Albany River
| Albany River | |
| River | |
 A First Nations encampment beside the Albany River, 1886
|
|
| Name origin: named after James, Duke of York and Albany, later King James II of England | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Northern Ontario |
| Districts | Kenora, Thunder Bay, Cochrane |
| Source | Lake St. Joseph |
| - elevation | 371 m (1,217 ft) |
| - coordinates | 51°11′40″N 90°13′20″W / 51.19444°N 90.22222°W |
| Mouth | James Bay |
| - location | Akimiski Strait |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| - coordinates | 52°17′00″N 81°30′59″W / 52.2833333°N 81.51639°W |
| Length | 982 km (610 mi) |
| Basin | 135,200 km2 (52,200 sq mi) [1] |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 1,420 m3/s (50,147 cu ft/s) |
  Location of the mouth of the Albany River in Ontario.
|
|
The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is 982 kilometres (610 mi) long to the head of the Cat River,[1] tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river in Ontario. Tributaries of this river include the Kenogami River, Ogoki River, and Drowning River.
The river was named after James, Duke of York and Albany, who later became King James II of England.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Course
The river begins at Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 371 metres (1,217 ft).[3] and flows over the Rat Rapids dam and under Ontario Highway 599 into Osnaburgh Lake. From there it flows via a Main Channel (northern) and South Channel around Kagami Island northeast, and takes in the right tributary Misehkow River and left tributary Etowamami River. The river continues over the Upper Eskakwa Falls, takes in the right tributary Shabuskwia River, and travels over the Eskakwa Falls and Snake Falls.
The river empties into the Akimiski Strait on James Bay via a series of channels. The community of Fort Albany lies on a southern channel and the Kashechewan First Nation on a northern one.
The river is navigable for the first 400 kilometres (249 mi).[3]
[edit] Watershed
This river drains an area of 135,200 square kilometres (52,201 sq mi)[1] and has a mean discharge of 1,420 cubic metres (50,147 cu ft) per second.[2] For much of its length, the river defines the boundary between Kenora District and Thunder Bay & Cochrane Districts.
There are three diversions in the Albany River watershed, all diverting water from the James Bay drainage basin and all undertaken as part of hydroelectric projects. Two divert water into Lake Superior in the Great Lakes Basin: the Ogoki River has been diverted via Lake Nipigon and the Nipigon River (Long Lake Diversion, a diversion of 4,273 cubic feet (121.0 m3) per second); and the headwaters of the Kenogami River have been diverted via Long Lake and the Aguasabon River (diversion of 1,377 cubic feet (39.0 m3) per second). The third diverts the waters of Lake St. Joseph via the English River and Nelson River into Hudson Bay (diversion of 3,072 cubic feet (87.0 m3) per second).[4]
[edit] History
The Hudson's Bay Company operated a trading post at Fort Albany at the mouth of this river, which was an important route during the days of the fur trade, though less so than the Hayes River.[2] The first inland post of the Hudson's Bay Company, named Henley House, was established at the confluence of the Kenogami River and Albany River in 1743.[2][5]
The land north of the Albany River was part of the Northwest Territories until 1912, when it was transferred to Ontario in the Ontario Boundaries Extension Act, 1912.
[edit] Economy
A provincial waterway park has been established on the river north of Wabakimi Provincial Park.[6]
[edit] Tributaries
- Kenogami River (R)
- Ogoki River (R)
- Shabuskwia River (R)
- Etowamami River (L)
- Misehkow River (R)
- Lake St. Joseph
- Cat River
[edit] Communities
- Kashechewan First Nation
- Fort Albany
- Ogoki Post, Marten Falls (Marten Falls First Nation)
- Osnaburgh (Mishkeegogamang First Nation)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Other Rivers Flowing Into Hudson Bay, James Bay or Ungava Bay". Facts - Rivers. Atlas of Canada. 2009-08-17. http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html/#bay. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
- ^ a b c d Kudelik, Gail. "Albany River". The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Historica Dominion Institute. http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000112. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
- ^ a b "Albany River". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12586/Albany-River. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ^ Noone, Michael Stephen (2006-03-13). "Interbasin Water Transfer Projects In North America" (PDF). North Dakota State Water Commission. pp. 4–5,10. http://www.swc.state.nd.us/4dlink9/4dcgi/GetContentPDF/PB-1065/InterbasinWhitePaper06.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ "B.71 (Fly Lake) to B.88 (Hulse House) - Henley House". Hudson's Bay Company Archives. Archives of Manitoba. http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/resource/post_rec/post5.html#86. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
- ^ "Albany River". Ontario Parks. 2002-11-05. http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/alba.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
- "Albany River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/search/unique_e.php?id=FACCL&output=xml. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
- "Toporama - Topographic Map Sheets 42M, 42M5, 42M6, 42N, 42O, 43A, 43B, 52P4, 52P5, 52P6, 52P7, 52P8, 52P9, 52P10, 52P11". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
 |
This Northern Ontario geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
