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56-477: The mass of ice from the continental ice sheets had depressed the rock beneath it over millennia. At the end of the last glacial period, while the rock was still depressed, the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa River valleys, as well as modern Lake Champlain , at that time Lake Vermont , were below sea level and flooded with rising worldwide sea levels, once the ice no longer prevented the ocean from flowing into

112-555: A center for recreational boating. Large steam yachts, many designed by Nathanael Herreshoff , required distinctive yacht houses. The region was known also for innovative power boating during this period. Three local yacht clubs hosted the Gold Cup Races of the American Power Boat Association for nine consecutive years. To be considered an island, a piece of land must stay above water throughout

168-457: A mere 15 feet (4.6 m) down and can be seen from the surface. The single largest city in the region is Kingston, Ontario , which has a metropolitan population of more than 170,000 (2021). The city marks the western end of the region in Canada, while Brockville , Ontario, to the east, is the other large population center. The American region along the river is much less dense; the largest city

224-567: Is Watertown, New York , which has a population of 25,000 (2020) and is twenty miles (32 km) inland. There are a number of seasonal communities which grow significantly in the summer, like Thousand Island Park in New York. In New York, United States This region is within Jefferson County : In Ontario, Canada This region includes the southern areas of Frontenac  and Leeds & Grenville counties: O boating on

280-482: Is 1,344,200 square kilometres (518,998.5 sq mi), of which 839,200 km (324,016.9 sq mi) is in Canada and 505,000 km (194,981.6 sq mi) is in the United States. The basin covers parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, parts of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Illinois , Indiana , Ohio , Pennsylvania , New York , Vermont , and nearly the entirety of the state of Michigan in

336-645: Is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean . Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence , traversing Ontario and Quebec in Canada and New York in the United States. A section of the river demarcates the Canada–U.S. border . As the primary drainage outflow of

392-629: Is a privately owned, private-use general aviation airport two nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) south of the central business district of Alexandria Bay, a village in Jefferson County, New York. It once had commercial service provided by Mohawk Airlines. At that time, the airport bore the IATA airport code AXB. Maxson is available to the public by Maxson Airfield, LLC. Brockville-Thousand Islands Regional Tackaberry Airport (IATA: XBR, TC LID: CNL3), also known as Brockville Municipal Airport,

448-602: Is a registered aerodrome in Elizabethtown-Kitley Township, 4.8 nautical miles (8.9 km; 5.5 mi) northwest of the city of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. According to The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink , the name for Thousand Island dressing "presumably comes from the Thousand Islands between the United States and Canada in the St. Lawrence River." However, several different versions of

504-632: Is home to the Thousand Islands . Today, the St. Lawrence River begins at the outflow of Lake Ontario and flows adjacent to Gananoque , Brockville , Morristown , Ogdensburg , Massena , Cornwall , Montreal , Trois-Rivières , and Quebec City before draining into the Gulf of St. Lawrence , often given as the largest estuary in the world. The estuary begins at the eastern tip of Île d'Orléans , just downstream from Quebec City. The river becomes tidal around Quebec City. The St. Lawrence River runs 3,058 kilometres (1,900  mi ) from

560-588: Is that country's sixth oldest surviving European place-name. The earliest regular Europeans in the area were the Basques , who came to the St Lawrence Gulf and River in pursuit of whales from the early 16th century. The Basque whalers and fishermen traded with indigenous Americans and set up settlements, leaving vestiges all over the coast of eastern Canada and deep into the St. Lawrence River. Basque commercial and fishing activity reached its peak before

616-524: Is the second longest river in Canada. Lake Champlain and the Ottawa , Richelieu , Saint-Maurice , Saint-François , Chaudière and Saguenay rivers drain into the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence River is in a seismically active zone where fault reactivation is believed to occur along late Proterozoic to early Paleozoic normal faults related to the opening of the Iapetus Ocean . The faults in

