Before Fawcett Lake was named after Sidney Dawson Fawcett, a Dominion Land Surveyor, it was known to the locals as Moose Lake. To this day it is a very popular area for moose hunters. Back then the west end of the lake was an area used by trappers and hunters alike. In time, that area would find a whole new purpose, with a somewhat unexpected twist...
From the Atlantic Ocean to Fawcett Lake.
That is quite the trip for a submariner. But that is exactly what happened to some 50 odd German submariners who were lucky enough to be taken as prisoners of war. The alternative would have been the fate that most German submariners faced. A cold grave at the bottom of the Atlantic.
But why would they end up on Fawcett Lake of all places? The answer is quite simple. Cheap labour. Cheap meaning free. There was a sawmill at the west end of the lake operated by Swanson Lumber. They had a floating work camp out on the lake and used the POW's as laburers for the sawmill. The sawmill operated for several years and is the reason to this very day, when the wind gets wild, which is quite often, it will pull sawdust up from the bottom of the lake and toss it onto the shores.
The old cabin at the west end of the lake is the most notable remainder of the sawmill. If you look close, you can find other articles like large steel loops and chains that were used to secure the POW'S barges to the shoreline. Most items have been buried over time but a sharp eye can still find a few tidbits of history.
For more details, check out the following:
When the Germans came to Fawcett Lake
North to Slave Lake
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