The Athabasca Landing Trail was a long-distance portage route that linked Fort Edmonton (modern day Edmonton , Alberta) on the North Saskatchewan River with Athabasca Landing (modern day Athabasca, Alberta ) on the Athabasca River . The distance of the trail between Fort Edmonton and Athabasca Landing was 100 miles (160 km), giving the trail the nickname "The 100 Mile Portage."
31-729: The Saskatchewan flows east and joins the Nelson River which then drains into Hudson Bay . The Athabasca flows north and joins the Slave River , which itself joins the Mackenzie River which drains into the Arctic Ocean. The portage, therefore, had local economic significance but was also part of a wider trade network that linked the Arctic and sub-arctic to the rest of North America . Various portage routes between
62-695: A number of temporary posts that have left few records. By far the most important post was Cumberland House which was the depot for the route northwest to the rich Athabasca country. To the west, the North Saskatchewan had the greatest number of posts. North Saskatchewan is the northern-most major river of the western prairies that flows into the Hudson Bay. The Saskatchewan River, and its two main tributaries, are featured in The Arrogant Worms ' song " The Last Saskatchewan Pirate ". While
93-638: A ship's master who died there. At that time, the Cree people who lived along its banks called it Powinigow or Powinini-gow, which may have meant "the Rapid Strangers' river". The area was fought over for the fur trade, though the Hayes River , whose mouth is near the Nelson's, became the main route inland. Competition over the fur trade drove multiple attempts to establish trading posts at the mouth of
124-648: Is formed by the joining of the North Saskatchewan River and South Saskatchewan River just east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan . It flows roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg . Through its tributaries the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan, its watershed encompasses much of the prairie regions of Canada, stretching westward to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and north-western Montana in
155-673: Is joined from the northwest by the Torch River and the Mossy River . At the northern edge of the marshes it flows east, twisting between a series of small lakes into west-central Manitoba to The Pas , where it is joined from the southwest by the Carrot and Pasquia Rivers . Southeast of The Pas, it forms several streams in a delta on the northwest side of Cedar Lake , then exiting the lake on its southeast end and flowing approximately 5 km (3 mi) to Lake Winnipeg , entering on
186-661: The Arctic Ocean , linked to the North American railway grid—at Churchill, Manitoba , at the mouth of the Churchill River . Originally port facilities were to have been built at Port Nelson ; original proposals for the Hudson's Bay rail link would have used that point as a terminus. Practical problems led to the port's relocation to Churchill. Those difficulties included a much greater need for dredging, because
217-563: The Grass River , which drains a long area north of Lake Winnipeg, and the Burntwood River , which passes through Thompson, Manitoba . The river flows into Hudson Bay at Port Nelson (now a ghost town), just north of the Hayes River and York Factory . Other communities upriver from there include Bird , Sundance , Long Spruce, Gillam , Split Lake , Arnot, Cross Lake , and Norway House . North America has just one port on
248-615: The Saskatchewan District , to posts in the Athabasca District (including the Peace River Country ) such as Dunvegan , Fort St. Mary's , Fort Chipewyan , and Fort Vermilion . The main pack route northwards from Edmonton from 1824 to 1876 was that to Fort Assiniboine , well to the west of the later Athabasca Landing Trail. It was due to Hudson's Bay Company scouts seeking an alternative to
279-600: The Saskatchewan River and Bow River ) is 2,575 kilometres (1,600 mi), it has mean discharge of 2,370 cubic metres per second (84,000 cu ft/s), and has a drainage basin of 1,072,300 square kilometres (414,000 sq mi), of which 180,000 square kilometres (69,000 sq mi) is in the United States. The Nelson River flows into Playgreen Lake from Lake Winnipeg then flows from two channels into Cross Lake . The east channel and
310-711: The precontact , fur trade, and early settlement periods in the Canadian West. In early fur trading days the South Saskatchewan tributary was known as "La Fourche des Gros Ventres" ("Fork of the Great Gorges") and the North Saskatchewan was known as "Rivière du Pas". First Nations inhabiting the area of the rivers included at one time or another the Atsina , Cree , Saulteaux , Blackfoot Confederacy , Assiniboine , and Sioux . Henry Kelsey penetrated
