Saskatchewan River
|
|
The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately 550 km (340 mi) long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to drain into Lake Winnipeg. Through its tributaries the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan, its watershed encompasses much of the prairie regions of central Canada, stretching westward to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and into northern Montana in the United States. It reaches approximates 1,930 km (1200 mi) to its furthest headwaters on the Bow River, a tributary of the South Saskatchewan in Alberta.
Description
It is formed in central Saskatchewan, approximately 40 km (25 mi) east of Prince Albert, by the confluence of its two major branches, the North Saskatchewan and the South Saskatchewan, both of which originate from glaciers in the Alberta Rockies. The combined stream flows ENE, past Nipawin into Tobin Lake, formed by the E. B. Campbell Dam. It then flows northeast, off the edge of the prairies of the Great Plains onto the Canadian Shield, passing through a region of marshes, where it is joined from the northwest by the Torch River and the Mossy River. At the northern edge of the marshes it flows east, twisting between a series of small lakes into west central Manitoba to The Pas, where it is joined from the southwest by the Carrot River. Southeast of The Pas, it forms several streams in a delta on the northwest side of Cedar Lake, then exiting the lake on its southeast end and flowing approximately 5 km (3 mi) to Lake Winnipeg, entering on the northwest shore north of Long Point.
The river, like the province of Saskatchewan, takes its name from the Cree word kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning "swift flowing river". The river and its tributaries provided an important route of transportation for First Nations and early European trappers.
Hydroelectric power plants are built on the river at Nipawin, and E.B. Campbell (formerly Squaw Rapids) in Saskatchewan and at Grand Rapids in Manitoba.
See also
ja:サスカチュワン川 pt:Rio Saskatchewan
External links
- Canadian Council for Geographic Education page with a series of articles on the history of the Saskatchewan River (http://www.ccge.org/ccge/english/Resources/rivers/tr_rivers_saskatchewanRiver.asp).