Lac-à-la-Tortue, a sector of the city of Shawinigan since 2002, is nestled in the heart of Mauricie, Quebec, Canada. This area, part of the Batiscanie watershed, is renowned as the cradle of commercial bush flying in Canada and houses the oldest civilian seaplane base in the country. Since the twentieth century, Lac-à-la-Tortue has been a popular resort destination.
Despite its proximity to the Saint-Maurice River, Lac-à-la-Tortue is part of the Batiscanie watershed. The lake's discharge flows north into the Rivière La Tortue (Turtle River), which joins the Rivière des Envies (Cravings River) in Saint-Stanislas. This lake is not only the oldest civil seaplane base in Canada but has also been a well-known resort since the 20th century.
The Lac-à-la-Tortue sector boasts the largest peat lowlands of the St. Lawrence basin. This ecological reserve, spanning a total area of 565.69 hectares, is located approximately six kilometres south of Grand-Mère. The reserve, part of two municipal areas of Shawinigan: Lac-à-la-Tortue and Shawinigan-Sud, protects a bog characteristic of the region's lowlands. The reserve is divided into two lobes and attracts many nature observers.
A wetland sector covering three municipalities is located south-east of Lac-à-la-Tortue. This area is the head of water between the watershed of Lac-à-la-Tortue, the Rivière à la Tortue, and Falls River.
The Lac-à-la-Tortue sector derives its name from the lake of the same name. The name 'L. Turtle' for the lake appears on a map titled 'Plan of the St-Maurice Territory.'
In June 1919, fires ravaged Quebec's forests. To detect fires before they got out of control, the Laurentide Pulp and Paper paper mill in Grand-Mère (Shawinigan Sector) considered using aircraft for forest patrols. The Canadian government acquired two Curtiss HS-2L flying boats from the U.S. Navy for this purpose. Today, the Turtle Lake base is considered the birthplace of commercial aviation in Canada, as well as the world's cradle of bush flying.
Although water management in Canada is typically provincial, Lac-à-la-Tortue is a rare exception. The lake has been owned by the city of Shawinigan since the merger in 2002.
Since Bishop Lafleche ordered the construction of the church, a parsonage was also built. It still stands in its original location, though it has undergone several renovations.
The history of mining in Lac-à-la-Tortue began 20 years after the onset of the first forging Mauricie in 1879. Ore was discovered on the banks and bottom of Turtle Lake, with the largest deposits found in the Bay of Maskinongé.
The ore extracted from Lac-à-la-Tortue was used to make various objects in the forges of the region, particularly in Forges du Saint-Maurice. The railway in Lac-à-la-Tortue stood at the current location where there is the pipeline of Gaz Métropolitain buried. Today, the land is owned by the city of Shawinigan.
