Falls of the Rideau River, at the Ottawa River, 1826

The Rideau River (french: Rivière Rideau) is a river in

Eastern Ontario Eastern Ontario (census population 1,763,186 in 2016) (french: Est de l'Ontario) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River. It s ...

, Canada. The river flows north from

Upper Rideau Lake Upper Rideau Lake is located in the municipality of Rideau Lakes, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Saint Lawrence River Drainage Basin, and geographically the highest lake on the Rideau Canal System. ...

and empties into the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

at the

Rideau Falls The Rideau Falls (french: Chutes de la rivière Rideau) are two 11-metre waterfalls located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River. The falls are divided by Green Island, with Ottawa's Old City Hall j ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

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 ...

. Its length is . As explained in a writing by

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; Fichier OrigineFor a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December 1635) was a Fre ...

in 1613, the river was given the name "Rideau" (curtain) because of the appearance of the Rideau Falls. The Anishinàbemowin name for the river is "Pasapkedjinawong", meaning "the river that passes between the rocks." The

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...

, which allows travel from Ottawa to the city of

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

, was formed by joining the Rideau River with the Cataraqui River. The river diverges from the Canal at

Hog's Back Falls The Hog's Back Falls, officially known as the Prince of Wales Falls, but rarely referred to by this name, are a series of artificial waterfalls on the Rideau River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The falls are located just north of Mooney's Bay and th ...

in Ottawa. In early spring, to reduce flooding on the lower section of the river, workers from the city of Ottawa use

ice blasting Ice blasting is the use of explosives to break up ice in rivers, aiding navigation and preventing flooding. This is done during the spring when snow is melting and river ice is breaking up. There is always a chance that the ice flows could colli ...

to clear the ice which covers the river from

Billings Bridge Billings Bridge is a bridge over the Rideau River in Ottawa. Bank Street passes over the river by way of this bridge. The bridge was named after Braddish Billings, who settled in this area and established a farm nearby in 1812. The first bridg ...

to Rideau Falls by cutting "keys" through the ice and using explosives to break off large sheets of ice. This practice has been going on for more than 100 years. The regulatory authority charged with protecting the Rideau River and its tributaries is the

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is an inter-municipal environmental protection and advisory agency that works with local municipalities, government agencies, special interest groups and the general public to protect the natural reso ...

History

Samuel de Champlain, who was the first European to have seen the river, named it ''rideau'' (the French word for "curtain") due to the resemblance between Rideau Falls and a

curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

. In earlier times, the river was used as a transportation route between the

and

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

. The fertility of the lands along the banks of Rideau river attracted loyalist settlers looking for good farmlands, which led to growth of settlements in the surrounding regions. After the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, a

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

, designed by

John By Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the Rideau Canal and for having founded Bytown in the process. It developed and was des ...

, was built through Rideau River connecting Kingston to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Tributaries

* Adrians Creek * Duck Creek *

Tay River The Tay River is a river in Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Shows the course of the river on a topographic map. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Rideau River. The Tay River watershed, co ...

* Black Creek * Otter Creek * Rosedale Creek * Irish Creek *

Babers Creek Babers is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alonzo Babers (born 1961), American athlete * Dino Babers (born 1961), American football coach * Henry Babers (born 1957), American Christian evangelist * Rod Babers, American football ...

* Atkinsons Creek * Rideau Creek *

Dales Creek Dale or dales may refer to: Locations * Dale (landform), an open valley * Dale (place name element) Geography ;Australia *The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean ;Canada *Dale, Ontario ;Ethiopia *Dale (woreda), district ;Norway *Dal ...

* Brassils Creek * Murphy Drain *

Kemptville Creek Kemptville Creek is a stream in the municipalities of North Grenville and Augusta, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Ottawa River drainage basin, is a right tributary of the Rideau River, a ...

* McDermott Drain * Cranberry Creek *

Steven Creek Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

* Mud Creek *

Jock River The Jock River, known locally as the Mighty Jock, is a river in Ottawa and Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Shows the course of the river highlighted on a topographic map. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is a left tr ...

* Black Rapids Creek *

Nepean Creek Nepean may refer to: Places Australia *Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia, **Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia, ** Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality *Nepean Highway, Victoria * Nepean Island (Norfolk Islan ...

* Brewer Park Pond (connected via a culvert) * Sawmill Creek

Communities

Communities along the Rideau include: *

, Ontario *

Manotick, Ontario Manotick ( ) is a community in Rideau-Jock Ward in the rural south part of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is a suburb of the city, located on the Rideau River, immediately south of the suburbs Barrhaven and Riverside South, about from ...

Kars, Ontario Kars is a village on the Rideau River within Rideau-Jock Ward in the city of Ottawa, Ontario. Prior to joining the city in 2000 it was part of Rideau Township. History Kars was originally named Wellington Village. In 1857, to distinguish it from ...

North Grenville, Ontario North Grenville is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville on the Rideau River. It is located just south of Ottawa in Canada's National Capital Region. It was established on January 1, 1998, through ...

* Merrickville, Ontario *

Smiths Falls, Ontario Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of Ottawa. As of the 2021 census it has a population of 9,254. It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county. The Rideau Canal waterway passes ...

Islands

* Barnes Island * Beech Island *

Cummings Island Cummings Island is an uninhabited island in the Rideau River in the city of Ottawa in Canada and the site of a former settlement. History The island's first settler was Charles Cummings, who built there his house in 1840 and operated a ferry acr ...

* Green Island * James Island * Kilmarnock Island *

Libby Island Libby as a feminine given name is typically a diminutive form of Elizabeth, which is less commonly spelled 'Libbie' or ' Libi'. In recent years, it has been used as a shortened version of the name Liberty. As a surname, it can also be spelled ' ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

* Maple Island *

Nicolls Island Nicolls is a surname, and may refer to * Edward Nicolls, officer in the Royal Marines * Edward Hugh Dyneley Nicolls, engineer and British colonial official * Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls (sometimes written as Nichols, 1624 – 28 May 1672) w ...

Porter Island Porter Island is an island in the Rideau River, located just over 1km from the mouth of the river, between the neighbourhoods of New Edinburgh and Lower Town in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Porter Island is connected to the Lowertown neighbourhood ...

Sanders Island Sanders may refer to: People Surname * Sanders (surname) * Bernie Sanders, US presidential candidate and senator * Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary and daughter of Mike Huckabee * Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC (Kentuc ...

References

External links

*
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
*
Biodiversity of the Rideau River (CMN, nature.ca)
{{Canadian Heritage Rivers System Rivers of Ottawa Canadian Heritage Rivers