| Rouge River (Katabokokonk) | |
| River | |
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Rouge River at Kirkhams Road Toronto
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| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| State | Ontario |
| Region | Greater Toronto Area |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Little Rouge River, Beaver Creek |
| - right | Little Rouge Creek, Katabokokonk Creek, Bruce Creek |
| Cities | Toronto, Markham, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario |
| Source | Oak Ridges Moraine |
| - location | 19th Avenue and Leslie Street in Richmond Hill, Ontario, York Region, Ontario, Canada |
| - elevation | 320 m (1,050 ft) |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Scarborough, Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| - elevation | 50 m (164 ft) |
| Length | 250 km (155 mi) |
| Basin | 337 km2 (130 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Rouge Beach, Lake Ontario |
| - average | 1.76 m3/s (62 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 5.98 m3/s (211 cu ft/s) |
| - min | 0.45 m3/s (16 cu ft/s) |
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville. These rivers flow past:
At the southern end, the Rouge River system is the boundary between Toronto and southwestern Pickering. Rouge River empties into Lake Ontario.
Its original name in Iroquois was Katabokokonk.
The Rouge River is part of Rouge Park, the largest urban park in North America. It is one of a few wilderness areas left in South-Central Ontario, and has been virtually untouched by development since the arrival of Europeans. While many exclusive homes and conclaves border this area on the southern tip, it is currently surrounded largely by agricultural land. It is even devoid of recreational development but sports a considerable network of walking or bicycle paths. Unlike other rivers in the Toronto area, is allowed to fill its entire flood plain on a regular basis rather than being forced through an artificial channel. However, parts of its watershed include the Toronto Zoo and the Beare Road Landfill.
In the former city of Scarborough, the Rouge was the "third rail" issue of municipal politics, and many minor candidates for mayor often ran on a platform to preserve it. However, since Scarborough was annexed into the city of Toronto, Toronto City Council has voted on occasion to allow development around the river. For much of the course of the system in Toronto is still parkland or farmland.
As for the York Region sections, the southern watershed runs through residential development and lined with a few small parks. The source of the system is either natural or farmland.
Currently, there is a degree of abandonment in the area, of former farm lands, and historic houses. There also remains many historic houses which are still lived in, some even farmed. Research on Toronto's website listing its holdings of historic properties reveals over 20 historic buildings in the area, including Hillside PS, Scarborough's first schoolhouse, which sits across the street from a house built by the Pearse family in 1855.
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Various tributary creeks meets up with both the Rouge and Little Rouge River in Markham and Toronto:
The headwaters or sources of the Rouge River and its tributaries are found in the Oak Ridges Moraine. Water flows down from the elevated moraine towards Lake Ontario. The source stretches from Bathurst Street and Stouffville Road in the west in a northeast direction to Woodbine Avenue and Bloomington Road and then eastwards to east of Ninth Line and Bloomington Road in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
The Rouge River is part of the Carolinian life zone that is found in Southern Ontario.
In the early 19th century, pioneer settlers could spear large salmon spawning as far north as the upper tributaries of the Rouge in what is today Whitchurch-Stouffville.[1]
A list of parks along the Rouge:
The Ministry of Stephen Harper proposed, in the 41st Canadian Parliament throne speech, the creation of a national park[2].
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