Batchawana River

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Batchawana River
Batchawana River.JPG
Mouth of the Batchawana River at Batchawana Bay
Canada Ontario relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of the Batchawana River in Ontario
EtymologyFrom the Ojibwe meaning "swift waters/current"
Location
CountryCanada
Province Ontario
Region Northeastern Ontario
Districts
Physical characteristics
SourceUnnamed lake
  location Sudbury District
  coordinates 47°14′36″N83°39′43″W / 47.24333°N 83.66194°W / 47.24333; -83.66194
  elevation487 m (1,598 ft)
Mouth Batchawana Bay, Lake Superior
  location
Algoma District
  coordinates
46°55′49″N84°31′42″W / 46.93028°N 84.52833°W / 46.93028; -84.52833 Coordinates: 46°55′49″N84°31′42″W / 46.93028°N 84.52833°W / 46.93028; -84.52833
  elevation
180 m (590 ft)
Length95 km (59 mi)
Basin features
River system Great Lakes Basin

The Batchawana River is a river in Algoma and Sudbury Districts of Ontario, Canada, which empties into Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. [1]

Contents

The name "Batchawana" is derived from the Ojibwe word obatchiwanang, meaning "current at the strait" or "narrows and swift water there", and refers to the turbulent or bubbling waters flowing between Batchawana Island and Sand Point (directly east of the Batchawana River's mouth). [2] [3]

A trading post was established near the mouth of the river for fur trading around 1817 or 1819 by clerks of the North West Company. [4] [5] [6] The Hudson's Bay Company appears to have operated a post there as well circa 1868-1869. [7]

Batchawana River Provincial Park encompasses portions of the river, and Batchawana Bay Provincial Park, with a large sandy beach, is located just west of the river's mouth on Batchawana Bay. The Algoma Central Railway crosses the river at the settlement of Batchewana.

North of Batchawana Bay is Pancake Bay, so named because fur traders travelling east from Fort William had only enough flour left to make pancakes.

Tributaries

Batchawana River Provincial Park

Batchawana River Provincial Park
Coordinates 47°08′02″N84°24′54″W / 47.13389°N 84.41500°W / 47.13389; -84.41500 [8]
Area2,684 ha (10.36 sq mi) [9]
DesignationWaterway
Established2004
Governing body Ontario Parks

The Batchawana River Provincial Park protects certain sections of the river and its banks, as well as some adjacent forests. It was established in 2004 and is meant for canoeing and fishing. Features in the park include wide meanders, numerous rapids, islands, shifting stream channels and a 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) long canyon. The forests include yellow birch, white pine and eastern hemlock, that at the northern end of its range. [9]

It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services.

See also

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References

  1. "Batchawana River". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  2. Boyle, Terry (2011). Hidden Ontario: secrets from Ontario's past. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 106. ISBN   9781554889563.
  3. Franklin, Dixie (1991). Faces of Lake Superior (1st ed.). [West Bloomfield, MI]: A & M. p. 62. ISBN   9781878005144.
  4. Ernest Voorhis. "Historic Forts and Trading Posts of the French regime and of the English Fur Trading Companies". www.enhaut.ca. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  5. Anick, Norman (1976). "The Fur Trade in Eastern Canada Until 1870" (PDF). Manuscript Report Number. National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada. I (207). Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  6. Chisholm, Barbara; Gutsche, Andrea; Floren, Russell (1998). Superior: Under the Shadow of the Gods . Toronto: Lynx Images. pp.  28–29. ISBN   978-0-9698427-7-4. OCLC   39380117 . Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  7. Hudson's Bay Company Archives. "HBCA Post Records By Number - Batchewana". www.gov.mb.ca. Province of Manitoba. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  8. "Batchawana River Provincial Park". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada.
  9. 1 2 "Batchawana River". www.ontarioparks.com. Ontario Parks. Retrieved 10 September 2021.