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Kleskun Lake
Kleskun Hill Natural Area - Birds characteristic of the region include; sharp tailed grouse, gray cheeked thrushes, black terns, American kestrels and Northern saw whet owls.
Early settlers found the shores of Kleskun Lake, located 32 km northeast of Grande Prairie, to be productive and a good source of wild hay. The area was first used for grazing in 1912 after cattle were taken north along the Edson Trail. The Kleskun Lake Provincial Grazing Reserve is located in the low boreal mixed-wood ecoregion.
In 1918, the Kleskun Lake Cattle Co. was formed and over the next few years it opened up the Kleskun Creek channel and put in lateral ditches to improve drainage. This made most of the lake bottom, about 15,000 acres, available for grazing and/or hay production.
At the peak of its operation the Kleskun Lake Cattle Co. controlled 45,000 acres. By 1927, it was having financial problems and sold out. During the Depression most of the land reverted to the municipal government. |
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