Missionary Lake

Missionary lake
"Passe à Groleau" (Groleau Strait) separating the northern and southern parts of Missionary lake. The bridge (in background) serves cottages located on the northeast shore, in the middle of the "Missionary lake".
Missionary lake Missionary Lake in Quebec
Location	Quebec, Canada
Coordinates	Coordinates: 46°55′00″N 72°33′37″W / 46.91667°N 72.56028°W / 46.91667; -72.56028
Type	natural
Primary inflows	surrounding streams
Primary outflows	Discharge toward Mékinac Lake
Basin countries	Quebec, Canada
Max. length	13 km (8.1 mi)
Max. width	1.2 km (1 mi)
Surface area	5.93 km2 (2.29 sq mi)
Max. depth	61 m (200 ft)
Surface elevation	167 m (548 ft)
Settlements	Trois-Rives, Lac-aux-Sables

Missionary Lake [formerly named "Grand lac long" (Grand Long Lake)] is located in the municipalities of Trois-Rives and Lac-aux-Sables in the Mekinac Regional County Municipality (RCM), in Batiscanie, in the administrative area of the Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is named in honour of missionary and explorer Paul Le Jeune, one of the founders of the Jesuit mission that was opened in 1634 in nearby Trois-Rivières, Quebec.

In Aboriginal history, the Mekinac River and Missionary Lake together served as paths between the Saint-Maurice River and Batiscan River. In winter, this route was also very useful for forest contractors using horse-drawn sleighs to access logging areas around Missionary Lake or Mekinac Lake.The need for this path for forestry was greatly reduced when a railway was completed in 1908 in the nearby Tawachiche sector connecting Hervey-Jonction to La Tuque. Today, this Mekinac/Missionary route is used recreationally by snowmobiles and ATVs between early December and late March.

In 1938, the Groleau Company built a sawmill at the south end of Missionary Lake, 4.3 km from Hervey-Jonction. On June 27, 1955, the mill was destroyed by a fire. It was rebuilt in the village of Sainte-Thècle, opposite the train station and next to the Groleau factory.

Today, the region's economy is based on tourism and forestry. The area is suitable for hunting, fishing, camping, water activities, nature observation and gathering wild fruit.

Missionary Lake is divided into two parts, north and south, which are interconnected by Groleau Strait which is 0.77  km in length.The southern part of Missionary Lake discharges into the northern part of the lake through the Groleau Strait. Small boats can navigate through the southern entrance to the strait. There is a wider channel of about 0.5 km long in the middle portion of the strait, but the strait otherwise is difficult to navigate, being narrow and shallow in places with stones at the bottom. The northern part of the strait entry requires a portage with a canoe. A bridge spans the strait at its northern portion to serve the cottages located on the northeast shore of the lake.