Lac La Biche, Alberta

Etymology

The indigenous peoples of the area refer to the lake as Elk Lake (, ). 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 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 from its 2016 population of 3,320. With a land area of 68.39 km2, it had a population density of 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 from its 2011 population of 2,520. With a land area of 6.05 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

Lac La Biche County's 2016 municipal census counted a population of 2,682 in Lac La Biche, a 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

Outdoor activities in Lac La Biche include fishing, hunting, boating, and camping. The area features several campgrounds and parks, including Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, on an island in Lac La Biche. The community also has the Lac La Biche Golf & Country Club, an 18-hole course on the lakefront, and the Bold Centre, a modern recreation and events complex that hosts sports, concerts, and community gatherings.

Museums and heritage

The community’s main institution, the Lac La Biche Museum, opened in 2014 and is in the Jubilee Hall building near the recreation grounds. The museum presents exhibits on the region’s natural history, fur trade, and cultural development, highlighting Indigenous, Métis, and settler histories. In addition to its permanent displays, the museum offers educational programming, hosts temporary art and history exhibitions, and collaborates with local schools and community organizations to promote heritage awareness. At the Portage College campus, the Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art and Artifacts houses one of Alberta’s most significant public collections of Indigenous art. Its holdings include paintings, sculptures, and traditional works by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists from across Canada. The museum also preserves the permanent collection of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., known as the “Indigenous Group of Seven” which represents a milestone in the recognition of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. Nearby, the Lac La Biche Mission, a designated national historic site of Canada, preserves original 19th-century mission buildings and interprets the intertwined histories of missionaries, Indigenous peoples, and early settlers in the region.

Festivals and events

Lac La Biche hosts several annual events that celebrate community, culture and the outdoors. Since 1963, the signature summer event, Lac La Biche Pow-Wow and Fish Derby, combines traditional powwow with a community fish derby and associated activities. In winter the Lac La Biche Ice Festival (formerly the Winter Festival of Speed) features ice racing, snowmobile events, ice and snow sculpting, family activities and concerts.

Government

The Hamlet of Lac La Biche comprises Lac La Biche County's Ward 7. 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 NM west of Lac La Biche. It features a fully serviced 5700 by paved airstrip.

Education

The main campus of Portage College is 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

Newspapers

Lac La Biche has been served by several local newspapers. The Lac La Biche Herald operated during 1940-1960s. Since 1968, the weekly Lac La Biche Post has been published and remains an active local newspaper.

Radio

The area is also served by the English-language radio station Boom 103.5, and the French-language community radio station Boréal FM (92.1 FM), which serves the francophone community of the Plamondon–Lac La Biche area.

Notes

References

Sources

• 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.

References

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34. (26 January 2016). "Controlling traffic turns Hellish on 'Highway Thru Hell'".
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42. (March 5, 2025). "Ice festival in Lac La Biche started with block party and concert". LakelandToday.ca.
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