Michipicoten River
View from Highway 101 on the Michipicoten River
Michipicoten River is a river in the Algoma District in the north of the Canadian province of Ontario.
It has its origins in Dog Lake. It flows in a southerly direction for Michipicoten Bay of Lake Superior, where he joins near the town of Wawa with the Magpie River. The river has including the Lochalsh River from its outflow from Lake Wabatongushi a total length of 113 km and a catchment area of 5200 km ².
The river name means in the language of the Ojibwe means " big bluff " and refers to the hill near the river mouth.
From the Dog Lake Michipicoten River flows in a southerly direction. Here it flows through a series of larger lakes: Lake Manitowik and Whitefish Lake. Then it flows mainly west to Lake Superior. There are four hydroelectric power stations on this lower river. These are operated by Brookfield Power Inc..
Inflows
Tributaries of the Michipicoten River are:
- Anjigami River
- Shikwamkwa River Jackpine River
- Murray Creek
- Dog River
- Lochalsh River Wabatongushi Lake
History
At the time of the fur trade, the river formed an access route to James Bay, led by the two other rivers Missinaibi River and Moose River. Pierre -Esprit Radisson and Médard of Groseilliers are probably the first explorers who take this route. Beginning of the 18th century a French trading post was established at the river mouth. The Hudson 's Bay Company ( HBC) began in the 1770s with the construction of several trading posts along the trade route. The post at Michipicoten River existed until 1904 and is now part of the Michipicoten Post Provincial Park.
1781 studied the HBC surveyor Philip Turnor the river. There followed a series of improvements to the portages along this stream. After 1821 was the Hauptnachschubweg of Lake Superior District of the HBC Moose Missinaibi - Michipicoten route.
Hydropower plants
Four hydropower plants are operated by Brookfield along the Michipicoten River.
In the downstream direction, they are: