page_title: Buffalo Narrows
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Buffalo Narrows / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Part of John Franklin's expedition map of 1819-1820 from Ile a la Crosse to Methye Portage
context_page_description: Buffalo Narrows is a northern village in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a community of 1,110 people. Located at the "Narrows" between Peter Pond Lake and Churchill Lake, tourism and resource extraction are its main economic activities.
context_section_description: Buffalo Narrows or Détroit du Boeuf as it was called in French was founded in the early 20th century as a trapping, mink ranching and fishing settlement by Scandinavian traders.
  The community developed around an earlier Dene settlement. John Macoun, who was travelling the fur trade route from Methye Portage to Lac Île-à-la-Crosse visited the "Narrows" in September 1875. He described his visit to this old community in the following lines: "After sunrise, a head wind sprang up with which we battled all day and reached the "Narrows," that connect Buffalo and Clearwater lakes, before dark. "Chipewyan House" is situated at the eastern end of the "Narrows," and at the head of Clearwater Lake. Here the Chipewyans have built themselves a number of houses."
  Chipewyan House where Macoun stayed for about four days was probably a small outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company much like Buffalo House at Dillon and Bull's House on the La Loche River.
  Clearwater Lake (or Clear Lake) was renamed Churchill Lake in 1944 and Buffalo Lake was renamed Peter Pond Lake in 1932.
caption: John Franklin's Coppermine Expedition map of 1819–1822 showing the fur trade route from Île-à-la-Crosse to Methye Portage
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