Rouge River (Ontario)

Rouge River (Katabokokonk)
River
Rouge River at Kirkhams Road, Toronto
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Region Greater Toronto Area
Municipalities Toronto, Pickering, Markham, Richmond Hill
Part of Great Lakes Basin
Tributaries
 - left Little Rouge River
 - right Little Rouge Creek, Katabokokonk Creek, Beaver Creek
Source
 - location Richmond Hill
 - elevation 286 m (938 ft)
 - coordinates 43°56′07″N 79°24′34″W / 43.93528°N 79.40944°W
Mouth Lake Ontario
 - location West Rouge, Toronto
 - elevation 74 m (243 ft)
 - coordinates 43°47′41″N 79°06′55″W / 43.79472°N 79.11528°WCoordinates: 43°47′41″N 79°06′55″W / 43.79472°N 79.11528°W
Basin 336 km2 (130 sq mi)
Discharge
 - 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)
Location of the mouth of the Rouge River in Toronto, on the border with Pickering
Lower course of the Rouge River, circa 1932.

The Rouge River is a river in Markham, Pickering, Richmond Hill and Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.[1] The river flows from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Lake Ontario at the eastern border of Toronto, and is the location of Rouge Park,[2] the only national park in Canada within a municipality. At its southern end, the Rouge River is the boundary between Toronto and southwestern Pickering in the Regional Municipality of Durham.

Course

The Rouge River begins in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and flows past:

Watershed

The watershed of the Rouge River is located in the municipalities of Richmond Hill and Markham in the Regional Municipality of York; Pickering in the Regional Municipality of Durham; and Toronto. Tributaries of the Rouge River also extend into the municipalities of Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville in the Regional Municipality of York. The total area of the watershed is 336 square kilometres (130 sq mi), of which 40% is agricultural land, 35% urban, 24% forest/wetland/meadow and 1% watercourses/waterbodies.[3]

The headwaters of the Rouge River and its tributaries are found in the Oak Ridges Moraine. Water flows down from the elevated moraine to Lake Ontario.

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, it 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.

Natural History

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 [4]

History

The river's name likely is French for red river' and based on the mappings by French explorer Louis Jolliet.

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.

Tributaries

Parks

Rouge Trail Map, ca. 1673 by Louis Jolliet

Rouge Park

Rouge Park, the largest urban park in North America, includes significant portions of the Rouge River.

The Ministry of Stephen Harper proposed, in the 41st Canadian Parliament throne speech, the creation of a national park.[5]

Golf courses

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rouge River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2012-08-023. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ Rouge River Watershed - General Map (PDF) (Map). Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. October 2006. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  3. ↑ "Rouge River Watershed Features". Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  4. ↑ Boyle, David (1902). "On the paganism of the Iroquois of Ontario". Annual Archaeological Report 1901 - Appendix to the Report of the Minister of Education Ontario. Toronto: L.K. Cameron. p. 47.
  5. ↑ "Rouge Valley to become national park". CBC.ca. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-06-03.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rouge Valley.