Rouge River (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...

 in Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...

 and Whitchurch-Stouffville. These rivers flow past:
  • Markham, Ontario
    Markham, Ontario
    Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

    , northwest, central, to south, including a couple of conservation areas.
  • Eastern edge of Scarborough
    Scarborough, Ontario
    Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...

  • Rouge Valley Park http://www.trca.on.ca/parks_and_attractions/places_to_visit/rouge_park/


At the southern end, the Rouge River system is the boundary between Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and southwestern Pickering
Pickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...

. Rouge River empties into Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

.

Its original name in Iroquois was Katabokokonk.

The Rouge River is part of Rouge Park
Rouge Park
Rouge Park will become an urban national park located along the border of Toronto and Pickering, Ontario, Canada. It will be Canada's first national park within a municipality....

, the largest urban park in North America. It is one of a few wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...

 areas left in South-Central Ontario, and has been virtually untouched by development since the arrival of Europeans. While many exclusive homes and conclaves border this area on the southern tip, it is currently surrounded largely by agricultural land. It is even devoid of recreational development but sports a considerable network of walking or bicycle paths. Unlike other rivers in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 area, is allowed to fill its entire flood plain on a regular basis rather than being forced through an artificial channel. However, parts of its watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 include the Toronto Zoo
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened August 15, 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word "Metropolitan" was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were amalgamated to form the...

 and the Beare Road Landfill.

In the former city of Scarborough, the Rouge was the "third rail
Third rail (metaphor)
The phrase third rail is a metaphor in politics to denote an idea or topic that is so "charged" and "untouchable" that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject would invariably suffer politically.-Denotation:...

" issue of municipal politics, and many minor candidates for mayor often ran on a platform to preserve it. However, since Scarborough was annexed into the city of Toronto, Toronto City Council has voted on occasion to allow development around the river. For much of the course of the system in Toronto is still parkland or farmland.

As for the York Region sections, the southern watershed runs through residential development and lined with a few small parks. The source of the system is either natural or farmland.

Currently, there is a degree of abandonment in the area, of former farm lands, and historic houses. There also remains many historic houses which are still lived in, some even farmed. Research on Toronto's website listing its holdings of historic properties reveals over 20 historic buildings in the area, including Hillside PS, Scarborough's first schoolhouse, which sits across the street from a house built by the Pearse family in 1855.

Tributaries

Various tributary creeks meets up with both the Rouge and Little Rouge River in Markham and Toronto:
  • Little Rouge Creek - runs northeast via Cedar Grove
    Cedar Grove, Ontario
    Cedar Grove is a community in Markham, Ontario on the Little Rouge River. It is centred around 14th Avenue and Reesor Road and within the boundaries of the future national Rouge Park.-History:...

    , Locust Hill
    Locust Hill, Ontario
    Locust Hilll is an historic community of Markham, Ontario centred on Hwy. 7 and the Canadian Pacific Railway and within the boundaries of the future national Rouge Park.-History:...

    , Dickson Hill
    Dickson Hill, Ontario
    Dickson Hill is a small community in northeast Markham, Ontario and is located near Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, on the border to Whitchurch-Stouffville....

    , Ringwood
    Ringwood, Ontario
    Ringwood is a hamlet in York Region, Ontario, Canada, in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. The hamlet is centred at the intersection of Stouffville Road and Highway 48, on the Little Rouge River, a tributary of the Rouge River on the Oak Ridges Moraine. The community originally straddled the...

    , Lemonville
    Lemonville, Ontario
    Lemonville is a hamlet in York Region, Ontario, Canada, in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. The hamlet is centred at the intersection of McCowan Road and Bloomington Road, in the geographical centre of Whitchurch-Stouffville....

    , and Bloomington
    Bloomington, York Region, Ontario
    Bloomington is a hamlet in York Region, Ontario, Canada, in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. The hamlet is centred at the intersection of Ninth Line and Bloomington Road near the eastern boundary of the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville...

     (Kennedy Road-Bethesda Road to Kingston Road and Altona Road) and flows into Rouge River

  • Katabokokonk Creek - a short creek runs in northeast Markham (west of Ressor Road and Don Cousens Parkway to Major Mackenzie Drive and west of Reesor Road) and bears the original name of the Rouge - creek flows into Little Rouge River

  • Bruce Creek - starts in several ponds in the southeast corner of Aurora
    Aurora, Ontario
    Aurora is an affluent town in York Region, approximately 20 km north of Toronto. It is partially situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario.Many Aurora residents commute to Toronto and surrounding communities.In the...

    , flows briefly through the northeast corner of Richmond Hill
    Richmond Hill, Ontario
    Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...

