Lake Louise
The Stoney Indians used to call it "Lake of the Little Fishes". Railroad
surveyor Tom Wilson was the first white man to discover the lake in 1882 and named
it Emerald Lake. Two years later the name was changed to Lake Louise in honor
of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, wife of the Governor General of Canada from
1878 to 1883, and the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.
Undeniably the most photographed sight in Canadian Rockies, the lake is two
kilometers long, less than half kilometer wide and 70 metres at its maximum
depth. Lake Louise's unique turquoise color water is created by the glaciers
at the head of the valley. The movement of glacial ice continually grinding
away the bedrock creates rock flour (silt). This fine silt drains into the lake
and much of the silt is suspended in the water. When the sun strikes the water,
these particles absorb all the spectrum of colors except green and blue.
In keeping with the original name, the lake is home to little fish such as
whitefish, splake, rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout. Mount Victoria, one of
the most frequently climbed mountains in the Rockies, rises up over 3464 m from
the north shore of lake. Situated just a few metres from the lakeshore is the
world famous Chateau Lake Louise. Started as a small chalet in 1890 to accommodate
11 guests, it has evolved to a Chateau style hotel that can accommodate 1,100
guests in 515 rooms. You must see Lake Louise when you are in Banff.
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© 2012 Vancouver English Centre
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Last updated on Jan 18/07
at 19:51 PDT
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