Gatineau River
Encyclopedia
The Gatineau River is a river
in western Quebec
, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir
and flows south to join the Ottawa River
at the city of Gatineau
, Quebec
. The river is 386 km (239.8 mi) long and drains an area of 23,700 km².
While it has been said that the river's name comes from Nicolas Gatineau, a fur trade
r who is said to have drowned in the river in 1683, the local Indian tribe, the Algonquin Anicinabe
k, assert that the name comes from their language. The name they give the river is "Te-nagàdino-zìbi", which means "The River that Stops [One's Journey]".
The geography of the area was altered with the construction of the Baskatong Reservoir, and it is still possible to travel upstream on the Gatineau and reach a point where a small portage will bring you to the headwaters of the Ottawa River. The Ottawa River then flows northwest and turns south where it eventually flows more easterly and connects with the Gatineau.
The river flows through the communities of:
A covered wooden bridge over the river at Wakefield, built in 1915, was destroyed by arson
in 1984, but has been rebuilt.
The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Railway
, a tourist steam train follows the old train route up the Gatineau valley to Wakefield.
passed here while travelling on the Ottawa River to L'Isle-aux-Allumettes. He wrote:
He noted this "river coming from the north" but did not give its name.
According to the Bulletin des recherches historiques (1895), the land-surveyor Noël Beaupré wrote an official report on the river on February 3, 1721, but without naming it, leaving it unclear if its current name was in use in the 18th century.
In 1783, in a report to the governor Frederick Haldimand
, lieutenant David Jones called the river by the name "River Lettinoe". According to Lucien Brault (History of Pointe-Gatineau, 1948), this would be the first written reference to the name Gatineau. On the charts of his account from 1830, but recalling events from the beginning of the 19th century, the traveller and fur trader Jean-Baptiste Perrault called the river "nàgàtinong" or "àgatinung".
On a plan of the Rideau Canal
, drawn by lieutenant-colonel John By
in 1831, the river is called "Gatteno". Finally, "R. Gatineau" appears on the chart of William Henderson in 1831, and on the one of Thomas Guesses, in 1861.
This name recollects the memory of a fur trader from the 17th century, Nicolas Gatineau or Gastineau. Inhabitant of Trois-Rivières
, he had traded near a river located between the Ottawa and Saint-Maurice Rivers, which was then customarily called river of Gatineau. But according to Raymond Douville, at the end of the 17th century Louis (1674-1750) and Jean-Baptiste (1671-1750), sons of Nicolas, established a trading post, or just a supply post, on a point located at the mouth of the river, site of the future Point-Gatineau. Therefore the toponym given to the river is more likely a credit to the Gatineau sons than to Nicolas.
From the 19th century up until 1991, the river was used to transport logs to sawmill
s near the mouth of the river. Philemon Wright
and his descendants played an important role in the development of the lumber industry in the Gatineau valley. In more recent times, with declining quality in the forests of the region, logs are used for pulp
and paper.
The river has been extensively dam
med and is an important source of hydroelectric power. In the spring of 1974, there was extensive flooding along the Gatineau.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in western Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir
Baskatong Reservoir
The Baskatong Reservoir is a man-made lake in western Quebec, Canada. It was formed following the construction of the Mercier Dam in 1927 and has an area of 413 km2. It has no generating station at its dam, but the reservoir is used to control the flow of the Gatineau River for several...
and flows south to join the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
at the city of Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The river is 386 km (239.8 mi) long and drains an area of 23,700 km².
While it has been said that the river's name comes from Nicolas Gatineau, a fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r who is said to have drowned in the river in 1683, the local Indian tribe, the Algonquin Anicinabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
k, assert that the name comes from their language. The name they give the river is "Te-nagàdino-zìbi", which means "The River that Stops [One's Journey]".
The geography of the area was altered with the construction of the Baskatong Reservoir, and it is still possible to travel upstream on the Gatineau and reach a point where a small portage will bring you to the headwaters of the Ottawa River. The Ottawa River then flows northwest and turns south where it eventually flows more easterly and connects with the Gatineau.
The river flows through the communities of:
- ManiwakiManiwaki, QuebecManiwaki is a town north of Gatineau and located north-west of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The town is situated on the Gatineau River, at the crossroads of Route 105 and Route 107, not far south of Route 117...
- Low
- WakefieldWakefield, QuebecWakefield is a village on the western shore of the Gatineau River, at the confluence of the La Pêche River in the Outaouais region of Quebec. The village, named after the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, is now the southern edge of the municipality of La Pêche, and was founded in 1830...
- ChelseaChelsea, QuebecChelsea is a municipality located immediately north of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and about 7 miles north of Ottawa. Chelsea is located within Canada's National Capital Region. In 2006 the population was 6,703....
- GatineauGatineauGatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
A covered wooden bridge over the river at Wakefield, built in 1915, was destroyed by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
in 1984, but has been rebuilt.