    , then southeast in the southwest corner of Whitchurch-Stouffville, through Bruce's Mills Conservation Area and into Markham. It flows through Angus Glen Golf Club
    Angus Glen Golf Club
    Angus Glen Golf Club consists of two 18-hole championship golf courses in Markham, Ontario, north of Toronto. Originally a farm for Black Aberdeen Angus cattle, the South Course was completed in 1995 and the North Course in 2006. Renovations were made to the North course based on designs by Davis...

     and into Toogood Pond in Unionville
    Unionville, Ontario
    Unionville is a suburban village in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located 33 km northeast of downtown Toronto and 4 km east of southern Richmond Hill. Unionville is located between Woodbine Avenue as the western limit, alongside the Rouge River leading to McCowan Road as the eastern...

    , just before which the tributary Berczy Creek joins. The creek runs several hundred metre more to its mouth just east of Kennedy Road (Kennedy-Highway 7 to Woodbine Avenue north of Bloomington Road) - flows into Rouge River.

  • Beaver Creek
    Beaver Creek (York Region)
    Beaver Creek is a river in the municipalities of Markham and Richmond Hill in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is a tributary of the Rouge River.-Hydrology:...

     flows from Richmond Hill to the future Downtown Markham development (Major Mackenzie Drive-Bayview Avenue to Warden-Highway 407) - flows into Rouge River
  • Morningside Creek - flows from an area near Dension Avenue and Markham Road to southwest of the Toronto Zoo
    Toronto Zoo
    The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened August 15, 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word "Metropolitan" was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were amalgamated to form the...

     and east of Morningside Road - flows into Rouge River
  • Apple Creek - a small creek branching off Beaver Creek near Highway 7 and Rodick Road and runs between residential developments in a northwest direction to 16th Avenue and Buttonfield Road (just south of Cachet Centre shopping mall)
  • Carleton Creek - runs from Woodbine Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive to Toogood Pond at 16th Avenue and Kennedy Road
  • Robinson Creek - runs from north of Elgin Mills between McCowan Road and Kennedy Road to the east end of Milne Park at 48 and Highway 7
  • Berczy Creek - runs from north of Stouffville Road and Woodbine Avenue into the Bruce at Highway 7 and Woodbine Avenue
  • Exhibition Creek - runs from north of 16th Avenue and Highway 48 to Markham and Highway 7

Sources

The headwaters or sources of the Rouge River and its tributaries are found in the Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...

. Water flows down from the elevated moraine towards Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

. The source stretches from Bathurst Street and Stouffville Road in the west in a northeast direction to Woodbine Avenue and Bloomington Road and then eastwards to east of Ninth Line and Bloomington Road in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
  • Rouge River - a wooded area between farmland
  • Bruce Creek - unnamed and small pond near Preston Lake
    Preston Lake
    -Lakes:* Preston Lake , a lake in Renville County, Minnesota, USA* Preston Lake , is a natural glacier kettle lake located in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, Canada...

     in a wooded area off Ontario Highway 404
  • Katabokokonk Creek - wooded area north of Major Mackenzie Drive and west of Reesor Road
  • Little Rouge Creek - begins under farmland
  • Beaver Creek - ponds between a mall and residential homes

Habitat

The Rouge River is part of the Carolinian
Carolinian
-Languages:*The Carolinian language, an Austronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean-People:*A person from the Carolinas...

 life zone that is found in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...

.

In the early 19th century, pioneer settlers could spear large salmon spawning as far north as the upper tributaries of the Rouge in what is today Whitchurch-Stouffville.

Parks

A list of parks along the Rouge:
  • Bob Hunter Memorial Park
  • Littles Road Park
  • Morningview Ravine Park
  • Woodlands Park
  • Glen Rouge Park
  • Rouge Valley Park, Markham
  • Milne Park, Markham
  • Apple Creek Park
  • Cedar Valley Park
  • Mount Joy Lake Park
  • Springdale Park
  • Monarch Park
  • Ashton Meadows Park
  • Artisan Park - Beaver Creek
  • Beaver Greenway - Beaver Creek
  • Bruce Creek Park
  • Berczy Creek Park
  • Boyton Woods Park
  • Elgin Mills Cemetery
  • Headwaters Park


The Ministry of Stephen Harper proposed, in the 41st Canadian Parliament
41st Canadian Parliament
The 41st Canadian Parliament is the current Parliament of Canada, with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2, 2011...

 throne speech, the creation of a national park.

Golf courses

  • Parkview Golf Course
  • Markham Green Golf Course
  • Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club
  • York Downs Golf and Country Club
  • Angus Glen Golf Course
  • Markham Golf Club
  • Buttonville Fairways Golf Centre

See also

  • List of Ontario rivers
  • 10,000 Trees for the Rouge Valley
    10,000 Trees for the Rouge Valley
    10,000 Trees for the Rouge Valley is a non-profit environmental organization that has held many Toronto-area tree plantings. It is a volunteer group that is dedicated to helping the environment, as it has restored more than of fragile land in the Rouge Watershed with the assistance of individuals,...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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