Petite-Nation River

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The Petite-Nation River is a river in western Quebec that flows from the Laurentian mountains to empty into the Ottawa River near Plaisance, Quebec. The river is 97 km in length.

This river's French name refers to the Algonquin people that inhabited this region, the Weskarini, which means "people of the little nation". The valley of the Petite-Nation was part of the Seigneury de la Petite-Nation, originally owned by Monsignor François de Laval, the first archbishop of New France. The seigneury was acquired by Joseph Papineau and later sold to his son, Louis-Joseph Papineau.

Joseph Papineau built a sawmill on the river at the Plaisance Falls. A village, named North Nation Mills by W.C. Edwards who was operating the mill at the time, developed at this site. Pine logs were floated down the river to the mill. The village was abandoned in 1920 after the sawmill was shut down.

The area near the river's mouth was flooded by a Hydro-Québec dam on the Ottawa River. A Quebec park is located in this area.

There is also a South Nation River in Ontario which empties into the Ottawa River.