The Magpie River is a river in
Algoma District
Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the Ojibwe in ...
, northeastern
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 Ca ...
, Canada, The river empties into Michipicoten Bay 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 ...
near the town of
Wawa. The river drains an area of about .
Course
The river begins at
Upper Magpie Lake at an elevation of and flows north then northeast through a series of lakes including
Wejinabikun Lake and
North Wejinabikun Lake, to a point at at an elevation of , before turning southeast to enter
Mosambik Lake at an elevation of . The river exits at the north end of the lake and heads further north, and reaches a point as far north as at an elevation of , before heading east southeast into the northeast corner of
Esnagi Lake. From the north end of Esnagi Lake, the Five Mile Portage leads north, over Five Mile Creek, to Five Mile Bay on
Kabinakagami Lake on the Kabinakagami River, part of the
Albany River
Albany, derived from the Gaelic for Scotland, most commonly refers to:
*Albany, New York, the capital of the State of New York and largest city of this name
*Albany, Western Australia, port city in the Great Southern
Albany may also refer to: ...
system, which leads north to
James Bay
James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...
. An alternate route to James Bay is to take the further Pine Portage from Kabinakagami Lake then up the
Oba River
The Oba River (Yoruba: Odo Ọba) is a river in Oyo and Osun States in Nigeria. It is the main tributary of the Osun River. The landscape varies from wooded savanna in the north to rain forest in the south. The river is heavily polluted. Most o ...
to the Albany Forks, from which the
Mattawitchewan River flows downstream as part of the
Missinaibi and
Moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...
rivers into the bay.
At Esnagi Lake, the river takes in the right tributary
Tripoli Creek. The Magpie river then leaves Esnagi Lake at the south end at
Swanson
Swanson is a brand of TV dinners, broths, and canned poultry made for the North American and Hong Kong markets. The former "Swanson Company" was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, where it developed improvements of the frozen dinner. The TV dinner bu ...
, where the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
transcontinental mainline crosses. It continues south, passes over the Jean Falls, and takes in the left tributary Peckerwood Creek at an elevation of . The river takes in the left tributary Hobon Creek just upstream of the community of
Dubreuilville
Dubreuilville is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District. Established as a company town in 1961 by the Dubreuil Brothers lumber company, Dubreuilville was incorporated as a municipality in 1977.
The town i ...
. There, it takes in the left tributary Herman Creek, is crossed by
Highway 519, and takes a sharp turn west. The Soderston Creek enters from the right, and the river passes over the Toolong Rapids, where it once again heads south. The Evans Creek enters from the right, and the Magpie River passes over the Cedar Falls, then further downstream the Steephill Falls. The river takes in the right tributary
Catfish Creek, and reaches Wawa, where it is crossed by 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 rai ...
branch line to Michipicoten Harbour and
Highway 17. The river then passes over the Magpie Falls, and takes in the
Michipicoten River
The Michipicoten River is a river in Algoma District of northern Ontario, Canada, which flows from Dog Lake and joins with the Magpie River to empty into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior near the town of Wawa. This river is in length (includi ...
just before its mouth at Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior at the site of
Michipicoten Provincial Park
Michipicoten Provincial Park is a park in Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Michipicoten River. The park preserves the ruins of a French trading post that operated from the early 1700s until it was abandoned by the Hudson’s Bay Comp ...
.
Economy
There are also several
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
plants on the river. The largest hydroelectric is located at Steephill Falls.
Scenic High Falls on the Magpie River
Tributaries
*Michipicoten River (left)
*Catfish Creek (right)
*Evans Creek (right)
*Soderston Creek (right)
*Herman Creek (left)
*Hobon Creek (left)
*Peckerwood Creek (left)
*Tripoli Creek (right)
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
*
*
{{refend
Rivers of Algoma District
Tributaries of Lake Superior