The Batchawana River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in
Algoma and
Sudbury Districts of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada, which empties into
Batchawana Bay
Batchawana Bay is a small bay in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, approximately north of Sault Ste. Marie.
The name "Batchawana" is derived from the Ojibwe word ''obatchiwanang'' (o ...
on
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
north of
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants ...
.
The name "Batchawana" is derived from the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
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).
A
trading post
A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded.
Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...
was established near the mouth of the river for
fur trading
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...
around 1817 or 1819 by clerks of the
North West Company.
The
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
appears to have operated a post there as well circa 1868-1869.
Batchawana River Provincial Park encompasses portions of the river, and
Batchawana Bay Provincial Park
Batchawana Bay Provincial Park is a park in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada, located from Sault Ste. Marie on Ontario Highway 17, and on Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior. It is a day-park (no overnight camping), and is operated by the Ontario ...
, with a large sandy beach, is located just west of the river's mouth on Batchawana Bay. The
Algoma Central Railway
The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa, Ontario. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads.
The ra ...
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
*Kerwin Creek (left)
*Norberg Creek (left)
*Griffin Creek (left)
*Little Batchawana River (right)
*Mongoose Creek (left)
*St. Clair Creek (left)
*Alder Creek (right)
*Quinn River (left)
*Emerson Creek (left)
*
Percy Creek (right)
*Toll Creek (right)
Batchawana River Provincial Park
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 long canyon. The forests include yellow birch, white pine and eastern hemlock, that at the northern end of its range.
It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services.
See also
*
List of Ontario rivers
This is the list of rivers which are in and flow through Ontario. The watershed list includes tributaries as well.
Dee River, flows between Three Mile Lake and Lake Rosseau.
List of rivers arranged by watershed Hudson Bay
Atlantic Ocean
...
References
*
*
{{refend
Rivers of Algoma District
Tributaries of Lake Superior
Rivers of Sudbury District