The La Pêche River () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in western

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, which drains

La Pêche Lake La Pêche Lake is a lake in Gatineau Park, Quebec, Canada. It lies in the northwest part of the municipality of Pontiac, in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality. See also * Gatineau Park * Wakefield, municipality * Pontiac Po ...

(''Lac La Pêche'') in

Gatineau Park Gatineau Park () is a federal park located in the Outaouais, Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a wedge ...

and empties into the

Gatineau River The Gatineau River (, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains an area of . Toponomy Ac ...

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

Geography

The south shore of

is just north of the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) 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 Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

. The mouth of the lake is at in direct line from the mouth of the La Pêche river. From its source at La Pêche Lake in the

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

municipality, the La Pêche River flows for about to the east, partly in the

, sometimes in woodlands, agricultural or urban. La Pêche Lake receives water discharges of several lakes (to the west and north), including: Martin, Serpent, à Guilbeault, Fisher, Trois Monts, Malverson, du Loup and La Loutre. The mouth of La Pêche Lake is at its northern end. La Pêche river flows towards the north-east, then east, where it will run along more or less the 366 West Main Road to its mouth. On its way to the east, La Pêche River collects various branches dumps lakes: * South side - Branch of Eardley, including lakes: Ben, Hawley, Blind, Ramsay, Kidder, Gervais, Richard and Leblanc; * South side - Branch of "chemin du lac-Philipe" (Road of Lake-Philipe), including lakes: Racine, Monette and Kingbury; * North side - Outlet of lake Gingras. * North side - Branch of Kennedy Road, particularly lakes: Gauvreau, Jean-Venne, Anderson and Kennedy; * North side - Branch of "chemin Horace-Cross" (Road Horace-Cross), particularly lakes: Wills, Fraser and Bell. La Pêche river empties into the

at south of the covered bridge of

, northern sector of the city of

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

, and upstream of the mouth of the Gatineau River in Ottawa River.

Toponymy

At the beginning of the 19th century, Joseph Bureau, among other explorers, described this lake as a very fishy lake, abounding especially pike and trout. Accessibility of La Pêche Lake, near the Ottawa River and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

city, in (

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

), favoured sport fishing. The toponym "La Pêche River" was recorded as of December 24, 1976, at the "Bank of place names" in

Commission de toponymie du Québec The Commission de toponymie du Québec (, ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicizing Québec's place names and their origins according to th ...

(Geographical Names Board of Québec). The toponyms of the lake and river are related together.

History

A grain

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

was built in 1838 on the river at MacLaren Falls near Wakefield and is now operated as an inn, the Moulin Wakefield Inn and Spa. A textile mill and a

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 ...

at the same location helped to provide the impetus for the development of a settlement at Wakefield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Peche River Rivers of Outaouais Tributaries of the Gatineau River