341-464: The 1890s and the coming of railways to the area. The earliest settlements in Saskatchewan and Alberta generally were established around the rivers. Examples include Fort Edmonton ( Edmonton , Alberta), Fort Battleford ( Battleford, Saskatchewan ), Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and Cumberland House, Saskatchewan . Fur trade on the lower river: The first European to ascend the river as far as
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#1732794136809372-740: The Alberta Rockies. The St. Mary River , draining the Hudson Bay Divide region of Glacier National Park (U.S.) , also empties into the Saskatchewan River via the south fork. The combined stream flows east-northeast, into Codette Lake formed by the Francois Finlay Dam at Nipawin then into Tobin Lake , formed by the E.B. Campbell Dam . It then flows northeast, passing through a region of marshes, where it
403-554: The Fort Assiniboine route that Athabasca Landing was founded in 1876. The North-West Mounted Police stationed nine officers at Athabasca Landing in 1893. In 2010, a conceptual master plan for the modern version of the Athabasca Landing Trail was completed. The plan is to build a 150 km (93-mile) non-motorized recreational trail, which runs between Fort Saskatchewan and Athabasca, and highlights
434-521: The Hudson Bay. Since it drains Lake Winnipeg, it is the last part of the large Saskatchewan River system, as well as that of the Red River and Winnipeg River . Devils Lake is unusual for a glacial lake in being presently closed , also has been known to overflow into the Red River for at least five separate periods since deglaciation . Besides Lake Winnipeg, its primary tributaries include
465-606: The Jack River flow from the southeast portion of the lake into Little Playgreen Lake then the Nelson east channel continues in a northerly direction passing through Pipestone Lake on its way to Cross Lake. The west channel flows out of the north ends of Playgreen Lake, Kiskittogisu Lake and Kiskitto Lake into Cross Lake at the Manitoba Hydro 's Jenpeg Generating Station and Dam. From Cross Lake it flows through Sipiwesk Lake , Split Lake and Stephens Lake on its way to
496-561: The Nelson River's water was more full of silt , in absolute terms, and carried more silt because of its greater volume of flow. The Nelson estuary is broad and shallow, so port facilities would have to be constructed on artificial islands created in the middle of the river, that would require a causeway approximately a kilometre long to reach. The river was named by Sir Thomas Button , a Welsh explorer from St. Lythans, Glamorganshire, who wintered at its mouth in 1612, after Robert Nelson,
527-566: The Nelson over a number of years. One 1670 expedition organized by the newly-chartered Hudson's Bay Company and guided by the French fur trader and adventurer Pierre-Esprit Radisson successfully reached the Nelson estuary. Landing in September, the first overseas governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, Charles Bayly , nailed a brass plate of the English royal arms to a tree, formally claiming
558-644: The Nipawin site. It would consist of four 150 MW generating units, providing 300 MW of baseload power, and an additional 300 MW of peaking power. The Forks Generating Station would be located 18 km (11 mi) downstream of the North and South Saskatchewan River Forks, and would be approximately the same size as the Nipawin Station (255 MW of baseload power, and 420 MW of peak power). In 2019, James Smith Cree Nation began developing
589-801: The United States. Including its tributaries, it reaches 1,939 kilometres (1,205 mi) to its farthest headwaters on the Bow River , a tributary of the South Saskatchewan in Alberta. It is formed in central Saskatchewan, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Prince Albert , by the confluence of its two major branches, the North Saskatchewan and the South Saskatchewan , at the Saskatchewan River Forks . Both source rivers originate from glaciers in
620-716: The area in the 1690s for the Hudson's Bay Company , and Louis de la Corne, Chevalier de la Corne , established the farthest western post of the French Empire in America (See New France ) just east of the Saskatchewan River Forks at Fort de la Corne . In addition to this the Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company both ran numerous fur posts up the river and its two branches throughout the late 18th to late 19th centuries. York boats and canoes formed
651-440: The forks was Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye in spring 1739. The main posts on the river were (landmarks in parentheses): (Saskatchewan River Forks) Fort La Jonquière (?), Fort de la Corne, Cumberland House, Saskatchewan, (The Pas):second Fort Paskoya, (inflow to Cedar Lake:) first Fort Paskoya and second Fort Bourbon , (Cedar Lake), (inflow to Lake Winnipeg:) Grand Rapids, Manitoba, and first Fort Bourbon. There were also
