The rivière aux Vaches is a tributary of the

Saint-François River The Saint-François River (, ) is a right tributary of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. Its source is Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards Sherbrooke, where it changes ...

. It flows northwest in the administrative region of

Centre-du-Québec Centre-du-Québec (, ''Central Quebec'') is a region of Quebec, Canada. The main centres are Drummondville, Victoriaville, and Bécancour. It has a land area of and a 2016 census population of 242,399 inhabitants. Description The Centre-du- ...

, on the South 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

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, ...

, Canada, crossing the municipalities of: * MRC of

Drummond Regional County Municipality Drummond () is a regional county municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Drummondville. Subdivisions There are 18 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Cities & Towns (1) * Drummondville ;Municipalities (12) * Dur ...

: town of

Drummondville Drummondville () is a city in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, located east of Montreal on the Saint-François River. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 79,258. The mayor of Drummondville is Stéphanie Lacoste. Drummondville ...

("Grantham-Ouest" sector) and the municipalities of

Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham is a parish municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 1,384. The name ''Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham'' was chosen in honor of father Majorique-Pierre Marcha ...

, Saint-Bonaventure, Saint-Pie-de-Guire, Saint-François-du-Lac; * MRC of

Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality Nicolet-Yamaska () is a regional county municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec, Canada. The county seat is Nicolet. Subdivisions There are 16 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Cities & Towns (1) * Nicolet ;Municipalities (11) ...

: municipality of Saint-François-du-Lac.

Geography

The main hydrographic slopes near the Vaches River are: * North side:

; * East side:

; * South side: Saint-Germain River; * West side: David River,

Yamaska River The Yamaska River (, ) is a Drainage basin, river in southern Quebec, Canada. Sourcing water within the Eastern Townships, it ends its journey in Lake Saint Pierre, Lake Saint-Pierre where it is a tributary to the Saint Lawrence River; altoget ...

. The Vaches River originates from agricultural streams draining the area north of highway 20 and north of the highway Interchange 55, west of the city of

. This headland is located in the "Grantham-Ouest" sector, north of highway 20 and west of the town of

. From autoroute 20, the rivière aux Vaches flows mainly in agricultural zones on: * north-west in the "Grantham-Ouest" sector, up to boul. Lemire West; * northwesterly, crossing

and Saint-Bonaventure where it winds, up to rang Petit 5 road; * (or in a direct line) winding north-west in Saint-Bonaventure, up to rue Principale crossed by the river in the heart of the village; * north-west, to the 2e rang road; * ( in direct line) along route 143 and meandering northwest through Saint-Pie-de-Guire, up to the 13e rang road that the river crosses to the northeast of the village; * ( in direct line) winding north-west through Saint-Pie-de-Guire and Saint-François-du-Lac, up to the mouth. The Vaches River flows on the southwest bank of the

, facing "La Grande Île" and at the foot of the "Rapides Pôltegok". The mouth is located upstream of the Blondin bridge which connects Saint-François-du-Lac (southwest side) and Pierreville (north-east side).

Toponymy

The course of the river being mainly in agricultural zone, the cattle (especially cows) come to drink there during all the grazing season (usually from May to November for this region). The river was also used as a grazing limit because the cattle are bad swimmers. Given the relatively uneven relief of this hydrographic slope, the "Vaches River" is aptly named. The toponym "Rivière aux Vaches" was officially registered on December 5, 1968, at the

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 ...

.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Bank of place names - Rivière aux Vaches
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaches, river Rivers of Centre-du-Québec Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality Drummond Regional County Municipality

Geography

Toponymy

See also

References