Richelieu River

{{Update|date = June 2011}} [[Image:Champlainmap.png|left|200px|Map showing the Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed]] [[Image:Vallée des forts, 1666.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Map of Fort Saint-Jean and other forts on the Richelieu River circa 1666 for the campagne of the Regiment of Carignan-Salières]] [[Image:Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River 1750s.png|right|200px|thumb|Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River in Canada during the 1750s]] [[Image:Fort Richelieu 1695.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River in Canada during the 1750s]] [[Image:FortStJeanPeachey1790.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Fort Saint-Jean circa 1775 siege of the fort]] [[Image:Passage of the Richelieu by night.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Passage of the Richelieu by night]] [[Image:Fort Sainte-Thérèse.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Fort Sainte-Thérèse on Richelieu River]] The '''Richelieu River''' is a river in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]. It flows from the north end of [[Lake Champlain]] about {{convert|171|km|mi|abbr=on}} north, ending at the confluence with the [[St. Lawrence River]] at [[Sorel-Tracy|Sorel-Tracy, Quebec]] downstream and northeast of [[Montreal]]. It has a drainage basin of {{convert|23400|km2|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|19600|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} are in the United States originating in the western slopes of the [[Green Mountains]] and the eastern slopes of the [[Adirondack Mountains]] of [[New York State]] and so has a mean discharge of {{convert|330|m3/s}}. [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]], [[Chambly, Quebec|Chambly]], and [[Sorel-Tracy, Quebec|Sorel-Tracy]] are important communities on its route. The [[France|French]] explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] was the first European to reach the mouth of the river in 1609. Already an important pathway for the [[Iroquois]] Natives, it soon became one for French traders as well. They built five forts along its length: [[Fort Richelieu]] at its mouth, [[Fort St. Louis]] (or [[Fort Chambly]]), Fort Ste. Thérese and [[Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)|Fort Saint-Jean]] on the way, and Fort Ste. Anne on the [[Isle La Motte, Vermont]] in Lake Champlain near its source. Some early journals and maps refer to the lower river as the Sorel River. Formerly also called Iroquois River, its French name comes from Fort Richelieu, which in turn was named in memory of [[Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu|Cardinal Richelieu]] (1585–1642). The [[Chambly Canal]] (9 locks) permits boats to bypass the rapids at [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]] and Chambly. The [http://www.routeverte.com/ang/voyager.lasso?troncon=10&code=monteregie Piste cyclable du Canal-de-Chambly] is a {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=on}} bicycle path that follows the towpath along the canal. The bike path is part of Quebec's [http://www.routeverte.com/ang/ Route Verte] bicycle path network. The canal is a [[National Historic Site of Canada|national historic site]] operated by [[Parks Canada]]. The agency also manages other national historic sites along the river: Fort Chambly, Fort Ste. Thérèse, and St. Ours Canal. The [[Champlain Canal]] and [[Lake Champlain]] form the U.S. portion of the [[Lakes to Locks Passage]], linking with the [[Hudson River]] and allowing navigation using the Richelieu between the [[St. Lawrence River]] and [[New York City]] and the [[Erie Canal]]. ==See also== *[[Ile aux Noix]] *[[List of Quebec rivers]] *[[List of crossings of the Richelieu River]] *[[Lake Champlain Seaway]] *[[2011 Lake Champlain and Richelieu River Floods]] {{coord missing|Quebec}}