York Landing is a First Nations community on the east shore of Split Lake. York Landing has a small airport with a gravel runway. The community has built a dirt road to a railway line east of the community. During the summer months the main means of transportation in and out of York Landing is on the M.V. Joe Keeper ferry boat. These are pictures of the M.V. Joe Keeper ferry boat tied up at its dock on the west shore of the lake in the Split Lake First Nations community.
Historically York Boats were built by the fur traders in Canada as an important means of transportation when travelling in areas of large lakes and rivers. A York Boat is larger than a canoe. A York Boat can hold more cargo than a canoe and is less likely to tip or be swamped by waves overflowing the gunnels. The disadvantage of using a York Boat is that it is very heavy and would be difficult for the crew to carry over a portage across land between lakes even on the relatively flat ground of the prairies.
Here are pictures of two York Boats I found on the shoreline beside the Split Lake community's main dock. Given the good condition of the boats they obviously are still being used, possibly for racing or community festivals.
The cemetary behind the Anglican Church.
The Split Lake Cree mark each grave with a white wooden cross and build a white wooden picket fence around each grave.
I found it interesting that the cemetary is located out near the tip of the peninsula.
The community of Split Lake is located along the full length of a peninsula sticking out into the middle of the lake. In effect, the peninsula splits the lake into two parts thus giving the community and lake their name.
These two pictures are taken near the point of the peninsula. One picture is looking out across the lake. The First Nations community of York Landing is somewhere along the far shore. The other picture is looking back at the mainland. If you look carefully you can see some buildings in the distance where the community is expanding onto the mainland from the peninsula as the community grows in size.
Notice the white winter ice that is starting to form on some of the rocks.
The large building is a residence for elders.
An interesting rock I found on the beach. I placed my roll of Halls cough candies on the ground to provide a scale for estimating the size of the rock.
The boreal forest gives way to bare PreCambrian bedrock on this point of land.
The large building you see among the homes is the Northern Store.
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