Lake Minnewanka, Alberta  Dec. 1, 2023

The sight of stars above Lake Minnewanka has been taken in by humans for centuries. The Nakoda people, who revered the lake for the spirits that they believed reside within it, fished the lake and hunted along its shores with respect. The term Minnewanka comes from their name for it, "Minn-waki" or "Lake of the Spirits." As tourism began to develop in the Canadian Rockies, a settlement was built on the lakeshore. However, the lake was dammed once in 1895 and again in 1912 to reserve water for a hydroelectric plant downstream. The Minnewanka Landing settlement disappeared under the higher waters and now can only be accessed by scuba divers. Today, this glacial lake is the second-largest in Banff National Park, at a length of approximately 21 kilometres.

© Ken Phung/500px/Getty Images

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