Big River is a river in the west-central part of the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
in the
boreal forest
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...
ecozone of Canada. The river begins at Witchekan Lake in the
RM of Spiritwood No. 496
The Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496 (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population: ) is a List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, rural municipality (RM) in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan within ...
and heads in a north-easterly direction before emptying into
Cowan Lake at the town of
Big River. Cowan Lake is the source for
Cowan River __NOTOC__
Cowan River is a river in the west-central part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the Boreal forest of Canada, boreal forest ecozone of Canada. The river begins at Cowan Lake Dam near th ...
, which is a major tributary of
Beaver River. Beaver River then flows into
Lac Île-à-la-Crosse
Lac Île-à-la-Crosse is a Y-shaped lake in North-Central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Churchill River. At the centre of the Y is the town of Île-à-la-Crosse, the second oldest town in Saskatchewan. The Churchill exits the north-east arm a ...
and the
Churchill River.
Course
Big River's
source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
,
Witchekan Lake and its tributaries, are the southernmost point in the Churchill River's
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
. The lake's notable tributaries include Shuwapss Creek, Norbury Creek, and Idylwild Creek. The town of
Spiritwood
Spiritwood is a town in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, Canada with a population of approximately 1,000.
Its location is 125 km west of Prince Albert and about 110 km northeast of North Battleford at the junction of Highway ...
is at the southern end of the lake and the
Witchekan Lake Indian Reserve covers much of the western shore. Big River exits Witchekan Lake at the northern end and heads in an easterly direction crossing
Highway 24
Route 24, or Highway 24, can refer to:
International
* European route E24
Australia
* Lyell Highway (Tasmania)
* Central Arnhem Road, NT
Austria
* Verbindungsspange Rothneusiedel
Canada
* Alberta Highway 24
* British Columbia Highway 24
* Ma ...
then travels in a deep-cut valley through the Leoville Hills before emptying into Keg Lake.
Highway 793 follows the river's course through much of the Leoville Hills. From Keg Lake, the landscape flattens out and Big River carries on north into the southern end of Cowan Lake at the town of Big River.
Highway 55
The following highways are numbered 55:
International
* European route E55
* Arab Mashreq route M55
Argentina
* San Luis Provincial Route 55
Australia
* Carnarvon Highway
* Castlereagh Highway
* Karoonda Highway
Belgium
* N55 road (Belgiu ...
follows the river from about Keg Lake to Cowan Lake.
See also
*
List of rivers of Saskatchewan
This is a list of rivers of Saskatchewan, a province of Canada.
The largest and most notable rivers are listed at the start, followed by rivers listed by drainage basin and then alphabetically.
Principal river statistics
''SourcSt ...
*
Hudson Bay drainage basin
The Hudson Bay drainage basin is the drainage basin in northern North America where surface water empties into Hudson Bay and adjoining waters. Spanning an area of about , the basin is almost totally in Canada (spanning parts of the Prairies, ce ...
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Spiritwood No. 496, Saskatchewan
Big River No. 555, Saskatchewan
Canwood No. 494, Saskatchewan
Tributaries of Hudson Bay