The Seine River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
Kenora
Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (french: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District.
The his ...
,
Rainy River and
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...
Districts in
northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...
,
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 ...
. It flows from
Lac des Mille Lacs
Lac des Mille Lacs is a lake in the western part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Nelson River drainage basin and is the source of the Seine River. The lake lies between Ontario Highway 17 on the north and O ...
to
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake ( French: '; Ojibwe: ') is a freshwater lake with a surface area of that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for ...
.
The river was an important route in the days of the
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
. Gold was discovered along the river near the end of the 19th century and several
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
operations established in the area. In 1943, a section of the river was diverted near Steep Rock Lake to gain access to a large
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
deposit under the lake. That mine has since been closed. The river is used for recreational
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 ...
ing and
kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...
ing.
Course
Upper reaches
The river flows west out of the northwest arm of Lac des Mille Lacs in Thunder Bay District over the Lac des Mille Lacs Dam, owned by the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...
(OMNR) and operated by the Valerie Falls Limited Partnership (
Brookfield Renewable Power
Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. is a publicly traded limited partnership that owns and operates renewable power assets, with corporate headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is 60% owned by Brookfield Asset Management.
As of the end of ...
) (See
Lac des Mille Lacs Dam). It flows through Mosher lake, takes in the left tributary
Firesteel River and briefly flows through the southeast corner of Kenora District. The river turns southwest into Rainy River District, heads over the Long Rapids and Camp Six Rapids, takes in the left tributary Mercutio River, tumbles over the Islands Falls, reaches Bradshaw Lake and flows into the Marmion Lake and
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
, where it takes in four right tributaries.
According to Barnes, the Upper Seine River was a "prime gold area." Key mines included the Harold Lake Mine (1894-1896), the Hammond Reef Mine (1894-1922), and the Sawbill Mine (1897-1899).
Seine River Diversion
Lower reaches
Below Steeprock Lake, the river takes in the major left tributary
Atikokan River and the minor left tributary Caribus Creek, then takes in the outflow from the Seine River Diversion on the right. It flows west over the Boyce Rapids, takes in the right tributary Eye River, passes through the Chubb Narrows and Banning Narrows, and reaches Calm Lake. The lake is controlled at the west end by the Calm Lake Dam and generating station (10 MW), built in 1926 and operated today by
Abitibi-Consolidated Hydro.
The river heads out of the lake southwest over the Manitou Rapids into Fin Bay on Laseine Lake. This lake is controlled at the west end by the Sturgeon Falls Dam and generating station (8 MW), also built in 1926 and also operated today by Abitibi-Consolidated Hydro.
The river heads west, is crossed by
Ontario Highway 11
King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the ...
, passes the community of Seine River Village (post office established in 1895 on the right bank,
and reaches its mouth at Seine Bay on Rainy Lake.
Gold was discovered in the area by J.S. Campbell in 1893, which resulted in the Golden Crescent Mine. Other notable mines included the Foley Mine (1897-1898), the Gold Star Mine, and the Olive Mine (1897-1909). However, most of the mines in the area closed down with the collapse of the gold rush from 1903 to 1904.
[
]
Tributaries
*Albertson Creek (right)
*McLeod Creek (right)
*Suckers Creek (left)
*Swamp Creek (left)
*Laseine Lake
**Price Creek (left)
**Mills Creek (left)
*Calm Lake
**Little Joe Creek (right)
**Niven Creek (right)
*McCaulay Creek (left)
*Arnold Creek (right)
*Jackfish Creek (left)
*Eye River (right)
*Caribus Creek (left)
*Atikokan River (left)
*Hardtack Creek (right)
*Marmion Lake
**Sawbill Creek (right)
**Lumby Creek (right)
**Light Creek (right)
**Caribou River (right)
*Mercutio River (left)
*Firesteel River (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
Sources
*
*
{{refend
Rivers of Kenora District
Rivers of Rainy River District
Rivers of Thunder Bay District
Tributaries of Hudson Bay