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672-555: Is the vast clay plain deposited along the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers. This resulted in distinctive forest types, and large wetlands. Other modern evidence of the sea can be seen in the form of fossils of whales ( belugas , fin whales , and bowhead whales ), walruses and other pinnipeds, and marine shells that have been found near the cities of Ottawa, Ontario, and Montreal , Quebec. There are also fossils of oceanic fish such as capelin . The Sea also left ancient raised shorelines in

728-427: Is usual in inland waters of the United States and Canada, vessels must use maritime pilots to help them travel safely. In places, a vessel less than 25 feet (7.6 m) offshore can find itself in over 200 feet (61 m) of water. Conversely, rocks and shoals less than two feet (61 cm) underwater can be found in the center of otherwise deep waters. Due to the great number of rocks and shoals just above or below

784-694: The Armada Invencible ' s disaster (1588), when the Basque whaling fleet was confiscated by King Philip II of Spain . Initially, the whaling galleons from Labourd were not affected by the Spanish defeat. Until the early 17th century, the French used the name Rivière du Canada to designate the St. Lawrence upstream to Montreal and the Ottawa River after Montreal. The St. Lawrence River served as

840-595: The Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario . They stretch for about 50 miles (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario . The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario and the U.S. islands in the state of New York . The islands range in size from over 40 square miles (100 km ) to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, or uninhabited outcroppings of rocks. To count as one of

896-641: The Great Lakes Basin , the St. Lawrence has the second-highest discharge of any river in North America (after the Mississippi River ) and the 16th-highest in the world. The estuary of St. Lawrence is often cited by scientists as the largest in the world. Significant natural landmarks of the river and estuary include the 1,864 river islands of the Thousand Islands , the endangered whales of Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park , and

952-729: The Gulf of St. Lawrence : Flowing through and adjacent to numerous Indigenous homelands, the river was a primary thoroughfare for many peoples. Beginning in Dawnland at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the river borders Mi'kma'ki in the South (what is today known as the Canadian Maritimes ), and Nitassinan in the North, the national territory of the Innu people . On the south shore beyond

1008-507: The Hudson River . The Accommodation with ten passengers made her maiden voyage from Montreal to Quebec City in 66 hours, for 30 of which she was at anchor. She had a keel of 75 feet, and a length overall of 85 feet. The cost of a ticket was eight dollars upstream, and nine dollars down. She had berths that year for twenty passengers. Within a decade, daily service was available in the hotly-contested Montreal-Quebec route. Because of

1064-913: The Mi'kmaw district of Gespe'gewa'ki , the river passes Wolastokuk (the Maliseet homeland), Pαnawαhpskewahki (the Penobscot homeland), and Ndakinna (the Abenaki homeland). Continuing, the river passes through the former country of the St. Lawrence Iroquois and then three of the six homelands of the Haudenosaunee : the Mohawk or Kanienʼkehá꞉ka , the Oneida or Onyota'a:ka , and the Onondaga or Onöñda’gaga’ . In

1120-696: The Thousand Islands chain near Alexandria Bay, New York and Kingston, Ontario ; the Hochelaga Archipelago , including the Island of Montreal and Île Jésus ( Laval ); the Lake St. Pierre Archipelago (classified a biosphere world reserve by the UNESCO in 2000) and the smaller Mingan Archipelago . Other islands include Île d'Orléans near Quebec City and Anticosti Island north of the Gaspé . It

1176-785: The U.S. state of New York , in addition to parts of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and Frontenac County in the Canadian province of Ontario. Geologically , most of the islands are where a branch of the Canadian Shield , known as the Thousand Islands – Frontenac Arch region, runs south across the river to join with the Adirondacks . This region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2002. The Thousand Islands Bridge connects New York State and Ontario by traversing Wellesley Island at

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1232-601: The 10th of August feast day for Saint Lawrence in 1535. Indigenous people use the following names: In winter, the St. Lawrence River begins producing ice in December, with the formation of ice cubes between Montreal and Quebec City . The prevailing winds and currents push this ice towards the estuary, and it reaches the east of Les Méchins at the end of December. Ice covers the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence in January and February. Ice helps navigation by preventing

