Richelieu River

Richelieu River
Richelieu River at Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu
Origin	Lake Champlain
Mouth	St. Lawrence River at Sorel
Basin countries	Canada, and appreciable parts of New York State, Massachusetts, Vermont
Length	171 km (106 mi)
Avg. discharge	330 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s) at mouth
Basin area	23,400 km2 (9,000 sq mi)

Map showing the Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed

The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km (106 mi) north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal. It has a drainage basin of 23,400 square kilometres (9,000 sq mi), of which 19,600 km² (7,600 sq mi) are in the United States originating in the western slopes of the Green Mountains and the eastern slopes of the Adirondack Mountains of New York State and so has a mean discharge of 330 cubic metres per second (12,000 cu ft/s). Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Chambly, and Sorel-Tracy are important communities on its route.

The French explorer Samuel de Champlain was the first European to reach the mouth of the river in 1609. Already an important pathway for the Iroquois Natives, it soon became one for French traders as well. They built five forts along its length: Fort Richelieu at its mouth, Fort St. Louis (or Fort Chambly), Fort Ste. Thérese and Fort Saint-Jean on the way, and Fort Ste. Anne on the Isle La Motte, Vermont in Lake Champlain near its source. Some early journals and maps refer to the lower river as the Sorel River. Formerly also called Iroquois River, its French name comes from Fort Richelieu, which in turn was named in memory of Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642).

The Chambly Canal (9 locks) permits boats to bypass the rapids at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Chambly. The Piste cyclable du Canal-de-Chambly is a 20 km (12 mi) bicycle path that follows the towpath along the canal. The bike path is part of Quebec's Route Verte bicycle path network. The canal is a national historic site operated by Parks Canada. The agency also manages other national historic sites along the river: Fort Chambly, Fort Ste. Thérèse, and St. Ours Canal.

The Champlain Canal and Lake Champlain form the U.S. portion of the Lakes to Locks Passage, linking with the Hudson River and allowing navigation using the Richelieu between the St. Lawrence River and New York City and the Erie Canal.

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  Map of Fort Saint-Jean and other forts on the Richelieu River circa 1666 for the campagne of the Regiment of Carignan-Salières]]

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  Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River in Canada during the 1750s]]

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  Fort Saint-Jean on Richelieu River in Canada during the 1750s]]

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  Fort Saint-Jean circa 1775 siege of the fort]]

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  Passage of the Richelieu by night]]

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  Fort Sainte-Thérèse on Richelieu River]]

See also

• Ile aux Noix
• List of Quebec rivers
• List of crossings of the Richelieu River
• Lake Champlain Seaway
• 2011 Lake Champlain and Richelieu River Floods