Little Manitou Lake (Saskatchewan)

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Little Manitou Lake
Location	Saskatchewan
Coordinates	51°44′N 105°30′WCoordinates: 51°44′N 105°30′W
Lake type	Endorheic
Primary inflows	None
Primary outflows	None
Basin countries	Canada
Settlements	Manitou Beach

Little Manitou Lake is a small saltwater lake about 100 kilometres South-East of Saskatoon. The lake was formed by receding glaciers during the most recent ice age. It is fed by underground springs, and has a mineral content high in sodium, magnesium and potassium due to it being a terminal lake. The salt content of the water gives it a density higher than that of the Dead Sea, allowing bathers to float easily.

Since the 1800s, native people have been bringing sick people to the lake they named after the spirit Manitou. The earliest known practice of using this water to heal was when some Assiniboine people were afflicted with smallpox were cured after drinking and submerging themselves in the water.^[1]

Since the turn of the century and the depression of the 1930s, Manitou has been a popular tourist resort due to its salty waters. Since the late 1980s, the health benefits and the buoyancy of the water have once again made it a tourist destination.^[2]

[edit] External links

• Little Manitou Lake on the Canadian Encyclopedia