The Echimamish River is a
river bifurcation
River bifurcation (from la, furca, fork) occurs when a river flowing in a single stream separates into two or more separate streams (called distributaries) which then continue downstream. Some rivers form complex networks of distributaries, typ ...
in
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Located northeast of the northern tip of
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...
, it is about long and runs east–west between the
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest natura ...
and the
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , i ...
. It flows through nearly flat swampy country and has a barely detectable current. Flowing through peat bogs, the water acquires a dark color, hence the old name of Blackwater Creek. Since it is shallow canoe navigation is helped by
beaver ponds. Morse claims that it flows in two directions from a central beaver pond.
On the Echimamish is the Painted Stone Portage. This is not the divide between the two river basins, but a short (20 paces) carry around a shallow and rocky section. The only other obstacles are beaver dams.
Historic route
![Extremely wearisome journeys at the portages](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Extremely_wearisome_journeys_at_the_portages.jpg)
The Echimamish was part of the
voyageur
The voyageurs (; ) were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who engaged in the transporting of furs via canoe during the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ...
route from
Hudson Bay to Lake Winnipeg. Since most of the Nelson River is difficult, canoe and
York boat
The York boat was a type of inland boat used by the Hudson's Bay Company to carry furs and trade goods along inland waterways in Rupert's Land, the watershed stretching from Hudson Bay to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. It was named af ...
brigades would take the easier Hayes and use the Echimamish to reach the upper Nelson and Lake Winnipeg. The first European to use the river may have been Joseph Smith in 1757. In 2006, the historic route from
York Factory
York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. ...
to
Norway House
Norway House is a population centre of over 5,000 people, some north of Lake Winnipeg, on the bank of the eastern channel of Nelson River, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The population centre shares the name ''Norway House'' with the north ...
which includes the Hayes River, the Echimamish and a portion of the Nelson River was designated part of the
Canadian Heritage Rivers System The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of Manitoba
*
Canadian canoe routes
This article covers the water based Canadian canoe routes used by early explorers of Canada with special emphasis on the fur trade.
Introduction
European exploration of Canada was principally by river. The land has many navigable rivers with ...
*
List of unusual drainage systems
References
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Rivers of Manitoba