| Missinaibi River | |
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Thunderhouse Falls
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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Algoma District, Cochrane District |
| Source | Missinaibi Lake |
| - location | 12 km SSW from Peterbell inside the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve, Algoma District |
| - coordinates | |
| Mouth | Moose River |
| - location | Unorg. Cochrane District |
| - coordinates | |
| Length | 426 km (265 mi) [1] |
| Basin | 23,500 km2 (9,100 sq mi) [1] |
The Missinaibi River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Missinaibi Lake, north of Chapleau, and empties into the Moose River, which drains into James Bay. This river (including Missinaibi Lake and Moose River to James Bay) is 755 kilometres (469 mi) in length.[2] It is one of the longest free-flowing and undeveloped rivers in Ontario.[3]
The river's name means "pictured waters" in the Cree language which is thought to refer to the pictographs found on rock faces along the river.
At Thunderhouse Falls, which is actually a chain of relatively small waterfalls connected by violent rapids, the river drops 40 metres, part of its descent from the Canadian Shield to the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
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In the days of the fur trade, this river provided access to James Bay by way of the Moose River and to Lake Superior by way of the Michipicoten River. There is also evidence that native peoples used the river as a trading route long before that time. This route was used by traders from both the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company. A number of trading posts were built along the river in the late 18th century and the fur trade continued until the late 19th century.
Today, the river is used for canoeing, fishing and camping. Recreational use is facilitated by an arrangement which allows canoeists to load their boats on a train so they can be returned south, after canoeing the wild stretches of the river. The river is managed as a provincial waterway park and was designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 2004.
| Missinaibi Provincial Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Location | Ontario, Canada |
| Nearest city | Mattice |
| Area | 990.90 square kilometres (382.59 sq mi) |
| Established | 1970, enlarged in 1989 |
| Governing body | Ontario Parks |
The entire length of the Missinaibi River from Missinaibi Lake to the Moose River is protected and part of the Missinaibi Provincial Park. The park also includes Missinaibi Lake, Brunswick River, Brunswick Lake, Little Missinaibi River, and Little Missinaibi Lake.
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