French River (Ontario)
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The French River (or Rivière des Français) is a river in central Ontario, Canada. It flows 110 kilometres from Lake Nipissing west to Georgian Bay. The river follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District.
It was used as a transportation corridor by the Algonquin people of this region. In the days of the fur trade, this river formed part of the water highway from Montreal to Lake Superior. For this reason, the French River has been designated a Canadian Heritage River.
The Ojibwa named this the "French River" because it became associated with French explorers, including Étienne Brûlé, Samuel de Champlain and Pierre-Esprit Radisson, and missionaries.
Other explorers who later followed this route included Simon Fraser, Alexander Mackenzie and David Thompson.
Near the end of the 19th century, logging became the primary activity in the area. Because of the rugged nature of the Canadian Shield country surrounding this river, large parts of this river remain relatively untouched and it is now a popular location for recreational canoeing, kayaking, fishing and boating. A section of the river have been designated as a provincial waterway park.
Tributaries of this river include the:
- Wanapitei River
- Pillow River
- Murdock River
- Wolseley River
- Little French River
- Restoule River
- Hall River