The Michipicoten River is a river in the Algoma District

Algoma District, Ontario

Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1858 comprising territory as far west as Minnesota...

 of northern Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, which flows from Dog Lake and joins with the Magpie River

Magpie River (Ontario)

The Magpie River is a river in Algoma District, northeastern Ontario, Canada that empties into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior near the town of Wawa...

 to empty into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

 near the town of Wawa

Wawa, Ontario

Wawa is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District. Formerly known as the township of Michipicoten, the township was officially renamed for its largest and best-known community in 2009....

. This river is 113 km (70.2 mi) in length (including Lochalsh River to the outlet of Wabatongushi Lake

Wabatongushi Lake

Wabatongushi Lake is a lake in Northern Ontario, Canada, fully within the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. It is a long lake with many deep bays and a narrow middle section, making it seem like 2 separate lakes. Its outflow, the Lochalsh River, is a tributary of the Michipicoten River via Dog Lake...

) and drains an area of about 5200 km² (2,007.7 sq mi).

The river's name means "big bluffs" in Ojibwe

Ojibwe language

Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...

 and refers to the large hills located near the river's mouth.

From the outlet of Dog Lake, the Michipicoten River flows south through a series of large lakes: Manitowik and Whitefish Lakes. Then it flows mostly west to Lake Superior. There are four hydroelectric generating stations on this last section of the river (operated by Brookfield Power Inc.).

Tributaries include:

• Magpie River
  Magpie River (Ontario)
  The Magpie River is a river in Algoma District, northeastern Ontario, Canada that empties into Michipicoten Bay on Lake Superior near the town of Wawa...
  
  
• Anjigami River
• Shikwamkwa River
  • Jackpine River
• Hawk River
• Dog Lake
  • Murray Creek
  • Dog River
  • Lochalsh River
    • Wabatongushi Lake
      Wabatongushi Lake
      Wabatongushi Lake is a lake in Northern Ontario, Canada, fully within the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve. It is a long lake with many deep bays and a narrow middle section, making it seem like 2 separate lakes. Its outflow, the Lochalsh River, is a tributary of the Michipicoten River via Dog Lake...
      
      

History

In the days of the fur trade

Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...

, this river provided access to James Bay

James Bay

James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...

 by way of the Missinaibi

Missinaibi River

The Missinaibi River is a river in northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Missinaibi Lake, north of Chapleau, and empties into the Moose River, which drains into James Bay. This river is in length...

 and Moose River

Moose River (Ontario)

The Moose River is a Canadian river in the Hudson Plains ecozone of northern Ontario which flows 100 km northeast from the junction of the Mattagami and Missinaibi Rivers into James Bay. Its drainage basin is 108,500 km² and it has a mean discharge rate of 1370 m³/s. Its full length...

s. Pierre-Esprit Radisson

Pierre-Esprit Radisson

Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...

 and Médard des Groseilliers

Médard des Groseilliers

Médard Chouart des Groseilliers was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson who was about 20 years his junior...

 are believed to be the first non-natives to travel this route. A French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 trading post was built at the river's mouth in the early 18th century. The Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 started building trading posts along the route in the 1770s and its post at Michipicoten River remained in use until abandoned in 1904 (the site is now part of Michipicoten Post Provincial Park).

In 1781 Philip Turnor, HBC's first full-time surveyor, performed a detailed survey of the river, followed by many upgrades to the portage

Portage

Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...

s. After 1821, the Moose/Missinaibi/Michipicoten route became the established supply route for HBC's Lake Superior District.