The rivière aux Chiens (, ''river of the dogs'') flows south, on the north shore of the

Saint Lawrence river The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

, in the municipalities of Beaupré and

Château-Richer Château-Richer () is a small town situated in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. Located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River east of Quebec City. It is the seat for the Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality. Th ...

, in the

La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality La Côte-de-Beaupré () is a regional county municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Château-Richer. Its most populous community is the municipality of Boischatel. Subdivisions There are 11 subdivisions withi ...

, in the administrative region of

Capitale-Nationale Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...

, in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

from

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, ...

, to

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 ...

. It empties into the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

at Beaupré. The lower part of this small valley is served by avenue Royale ( route 360) and route 138 which runs along the north shore of

. The intermediate part has mountainous relief and is accessible only by the Chemin de la d'Auteuil. The upper part is served by a forest road. Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; agriculture (in the lower plain), second. The surface of the Rivière aux Chiens is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the end of March; however, safe traffic on the ice is generally from mid-December to mid-March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.

Geography

The Rivière aux Chiens begins at the confluence of two streams in the mountains behind the Côte-de-Beaupré, north of mont Sainte-Anne, in Beaupré. This source is located northeast of the source of the rivière des Sept Crans; south-east of a curve of the Smith River; west of Bourg-les-Neiges in Beaupré; and north-west of the mouth of the Rivière aux Chiens. From this source, the course of the Rivière aux Chiens descends on , with a drop of , according to the following segments: * to the south, bending to the southeast, collecting two streams (coming from the west) and three (coming from the north), crossing a series of rapids at the end of segment, to the outlet (coming from the north) of two lakes; * towards the south-east crossing a long series of rapids, up to a stream (coming from the north-east); * to the south-east, then to the south, in a deep valley, crossing several series of rapids, until the confluence of the Rivière des Sept Crans (coming from North West); * to the south-east in a deep valley, entirely in the rapids zone, to a stream (coming from the south-west) corresponding to the Chaudron at Gaudreault; * towards the south-east by forming a hook towards the west in mid-segment, crossing the Fourth Basin, then curving towards the west at the end of the segment, until the Red stream (coming from the east); * first towards the south by forming a loop towards the east and a hook towards the southwest to a bend in the river, then towards the east, to the route 360. Note: At the end of this segment, the course of the river passing south of the hamlet Casgrain and north of the hamlet Sainte-Anne-Ouest; * eastwards passing under route 138, to its mouth.Atlas of Canada - Department of Natural Resources Canada - Rivière aux Chiens - Distance and altitude measurements based on the application of site measurements.
/ref> The last of its course serves as the boundary between the municipalities of Beaupré and

. The Rivière aux Chiens flows into Beaupré on the northwest shore of the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

. This mouth faces the northern point of

Île d'Orléans Île d'Orléans (; ) is an island located in the Saint Lawrence River about east of downtown Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians c ...

which is distant by the northern part of

Chenal de l'Île d'Orléans Chenal is French for "channel". It can refer to: People * Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo (1931–2020), Italian alpine skier * Joël Chenal (born 1973), French alpine skier * Leo Chenal (born 2000), American football player * Marthe Chenal (1881–1947), ...

. This mouth is located between the center of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (located at on the northeast side) and the village of

(located at on the southwest side). This confluence is located northeast of the bridge connecting the

to L'Ange-Gardien.

Toponymy

The toponymic designation "Rivière aux Chiens" appears on two maps by Jean Bourdon (around 1641), in the singular form; this mention suggests that the toponym was in use long before. At that time, the term "dog" in the toponym of the tributaries of the

Estuary of Saint Lawrence The St. Lawrence River Estuary is an estuary at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. It stretches 655 km from west to east, from the outlet of Lake Saint Pierre to Pointe-des-Monts, where it becomes the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Quebec, Canada. ...

evoked the presence of seals or sea dogs at the mouth of the river, perhaps even an area of calving. At the start of the French colony in America, the colonists slaughtered seals in front of Quebec City. However, historians are lost in conjecture on the reason for the attribution of this name. Is he referring to seals commonly known as sea dogs or to the canine breed? In his short Toponymy essay on the Côte de Beaupré, composed on an unknown date, the redemptorist C.-E. Marquis sets out some hypotheses on the reason for attributing this toponym. One of them mentions stray dogs that the first settlers had to abandon to their fate when the Kirke brothers, who had taken and occupied Quebec from 1629 to 1632, razed the Cape Tourmente farm. A post office opened at this location, in 1893 or 1894 according to the authors, bore the name of Rivière-aux-Chiens until 1964, when it was substituted for that of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré - West. The toponym "Rivière aux Chiens" was formalized on April 4, 1982 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Bank of Place Names - Toponym: Rivière aux Chiens
/ref>

Geography

Toponymy

Notes and references

See also