Petite-Nation River

Rivière de la Petite Nation in Ripon

The Rivière de la Petite Nation (English Petite- Nation River) is a left tributary of the Ottawa River in western Quebec, Canada.

It has its source in the Laurentian Mountains. After a flow path of 129 km, it flows near Plaisance in the Ottawa River.

The French name of the river refers to the Algonquin tribes of the Weskarini which populated this area earlier, which means " people of the small nation." The valley of the river Rivière de la Petite Nation was part of the Seigneury of Petite Nation, originally in the possession of Monsignor François de Montmorency -Laval, the first bishop of New France. The Seigneury was acquired by Joseph Papineau and later to his son, Louis -Joseph Papineau, sold.

Papineau Joseph built a sawmill on the river at Plaisance Falls. A village called North Nation Mills was there. Pine logs were then floated down the river to the sawmill. The place was finally abandoned in 1920 after the sawmill was closed.

The area near the estuary was from a dam Hydro-Québec, which dams up the Ottawa River, flooded. A Quebec- Park is located there.

There is also a South Nation River in Ontario, which also empties into the Ottawa River.