The 'Michipicoten River' is a river in the
Algoma District of northern
Ontario,
Canada, which flows from Lake Wabatongushi and joins with the
Magpie River to empty into Michipicoten Bay on
Lake Superior near the town of
Wawa. This river is 113 km in length and drains an area of about
5,200 km².
In the days of the
fur trade, this river provided access to
James Bay by way of the
Missinaibi and
Moose Rivers.
Pierre-Esprit Radisson and
Médard des Groseilliers are believed to be the first non-natives to travel this route. A
French trading post was built at the river's mouth in the early
1700s and remained in use until abandoned by the
Hudson's Bay Company in
1904. There are several
hydroelectric generating stations on the river.
The river's name means "big bluffs" in
Ojibwe and refers to the large hills located near the river's mouth.
See also
★
List of Ontario rivers