The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Railway
Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Railway
The Hull–Chelsea–Wakefield Railway is a heritage railway in Quebec, Canada, running tourist trains through the scenic Gatineau Hills and beside the Gatineau River between Hull and the tourist town of Wakefield from May to October, using a 1907 Swedish steam locomotive and 1940s-built Swedish...
, a tourist steam train follows the old train route up the Gatineau valley to Wakefield.
History
This river was an important transportation corridor for native people of the region and early explorers. On June 4, 1613, Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
passed here while travelling on the Ottawa River to L'Isle-aux-Allumettes. He wrote:
He noted this "river coming from the north" but did not give its name.
According to the Bulletin des recherches historiques (1895), the land-surveyor Noël Beaupré wrote an official report on the river on February 3, 1721, but without naming it, leaving it unclear if its current name was in use in the 18th century.
In 1783, in a report to the governor Frederick Haldimand
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
, lieutenant David Jones called the river by the name "River Lettinoe". According to Lucien Brault (History of Pointe-Gatineau, 1948), this would be the first written reference to the name Gatineau. On the charts of his account from 1830, but recalling events from the beginning of the 19th century, the traveller and fur trader Jean-Baptiste Perrault called the river "nàgàtinong" or "àgatinung".
On a plan of the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
, drawn by lieutenant-colonel John By
John By
Lieutenant-Colonel John By was a British military engineer, best remembered for supervising the construction of the Rideau Canal and, in the process, founding what would become the city of Ottawa....
in 1831, the river is called "Gatteno". Finally, "R. Gatineau" appears on the chart of William Henderson in 1831, and on the one of Thomas Guesses, in 1861.
This name recollects the memory of a fur trader from the 17th century, Nicolas Gatineau or Gastineau. Inhabitant of Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
, he had traded near a river located between the Ottawa and Saint-Maurice Rivers, which was then customarily called river of Gatineau. But according to Raymond Douville, at the end of the 17th century Louis (1674-1750) and Jean-Baptiste (1671-1750), sons of Nicolas, established a trading post, or just a supply post, on a point located at the mouth of the river, site of the future Point-Gatineau. Therefore the toponym given to the river is more likely a credit to the Gatineau sons than to Nicolas.
From the 19th century up until 1991, the river was used to transport logs to sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s near the mouth of the river. Philemon Wright
Philemon Wright
Philemon Wright was a farmer and entrepreneur who founded Wrightstown, the first permanent settlement in the National Capital Region of Canada...
and his descendants played an important role in the development of the lumber industry in the Gatineau valley. In more recent times, with declining quality in the forests of the region, logs are used for pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...
and paper.
The river has been extensively dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med and is an important source of hydroelectric power. In the spring of 1974, there was extensive flooding along the Gatineau.
Tributaries
Major tributaries of the Gatineau River in upstream order are:- La Pêche RiverLa Pêche RiverThe La Pêche River is a river in western Quebec which flows from La Pêche Lake in Gatineau Park and empties into the Gatineau River at Wakefield....
- Kazabazua RiverKazabazua RiverKazabazua River is a tributary of the Gatineau River in western Quebec, Canada.The river gives its name to Kazabazua, a village in La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality. Derived from the Algonquin language, the name of this river has had many spellings including "Kazaluzu",...
- Picanoc RiverPicanoc RiverPicanoc River is small river in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It is 95 kilometer long class/grade II river, with some sections gaining class/grade III difficulty . Its headwaters originate north of Lac Dumont in Pontiac County...
- Grand Lac Rond
- Thirty-one Mile Lake
- Rivière Désert
- Rivière de l'Aigle (Eagle River)
- Tomasine River
- Désert Lake
- Ignace River
- Baskatong ReservoirBaskatong ReservoirThe Baskatong Reservoir is a man-made lake in western Quebec, Canada. It was formed following the construction of the Mercier Dam in 1927 and has an area of 413 km2. It has no generating station at its dam, but the reservoir is used to control the flow of the Gatineau River for several...
- Gens de Terre RiverGens de Terre RiverThe Gens de Terre River is a river in central Quebec, Canada. It is located on the eastern edge of the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve in the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau County Municipality in the Outaouais region...
- Wapus River
- Belinge River
- Cabonga ReservoirCabonga ReservoirThe Cabonga Reservoir is a man-made lake in central Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of and a net area of . It is located on the boundary between the unorganized territories of Lac-Pythonga and Réservoir-Dozois, and fully within the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve...
- Rivière d'Argent
- Notawassi River
- Petawaga River
- Petawaga Lake
- Gens de Terre River
- Bazin River
- Rivière aux Bleuets
- Rivière a la Marte (Marten River)
- Dandurand River
- Rivière du Canot (Canoe River)
- Choquette River
- Chabot River
- Fortier River
- Chouart River
- Tamarac River
- Clova River
External links
- Ottawa-Gatineau Watershed Atlas
- Gatineau River
- Festival d'eau vive de la Haute-Gatineau - A festival dedicated to the preservation of rivers.