1288-714: The Appalachian division at all. The source of the North River in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota (Seven Beaver Lake) is considered to be the source of the St. Lawrence River. Because it crosses so many lakes, the water system frequently changes its name. From source to mouth, the names are: The St. Lawrence River also passes through Lake Saint-Louis and Lake Saint-Pierre in Quebec. The St. Lawrence River and

1344-437: The New York shore. Many of these river parks were established in the late 19th and early 20th century as part of the St. Lawrence Reservation , and were among New York's earliest land acquisitions for the purpose of preservation and recreational development. Among the larger parks are Wellesley Island State Park , which includes the largest camping complex in the region, and Robert Moses State Park . Passenger air service to

1400-406: The St. Lawrence River includes: Large marine mammals travel in all the seas of the earth, the research and observations of these giants concern fishermen and shipping industry , exercise a fascination and a keen interest for laymen and, subjects of endless studies for scientists from Quebec, Canada and around the world. Thirteen species of cetaceans frequent the waters of the estuary and

1456-640: The St. Lawrence to attack the city from the west, which they successfully did at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham . The river was used again by the British to defeat the French siege of Quebec under the Chevalier de Lévis in 1760. In 1809, the first steamboat to ply its trade on the St. Lawrence was built and operated by John Molson and associates, a scant two years after Fulton's steam-powered navigation of

1512-644: The Thousand Islands region is available in both Ontario and New York. Watertown International Airport (ART) in Watertown, New York has daily service on American Airlines connecting through Philadelphia (PHL). Norman Rogers Airport (YGK) in Kingston, Ontario offers service on FlyGTA Airlines connecting through Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as well as service out of Montréal–Trudeau International Airport via Pascan Aviation . Both airports also offer private aviation services. Maxson Airfield (FAA LID: 89NY)

1568-748: The Thousand Islands region was home to, or visited by, members of the Iroquois Confederacy and Ojibwa people . Their name for the islands was Manitouana or the "Garden of the Great Spirit". The region was a part of the War of 1812 between the British Empire and the United States. Many sites from the war can be found, such as Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario and the garrison on Chimney Island, Mallorytown, Ontario. Museums about

1624-498: The Thousand Islands, emergent land within the river channel must have at least one square foot (0.093 m ) of land above water level year-round, and support at least two living trees. The Thousand Islands archipelago is at the outlet of Lake Ontario at the head of the Saint Lawrence River . The region is bisected by the Canada–United States border and covers portions of Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties in

1680-470: The United States and Canada. Several grand hotels provided luxurious accommodations while steamboats offered extensive tours among the islands. Wealthy and middle-class summer residents built summer homes, and the region retains a historically important collection of vacation homes from this time. Among the lavish homes built during this time were several masonry "castles", some of which remain as international landmarks. The region's first castle, Castle Rest ,

1736-800: The United States). The Seaway (including the Welland Canal ) now permits ocean-going vessels to pass all the way to Lake Superior . During the Second World War , the Battle of the St. Lawrence involved submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence , Strait of Belle Isle and Cabot Strait from May to October 1942, September 1943, and again in October and November 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank several merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships. In

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1792-586: The United States. The average discharge below the Saguenay River is 16,800 cubic metres per second (590,000 cu ft/s). At Quebec City, it is 12,101 m /s (427,300 cu ft/s). The average discharge at the river's source, the outflow of Lake Ontario, is 7,410 m /s (262,000 cu ft/s). The St. Lawrence River includes Lake Saint Francis at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield , Lake Saint-Louis south of Montreal and Lake Saint Pierre east of Montreal. It encompasses four archipelagoes :

1848-555: The area are rift -related and comprise the Saint Lawrence rift system . According to the United States Geological Survey, the St. Lawrence Valley is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division, containing the Champlain section. However, in Canada, where most of the valley is, it is instead considered part of a distinct St. Lawrence Lowlands physiographic division, and not part of

