Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta
Lake Minnewanka, near the town of Banff in Banff National Park, Alberta has been called by several names in the past. These included Devil’s Lake, Cannibal Lake, Peechee Lake, and Ki’noo-ki’mow or Long Lake and it wasn’t until 1888 that name Minnewanka was officially applied by the Department of the Interior. The word Minnewanka means “the lake of the water spirit”. It is said that one of the first people to sight the lake did so from a nearby mountain top. From this high viewpoint he saw what looked like a fish in the water but it which appeared to be long as the lake itself. This led him to call the lake “The Lake of the Evil Water Spirit”.