more than 150 miles (240 km) long, is up to 32 miles (51 km) wide, and has a maximum depth of 833 feet (254 m). Winnipegosis (a Cree Indian term meaning little muddy water) is an island-strewn lake that is navigable only by small vessels. It was explored in 1739 by the French voyageur La Vrendrye and later served as part of a fur-trading route. The lake is now important for commercial fishing, centred at Winnipegosis, which is situated on the lake's southern shore at the mouth of the Mossy River. Winnipegosis is the largest riparian settlement and is the terminus of a branch of the Canadian National Railway from Dauphin (35 miles south).