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#1732794136809682-742: The lyrics imply that the Saskatchewan flows through Moose Jaw , Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan , only Saskatoon, on the South Saskatchewan River, sees the waters of this river system; the closest point to both Moose Jaw and Regina are Lake Diefenbaker , a bifurcation lake on the South Saskatchewan, roughly 100 kilometres (62 mi) and 140 kilometres (87 mi) to their west-northwest, respectively. Fish species include: walleye , sauger , yellow perch , northern pike , lake whitefish , mooneye , goldeye , white sucker , longnose sucker , shorthead redhorse , burbot , rainbow trout , brown trout, and lake sturgeon . In 2008
713-777: The northwest shore north of Long Point. The waters of Lake Winnipeg eventually drain into Hudson Bay , via the Nelson River . The river, like the province of Saskatchewan , takes its name from the Cree word kisiskāciwani-sīpiy , meaning "swift flowing river". The river and its tributaries provided an important route of transportation for First Nations and early European trappers . In Saskatchewan, SaskPower owns and operates E.B. Campbell (289 MW, formerly Squaw Rapids) and Nipawin (255 MW) Hydroelectric Stations. In Manitoba, Manitoba Hydro owns and operates Grand Rapids Generating Station. The Choiceland Generating Station would be located 51 km (32 mi) upstream of
744-551: The past although the Northern Flood Agreement was created in the 1970s to help offset the damages caused by flooding. "Travelling up the Nelson River, it's easy to see the impacts of hydro development. The once-pristine water is now silty and not to be trusted for drinking. Trees fall into the river everywhere along the shore, thanks to erosion caused by constantly fluctuating water levels. Ancient graves are being exposed, and sacred sites are now under water. What
775-483: The primary means of travel during the fur trade period. In the mid-19th century Metis settlements became important along stretches of the Saskatchewan river system, notably at the Southbranch Settlement , Prince Albert, Saskatchewan , and St. Albert, Alberta . Riverboats were introduced from the Red River of the North in the 19th century and remained an important means of transportation until
806-431: The project with AECOM and Tesla Energy. The river, labelled as the "Kish-stock-ewen" is identified on a Hudson's Bay Company map of 1760, produced from oral information from a First Nations man named Attickasish who had been Anthony Henday 's guide. Another map from 1774 shows a fairly accurate course of the river. The Saskatchewan River and its two major tributaries formed an important transportation route during
837-760: The region's historic and natural features. The route is also designated as part of the Trans Canada Trail ; it links to the River Valley Alliance Trail in the south and to both the land and water routes north to the Arctic Ocean. Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America , in the Canadian province of Manitoba . The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs 644 kilometres (400 mi) before it ends in Hudson Bay . Its full length (including
868-451: The territory for England. They arrived too late in the season to trade with local indigenous people, however, who had migrated inland by that time. Fort Nelson (1670–1713), a historic Hudson's Bay Company trading post, was built at the mouth of the Nelson River at Hudson Bay and was a key trading post in the early 18th century. After his pivotal role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company, Pierre Esprit Radisson , noted French explorer,
899-409: The two rivers had been used by the indigenous peoples of the region for centuries before the arrival of British and Canadian fur traders in region in the late eighteenth century. Once fur trading posts were established in the region, the same simple trails were also used to move freight between the posts. They linked Edmonton House (in all of its various incarnations over the years), the centre of
930-433: Was chief director of trade at Fort Nelson during one of his sustained periods of service to England. Today, Fort Nelson no longer exists. Port Nelson, the abandoned shipping port, remains on the opposite side of the river mouth on Hudson Bay. The Nelson River's huge volume and long drop make it useful for generating hydroelectricity . Flooding caused by damming of the river has provoked bitter disputes with First Nations in
961-518: Was once a highway for hunters is now dangerous to travel in winter, as the location of ice pockets created by flooding and retreating water cannot be predicted. A river that was once the basis for life has become deadly." Peter Kulchyski 2012 Saskatchewan River The Saskatchewan River ( Cree : kisiskāciwani-sīpiy ᑭᓯᐢᑳᒋᐊᐧᓂ ᓰᐱᕀ , "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about 550 kilometres (340 mi) from where it