Kaministiquia River
Kaministiquia River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Region | Northern Ontario |
District | Thunder Bay |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Dog Lake |
• location | Ontario |
• coordinates | 48°41′53″N 89°38′29″W / 48.69806°N 89.64139°W |
• elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
Mouth | Lake Superior |
• location | at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario |
• coordinates | 48°23′34″N 89°12′58″W / 48.39278°N 89.21611°W |
• elevation | 183.5 m (602 ft) |
Length | 95 km (59 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Great Lakes Basin |
[1][2][3][4] |
The Kaministiquia River (/ˌkæmɪˈnɪstɪkwɑː/) is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kaministiquia (Gaa-ministigweyaa) is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar and Mission) at the mouth of the river. The delta has three branches or outlets, reflected on early North American maps in French as "les trois rivières" (the three rivers): the southernmost is known as the Mission River, the central branch as the McKellar River, and the northernmost branch as the Kaministiquia. Residents of the region commonly refer to the river as the Kam River.
Water flow in the Kaministiquia River system is regulated at the Dog Lake dams 1 and 2 and at the Greenwater, Kashabowie and Shebandowan dams. Two generating stations, one at Kakabeka Falls (25 MW) and another at Silver Falls (48 MW), are operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), a public company wholly owned by Government of Ontario.[4]
Geography
Kakabeka Falls, located on this river, is the largest waterfall in the Lake Superior watershed at a height of 47 metres (154 ft).[3] Below these falls, the river flows through an extensive floodplain created by an ancient predecessor that flowed through this region following the last ice age.
Tributaries
History
"Kamanistigouian," as a place, is first mentioned in a decree of the
Following the opening of the United States canal and locks at
After 1883, the lower Kaministiquia river was heavily industrialized by the
The river has been depicted by many prominent Canadian artists such as William Armstrong (1822–1914), Frances Anne Hopkins (The Red River Expedition at Kakabeka Falls, 1877) and Lucius Richard O'Brien (Kakabeka Falls, 1882).
Voyageur route
Since the
This section covers the
The canoe route ran west from Fort William with only one decharge to Kakabeka Falls, which was passed by the Mountain Portage. The North West Company soon built a road to a depot above the falls. From here north up a swift stretch with at least seven portages, and then some more portages and significant altitude gain to Dog Lake about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Fort William. Then an easy 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest up the twisting Dog River, Jordain Creek and Cold Water Creek to Cold Water Lake. Then began a difficult boggy stretch west through the 4.8-kilometre (3 mi) Prairie Portage, Height of Land Lake, the 800-metre (1⁄2 mi) De Milieu Portage, Lac de Milieu, the 2.4-kilometre (1+1⁄2 mi) Savanne Portage to the Savanne River in the Lake Winnipeg drainage. Then west down the Savanne to Lac des Mille Lacs. Since the Seine River is too rough for freight canoes, the route went over the 400-metre (1⁄4 mi) Baril Portage to the Pickerel River and Pickerel Lake, the Pickerel and Deux Rivières Portages to Sturgeon Lake and down the Maligne River to Lac La Croix, where the route from Grand Portage came in from the southeast. For the route west from Lac La Croix see Canadian canoe routes.
See also
References
- ^ "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Kaministiquia River)". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Atlas of Canada Toporama". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Encyclopædia Britannica (Kaministiquia River)". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Overview of the Kaministiquia River System for the PAC to the Thunder Bay RAP" (PDF). January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ Pierre Margry, Découvertes et établissements des Français ... en Amérique septentrionale, (Paris, 1876-1886), VI, 4-6.
- ^ Yves F. Zoltvany, Greysolon Dulhut, Daniel, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, v. 2 (1701-1740.
- ^ Nive Voisine, Robutel de la Noue, Zacharie, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, v. 2 (1701-1745).
- ^ Morrison, Jean F. Superior rendez-vous place : Fort William in the Canadian fur trade. Toronto : Natural Heritage Books, 2007/ 1st ed. 2001.
- ^ Eric C. Morse, 'Fur Trade Canoe Routes of Canada/Then and Now',1979
External links
Media related to Kaministiquia River at Wikimedia Commons