1904-504: The city of Ottawa , Ontario, and farther up the Ottawa River past Pembroke . At one time Glacial Lake Iroquois became an arm of the Champlain Sea called Gilbert Gulf. The remaining glaciers fed the sea during that time, making it more brackish than typical seawater. It is estimated that the sea was as much as 150 metres (490 ft) above the level of today's Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The best evidence of this former sea

1960-405: The dressing's origin exist. One common story describes how a fishing guide's wife, Sophia LaLonde, made the condiment as part of her husband George's shore dinner. Often in this version, actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it. Irwin in turn gave it to another Thousand Islands summer resident, George Boldt , who built Boldt Castle between 1900 and 1904. Boldt, as proprietor of

2016-543: The early 17th century, the Huron-Wendat Nation migrated from their original country of Huronia to what is now known as Nionwentsïo centred around Wendake . Nionwentsïo occupies both the north and south shores of the river, overlapping with Nitassinan and the more western Wabanaki or Dawnland countries. Adjacent on the north shore is the Atikamekw territorial homeland of Nitaskinan and, upstream,

2072-533: The farthest headwater to the mouth and 1,197 km (743.8 mi) from the outflow of Lake Ontario. These numbers include the estuary; without the estuary, the length from Lake Ontario is c. 500 km (c. 300 mi). The farthest headwater is the North River in the Mesabi Range at Hibbing , Minnesota. Its drainage area, which includes the Great Lakes, the world's largest system of freshwater lakes,

2128-619: The formation of waves, and therefore spray, and prevents the icing of ships. With the draining of the Champlain Sea , due to a rebounding continent from the Last Glacial Maximum , the St. Lawrence River was formed. The Champlain Sea lasted from about 13,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago and was continuously shrinking during that time, a process that continues today. The head of the St. Lawrence River, near Lake Ontario,

2184-571: The former coastal regions, and the Leda clay deposits in areas of deeper water. The northern shore of the lake was in southern Quebec where outcrops of the Canadian Shield form Eardley Escarpment . This escarpment still has distinctive plants that may date back to the era when the sea existed. The Eardley Escarpment is known locally as the Gatineau Hills . It is part of the Mattawa fault at

2240-471: The further reaches of Anishinaabewaki, specifically the homelands of the Algonquin and Mississauga Nations. The Norse explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 11th century and were followed by fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century European mariners, such as John Cabot , and the brothers Gaspar and Miguel Corte-Real . The first European explorer known to have sailed up the St. Lawrence River itself

2296-635: The inland ports of the Great Lakes Waterway . The river has been called a variety of names by local First Nations . Beginning in the 16th century, French explorers visited what is now Canada and gave the river names such as the Grand fleuve de Hochelaga and the Grande rivière du Canada , where fleuve and rivière are two French words ( fleuve being a river that flows into the sea). The river's present name has been used since 1604 when it

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2352-489: The largest tributaries of the Great Lakes . The St. Lawrence River tributaries are listed upstream from the mouth. The major tributaries of the inter-lake sections are also shown, as well as the major rivers that flow into the Great Lakes. Great Lakes tributaries are listed in alphabetical order. The list includes all tributaries with a drainage area of at least 1,000 square kilometres and an average flow of more than 10 cubic metres per second. tributary The diversity of

2408-569: The late 1970s, the river was the subject of a successful ecological campaign (called "Save the River"), originally responding to planned development by the United States Army Corps of Engineers . The campaign was organized, among others, by Abbie Hoffman . [[Category:Rivers Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands ( French : Mille-Îles ) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles

2464-410: The limestone monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago . Long a transportation route to Indigenous peoples , the St. Lawrence River has played a key role in the history of Canada and in the development of cities such as Montreal and Quebec City . The river remains an important shipping route as the backbone of the St. Lawrence Seaway , a lock and canal system that enables world marine traffic to access

2520-399: The main route for European exploration of the North American interior, first pioneered by French explorer Samuel de Champlain . Control of the river was crucial to British strategy to capture New France in the Seven Years' War . Having captured Louisbourg in 1758, the British sailed up to Quebec the following year thanks to charts drawn up by James Cook . British troops were ferried via

