French River (Ontario)
Highway 69 north of Parry Sound
French River Rapids, drawing by Paul Kane, 1845.
The French River (French Rivière des Français ) is a river in central Ontario, Canada.
He puts 110 km between Lake Nipissing back west to Georgian Bay. He runs mainly along the border between the Parry Sound District and Sudbury District. In a broader sense, he shares Ontario in a southern and a northern part. The French River was given the status of a Canadian Heritage River in 1986.
Geography
The French River flows through the typical terrain of the Canadian Shield, which in many places is characterized by edited by glacier detached rock. The headwaters of the river is located in a wooded area. The mouth of the French River forms a wide flat river delta with countless islands and channels.
Among the tributaries of the French River:
- Wanapitei River
- Pillow River
- Murdock River
- Wolseley River
- Little French River
- Restoule River
- Hall River
History
The river was once used as a transport corridor of Algonquin in this region. The Ojibwa gave him the name "French River" because it has been associated with the French explorers of the 17th century (such as Étienne Brûlé, Samuel de Champlain and Pierre -Esprit Radisson ), and French missionaries.
Other explorers who later followed this route include Simon Fraser, Alexander Mackenzie and David Thompson.
In the days of the fur trade of the French River formed together with the Ottawa River and the Mattawa River a portion of the " water highways" between Montreal and Lake Superior.
The French River thereafter remained an important canoe route until about 1820. The area has established itself in recent times as a summer vacation and recreation area. For this reason, the river was honored in 1986 as a Canadian Heritage River.
End of the 19th century, the timber industry dominated the area. Because of the rocky terrain of the Canadian Shield along the river, large parts of the river were relatively unaffected and now form a destination for recreational activities such as canoeing and kayaking, fishing and boating.
French River Waterway Provincial Park
The French River Waterway Provincial Park is a 517.40 km ² large reserve, which was established in 1989. The nearest town is Noëlville. Holdings is the Park of Ontario Parks.
The majority of the riverbank between Lake Nipissing and Georgian Bay, with the exception of the area, which are inhabited by the Dokis First Nation shall be protected as part of the Waterway Provincial Park. There are 230 simple backcountry campsites along the French River. The French River is still an attraction for tourists and cottage owners who want to enjoy the clear water, the rocky shore and the woods.