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24-551: Despite its name, Lake Mistassini is not in the drainage basin of the Mistassini River, but is about 80 km (50 mi) west from its source. The Mistassini River is easily confused with its tributary, the Mistassibi River . The upper portion of the river is characterized by a succession of rapids, waterfalls, and cascades. Only the last 25 kilometres (16 mi), from its mouth to Dolbeau-Mistassini ,

48-506: A booming forestry industry, surround the lake. Significant tributaries flowing into the lake include: Chalifour, Pépeshquasati, Takwa, Témiscamie, and Wabissinane. Other nearby lakes include Lake Albanel and Lake Troilus . The name Mistassini came from the Cree mista assini or Montagnais mishta ashini , and means "large rock"; it probably refers to a large glacial erratic stone, about 3 meters (9.8 ft) high, located near

72-472: A cartographic document in which he gives the name Mistassini to the river. Also, prominent Canadian paleontologist Diamanto DeParkington discovered Allosaurus bones near the river's base in 1992; they are on display at the British Museum. Lake Mistassini Lake Mistassini ( French : Lac Mistassini ) is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec , Canada, with

96-582: A total surface area of approximately 2,335 square kilometres (902 sq mi) and a net area (water surface area only) of 2,164 square kilometres (836 sq mi). It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, approximately 360 kilometers (220 mi) east of James Bay . The Cree town of Mistissini is located on Watson Peninsula in the south-east corner of the lake, which separates Baie du Poste from Abatagouche Bay. Extensive forests of spruce , birch , pine , and fir trees, which support

120-587: Is named for the rocks with which it abounds, which are of prodigious size." That same year, a fur trading post was established on the lake. Its location was shifted from time to time until 1821, when the Hudson's Bay Company established it at the present site of the village Mistissini . In 1953-4 Mistassini Cree camp leader Alfie Matoush allowed ethnographer Edwards Rogers and his wife to join Matoush's 13-member hunting group in their traditional hunting territory in

144-553: Is navigable. Tributaries of the Mistassini River include the Papillon River, the Rivière des Framboises (Raspberry River), the Rivière aux Rats (Rat River), and the Mistassibi River . During the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, the Mistassini River was regarded as one of the six primary access routes to Lake Mistassini. A 1679 map by Louis Jolliet shows the river with the name Kakigoua , meaning "there where

168-585: The Arctic, and eventually defining the border between Quebec and Labrador . Albert Peter Low was born in Montreal , Canada East , and attended McGill University , graduating in 1882. He moved to Ottawa , Ontario to work as a surveyor and explorer with the Geological Survey of Canada. Low was recognized by senior officials for his excellent work and handed a series of scientific assignments in

192-665: The North. Although his career is dotted with distinguished work, Low is perhaps best remembered as the commander of a 1903-04 Dominion expedition to declare Canada's authority over the Arctic, a journey that resulted in a bestselling book, The Cruise of the Neptune . In 1906, he was appointed director of the Geological Survey of Canada . In 1907, he became the first deputy minister of the Department of Mines . He retired from

216-662: The department in 1913. He died in Ottawa in 1942. Low was also an athlete, and he played ice hockey for two famous teams, the McGill University Hockey Club , considered the first organized hockey club in the world, and the Ottawa Hockey Club . In 1883, he played goaltender for the victorious McGill Hockey Club in the 1883 Montreal Winter Carnival. The championship is considered the first Canadian championship. After moving to Ottawa in 1883, he

240-697: The eastern Subarctic extends from the east coast of James Bay at the Eastman River post, the lower Rupert River, and Fort George. (Clockwise, from the mouth) Area of the Ouachimiscau Peninsula (attached to the North Shore and forming a chain of aligned islands from north to south, to the middle of the lake) Abatagouche Peninsula Area (attached to the South Bank and forming a chain of islands lined up from north to south from

264-456: The eastern Subarctic. Rogers observed the variety of game and resources that the Matoush group exploited. He noted that they were able to derive a high percentage of what they needed to live, which included an impressive variety of game and resources, sufficient to keep their health at a better level than other, more sedentary First Nation people who lived in hamlets. Their traditional hunting grounds, an area northeast of Lake Mistassini, were near

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288-413: The geologist Robert Bell mentioned in 1880 the name Misstissinny . Yet, thereafter, Mistassini became the accepted form, as evidenced by the map of the province of Quebec drawn in 1880 by Taché, and the expedition report published by Albert Peter Low in 1885, and in his Annual Report of 1900, Bell also adopted the current spelling. In the summer of 1948 Rogers and Rogers found 121 prehistoric sites in