2576-425: The northernmost point of Interstate 81 in Jefferson County and meets Highway 137 , which leads to Highway 401 . The waterfront is served by New York State Routes 12 and 37 and by the Thousand Islands Parkway in Ontario. Ontario also has the Waterfront Trail alongside the Parkway for cyclists who wish to see the area in an alternative way. Seawaymax lake freighters often ply the Saint Lawrence Seaway . As

2632-437: The region. As the land gradually rose again, in the process known as isostatic rebound , the sea coast gradually retreated to its current location. The sea lasted from about 13,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago and was continuously shrinking during that time, since the rebounding continent was slowly rising above sea level. At its peak, the sea extended inland as far south as Lake Champlain and somewhat farther west than

2688-403: The rivers, The voyage down the St. Lawrence, the superb scenery, the steamers, The ships sailing, the Thousand Islands, the occasional timber-raft and the raftsmen with long-reaching sweep-oars, The little huts on the rafts, and the stream of smoke when they cook supper at evening. Walt Whitman , "A Song of Joys", from Leaves of Grass (1855) Prior to European colonization,

2744-403: The southeastern edge of the Ottawa-Bonnechere Graben , in Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais region of Quebec , more commonly known as the Ottawa Valley . Gadd, N.R. (ed.) 1988. The Late Quaternary Development of the Champlain Sea Basin . Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 36. Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River ( French : Fleuve Saint-Laurent )

2800-407: The virtually impassable Lachine Rapids , the St. Lawrence was once continuously navigable only as far as Montreal. Opened in 1825, the Lachine Canal was the first to allow ships to pass the rapids. An extensive system of canals and locks, known as the St. Lawrence Seaway , was officially opened on 26 June 1959 by Elizabeth II (representing Canada) and President Dwight D. Eisenhower (representing

2856-411: The war can be found on both the Canadian and American side of the river. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many distinguished visitors made the region widely known as a summer resort. During the half century (1874–1912) of the resort's greatest prominence, most wealthy vacationers came from New York City , joined by prominent families from Chicago , Cleveland , Pittsburgh and other cities of

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2912-550: The water's surface, navigation outside of the marked channels at night can be dangerous. Before the introduction of the zebra mussel , visibility of only 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) was usual, slightly decreasing as the years passed. Water clarity improved markedly in the mid-1990s with the arrival of zebra mussels, which feed on algae. The water is so clear in some areas a rocky bottom can be observed in 80 feet (24 m) of water. The area has several shipwrecks, and although most are over 100 feet (30 m) underwater, some are

2968-526: The year and support a living tree. Many of the islands are publicly owned. A group of 21 islands form the Thousand Islands National Park , the oldest of Canada's national parks east of the Rocky Mountains . The park hosts campgrounds, inland walking trails, annual family events, as well as a national heritage building. Thirty New York state parks are managed as part of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation 's Thousand Islands Region, including many on river islands or along

3024-415: Was Jacques Cartier . At that time, the land along the river described as "about two leagues, a mountain as tall as a heap of wheat" was inhabited by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians . During Cartier's second voyage in 1535, because Cartier arrived in the estuary on Saint Lawrence 's feast day 10 August, he named it the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . The St. Lawrence River is today partly within the U.S. and as such

3080-452: Was built in 1888; it was destroyed in the mid-20th century. The most famous extant examples are "The Towers" on Dark Island , now called Singer Castle , and the previously long-neglected Boldt Castle on Heart Island , which had been left unfinished for over 75 years upon the untimely death of George Boldt 's wife. It has since been completed over the recent decades in accord with Boldt's original plans. The Thousand Islands have long been

3136-410: Was recorded on a map by Samuel de Champlain Champlain opted for the names Grande riviere de sainct Laurens and Fleuve sainct Laurens in his writings, supplanting the earlier names. In contemporary French, the name is rendered as the fleuve Saint-Laurent . The name Saint-Laurent (Saint Lawrence) was originally applied to the eponymous bay by Jacques Cartier upon his arrival into the region on

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