The Magnetawan River is a long
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...
in
Parry Sound District,
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. The river flows 175 km from its source of
Magnetawan Lake
Magnetawan Lake ''(French: lac Magnetawan)'' is a lake in Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada. Magnetawan Lake is located just within the boundaries of Algonquin Provincial Park. Being located in the park the lake and its surroundings are pro ...
inside
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Ca ...
to empty into
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...
at the community of
Britt Britt may refer to:
Places
* Britt, Iowa, United States
* Britt, Minnesota, United States
* Britt, Ontario, Canada
* Britt Peak, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
* Britt Township, Hancock County, Iowa, United States
Other uses
* Britt (actress), Swed ...
on
Byng Inlet
Byng Inlet is a body of water on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, between Parry Sound and the mouth of the French River. It is a widening of the Magnetawan River, near its mouth. The name of the river "Magnetawan", meaning "long open channel" ...
.
The name of the river means "swiftly flowing waters" in the
Ojibwa language.
At the end of the 19th century, the river was used to float
white pine
''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been furthe ...
logs to
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s
downstream. The river gained recent renown when it was featured in
Bill Mason's film
Waterwalker
''Waterwalker'' is a 1984 documentary film by Bill Mason, a Canadian outdoorsman, painter, rapist, canoeist and environmentalist, who made many films on the art of canoeing and on the appreciation of nature. Released theatrically in Canada in 1984 ...
.
The river has numerous rapids, such as, "The Thirty Dollar Rapids", "The Fourteen", "The Ten", the "Potato Rapids", "Poverty Bay Chutes", and "Cody Rapids".
The town of
Magnetawan is located on the river between
Lake Cecebe and
Ahmic Lake.
Locks were built here on the river to allow
steamboats to travel further down the river from the
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
station at
Burk's Falls
Burk's Falls is an incorporated village in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto and south of North Bay, Ontario. The village, and the waterfall on the site, were named (for himself) by ...
. The locks officially opened on July 8, 1886 and are still in use today.
Municipality of Magnetawan
There is an Ojibwe community with the name Magnetawan First Nation, the same name as the river. The community is on reserve lands on the river just east of Byng Inlet.
Canoe routes
The Magnetawan River also provides great canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
routes for novice and more experienced canoe tripping. Canadian Canoe Routes lists three Magnetawan River Canoe Routes:
Magnetawan River South Branch (35 km)
Magnetawan River North Branch (43 km)
Magnetawan River Loop No.2 (80 km)
Image:Upper_Magnetawan_River.jpg, Upper Magnetawan
Image:Upper Magnetawan River, canoers.jpg, Canoers on Upper Magnetawan River
Image:Magnetawan ON 2.JPG, Magnetawan River flowing through Magnetawan
See also
*List of rivers of Ontario
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
{{reflist
External links
Canadian Canoe Routes
Rivers of Parry Sound District
Tributaries of Georgian Bay