Madawaska River (Saint John River)

The Madawaska River (French Rivière Madawaska ) is 48 km long Canadian river in the northeastern North America.

It rises in Lac Témiscouata in Quebec and flows near Edmundston in New Brunswick in Saint John River, which forms the border with the United States here. The name means "land of the porcupine " and comes from the Algonkinwort Madoueskak.

In the late 17th century the river was a part of the Témiscouata - Portage, a canoe and land route that led to the St. Lawrence River from the Bay of Fundy. 1886 was the Témiscouata Railway built on the same route, a standard gauge railway line from Rivière -du -Loup in the province of Quebec at the Madawaska River to Edmundston. In 1990 the entire line was closed. Today, the Petit Temis Interprovincial Bicycle Path, a well-known bike path, the disused railway line follows. In addition, the Quebec Route 185, a section of the Trans-Canada highways passing through this route. At the beginning of the 20th century, the river for rafts of logs to Edmundston was used for the paper and pulp industry.

The Madawaska River is located in a region that is predominantly inhabited by the so-called francophone Brayon. In the 19th century this people group wanted to form the independent Republic of Madawaska here. A coat of arms and a flag that is still hoisted in front of the town hall in Edmundston, testifies to this effort. The border between Canada and the U.S. in the field was a long time between the then British North America and the United States disputed and led 1838/39 almost to the Aroostook War. The conflict was finally ended in 1842 with the Webster - Ashburton Treaty without bloodshed.