Fir River is a river in 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 ...
. The
river's source is in the east central part of the province in the heart of the
Pasquia Hills
Pasquia Hills are hills in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are located in the east central part of the province in the RM of Hudson Bay No. 394 near the Manitoba border. The hills are the northern most in a series of hills called ...
, which is one of four
landform
A landform is a natural or anthropogenic land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography. Landforms include hills, ...
s that make up the
Manitoba Escarpment
The Manitoba Escarpment, or the Western Manitoba Uplands, are a range of hills along the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. The eastern slopes of the range are considered to be a scarp. They were created by glacial scouring and formed the western sh ...
. It flows in a southward direction until it meets up with the
Red Deer River
The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan-Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay.
Red Deer River ...
south of the town of
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
in
Hudson Bay Regional Park
Hudson Bay Regional Park is a regional park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located on the south side of the town of Hudson Bay in the RM of Hudson Bay No. 394 along the shores of the Red Deer River. The park is the site of a ...
. The river is 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, ...
. Fir River is in 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 , it ...
drainage basin.
Fir River begins at a small lake in the south-east corner of
Wildcat Hill Provincial Park
Wildcat Hill Provincial Park is a wilderness park in north-eastern Saskatchewan approximately 40km from Hudson Bay. It is located amongst the Pasquia Hills, south of Highway 55, and west of Highway 9. The 21,752-hectare park was established a ...
in the Pasquia Hills. The lake is in a small valley just west of Bankside Lake, which flows into Man River. While Fir River heads south towards Red Deer River, Man River eventually makes its way northward and is in the
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...
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 ...
. Wildcat Hill (), while in the Man River watershed, is only about 4 miles north of Fir River's source. The
Pasquia River
Pasquia River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It begins in Saskatchewan in the Pasquia Hills and traverses boreal forests and muskeg in the Boreal Plains Ecozone, moving from the Mid-Boreal Upland of the Pasq ...
's source is just on the north-east side of Bankside Lake and it flows north-east and into the Saskatchewan River at
The Pas
The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
.
Course
From Fir River's source, it flows southward towards Overflow Lake (the source of
Overflowing River) where it turns north-west until it meets a valley. The river flows into the valley and heads south past several small lakes, including Bell, Chartier, Dagg, and Rat. As the river comes out of the hills, it passes through Fir River Road Recreation Site and Fir River Eco Reserve en route to Hudson Bay and the Red Deer River. As it approaches Hudson Bay, the land flattens out and it is met by a tributary named Nonsuch Creek just north-west of town. At the mouth of the river, is
Hudson Bay Regional Park
Hudson Bay Regional Park is a regional park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located on the south side of the town of Hudson Bay in the RM of Hudson Bay No. 394 along the shores of the Red Deer River. The park is the site of a ...
, which features camping, golfing, and picnicking. The park is also the site of historical fur trading forts, most notably
Fort Red Deer River
Hudson Bay Regional Park is a regional park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located on the south side of the town of Hudson Bay in the RM of Hudson Bay No. 394 along the shores of the Red Deer River. The park is the site of a ...
.
Fir River Road Recreation Site
Fir River Road Recreation Site is a
recreation site along Fir River and Fir River Road that is divided into two sections–one at mile marker 16 and the other at mile marker 21. Activities at the recreation site include picnicking,
ATVing, fishing, and hunting. Brook trout can be found in the river. In the winter, there are two warm-up shacks for
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
rs that are maintained by the local snowmobile club.
The recreation site also provides access to Fir River Ecological Reserve.
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 ...
*
Tourism in Saskatchewan There are numerous heritages and cultural attractions in the province of Saskatchewan. Museums, dinosaur digs, aboriginal cultural and heritage sites, art galleries, professional sport venues, spas, handcraft, antique and tea shops, agricultural t ...
*
Etomami River
Etomami River is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The river originates in the Porcupine Hills and flows northward towards the town of Hudson Bay and into the Red Deer River. "Etomami" is a First Nations word that means "a pla ...
*
Assiniboine River fur trade
Fur trading on the Assiniboine River and the general area west of Lake Winnipeg began as early as 1731.
Geography
Lake Winnipeg was a major junction for the fur trade routes. See Canadian canoe routes (early). To the southeast the route ran to ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Tributaries of Hudson Bay