312-553: The headwaters of the Eastmain River and just south of Noakokan. Lake Indicator is near their southern boundary. Rogers observed that Lake Indicator was used as an early winter base for hunting and trapping. He noted the remains of an earth-covered conical lodge, four house pits, and a log cabin. Rogers noted that the Mistassini First Nations left their summer encampments in late August or early September at

336-624: The lake) (from north to south) East shore of the lake (in order, from North to South) Dauphin Peninsula (separating Lake Albanel and Lake Mistassini) (from North to South) Abatagouche Bay (bounded on the West by the Abatagouche Peninsula) (from South to North) Du Poste Bay (linked on the North with Abatagouche Bay ) Southwest part of the lake (South to Radisson Bay ) The eastern sector of Mistassini Lake (including

360-424: The lower end of Lake Mistassini and moved to their hunting grounds, where the men built a fall camp. From October through December they lived in early winter camps which were more substantial. This was where they cached their canoes. During the hardest part of the winter, they moved to different hunting camps. In April, they moved back to the early winter camp, and by the end of May they returned to their summer camp at

384-492: The middle of the lake) Du Poste Bay (linked on the North with Abatagouche Bay ) East Shore of the lake (North to South order) Abatagouche Bay Southwest part of the lake (in order, from south to north, to Radisson Bay ) (from Radisson Bay to the North) Ouachimiscau Peninsula (attached to the North Shore and forming a chain of aligned islands from north to south from the middle of

408-521: The name Lake Mistassins . Other spelling variations of this First Nations designation included: Mistacinnee, Mistacsinney, Mistasinne, Mistasinia , etc. In 1808, James McKenzie of the North West Company used the name Lake Mistassini in his writings, the first use of the name in its current form. Nevertheless, other variants persisted long after: for instance, the explorer James Clouston inscribed Mistassinnie in his diary of 1820, while

432-520: The outlet of Lake Mistassini into the Rupert River . Over the centuries, it went through many name changes and different spellings. In 1664, on a map by Ducreux, this lake was known as Outakgami . On maps by Jolliet (1684), Jaillot (1685) and Franquelin (1688), the lake was identified as Timagaming . In 1703, the cartographer Guillaume Delisle used the same name, along with the name Mistasin . Laure (1731) and Bellin (1744) showed on their maps

456-470: The region about Lake Mistassini and Albanel. At site 33, a sandy bank 15 to 20 feet high, where the land in back of the banks was comparatively flat and dry, First Nations people in the area in 1948 claimed to have camped since time immemorial. At the time of the Rogerses' research in 1948, First Nation people were still using campsites on 36% of the 121 prehistoric sites. The existence of this large lake

480-457: The sand is cut perpendicularly". Later the river is named Rivière aux Sables (Sand River) on maps by other cartographers such as Laure in 1731 and 1732, Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville in 1755, and Jacques-Nicolas Bellin in 1764. During his journey in 1792, botanist André Michaux calls it the Mistassini River. It seems that the first topographic use of this name goes back to 1825. That year, Pascal Taché , Lord of Kamouraska , publishes

504-441: The south end of Lake Mistassini. The earth-covered conical lodge, three house pits, and the remains of a log cabin were near the Matoush early winter camp (1953-1954), about mid-way on the west shore of Lake Indicator. The earth-covered conical lodge was used by Matoush's parents, his siblings, and his own family c. 1915-1920 as an early winter camp from October to January. The known distribution of earth-covered conical lodges in

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528-470: The village of Mistissini (Cree village municipality) and the hamlet Rivière-Chalifour) is accessible from Chibougamau by the route 167 . This road goes north to the east shore of Albanel Lake. Some secondary forest roads connect to this main road. Albert Peter Low Albert Peter Low (May 24, 1861 – October 9, 1942) was a Canadian geologist , explorer and athlete. His explorations of 1893–1895 were important in declaring Canada's sovereignty over

552-619: The whole group consisted of a fleet of 44 canoes . They went up the Saguenay River , reached Lake Mistassini and continued on the Rupert River , which flows to the Hudson Bay . Thereafter, Lake Mistassini became an important step along the route from the Saguenay to James Bay . In 1672, Charles Albanel crossed the lake in an official mission. On June 18, 1672, he wrote: "We entered the great Lake Mistassirinins [...]; this Lake

576-401: Was known to French explorers prior to its official discovery; Samuel de Champlain knew of it in 1603. It was finally discovered by Europeans in 1663 as part of an expedition ordered by Governor D'Avaugour and led by Guillaume Couture (first settler of Pointe-Lévy ( Lévis ) and hero of New France ). He was accompanied by Pierre Duquet and Jean Langlois, as well as by Native American guides;

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