Shell River, formerly Shell Brook, is a river in the north-central region of 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 begins at
Big Shell Lake
Big Shell Lake is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Officially known as Shell Lake, it is commonly called ''Big'' Shell Lake to differentiate it from Little Shell Lake, which is about downstream. Big Shell Lake is in the RM ...
and travels in an easterly direction and flows into the
Sturgeon River north of the city of
Prince Albert. The upper reaches of its watershed are as far west as the Thickwood Hills.
Course
Shell River begins in the
RM of Spiritwood No. 496 at the north end of
Big Shell Lake
Big Shell Lake is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Officially known as Shell Lake, it is commonly called ''Big'' Shell Lake to differentiate it from Little Shell Lake, which is about downstream. Big Shell Lake is in the RM ...
and flows north for about three kilometres before emptying into Little Shell Lake. From Little Shell Lake, the river carries on north-east past
Memorial Lake Regional Park and the village of
Shell Lake. From Shell Lake, the Shell River heads north towards
Big River 118A Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty,
that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band."
Ind ...
and then loops back down south passing through
Ahtahkakoop 104 Indian reserve where it begins heading in an eastward direction. Along this leg of the route, it is joined by several tributaries, enters the
RM of Shellbrook No. 493
The Rural Municipality of Shellbrook No. 493 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 16 and Division No. 5. It is located in the north-central portion of the provi ...
, and passes by the community of
Shellbrook, which took its name from the river.
From Shellbrook, Shell River continues eastward and meets with the
Sturgeon River in the
RM of Buckland No. 491. The Sturgeon River carries on southward and joins the
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
on the west side of
Prince Albert.
Tributaries
The following are the
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
of Shell River from its headwaters at Shell Lake to its mouth at Sturgeon River:
*Mistowasis Creek
*Tippicanoe Creek
*Vant Creek
*Sucker Creek
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 ...
References
Rivers of Saskatchewan
Tributaries of Hudson Bay
Spiritwood No. 496, Saskatchewan
Shellbrook No. 493, Saskatchewan
Buckland No. 491, Saskatchewan
{{Saskatchewan-geo-stub