Eastmain
Eastmain is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 52.15°, -75.35°
About Eastmain
The Eastmain River, formerly written East Main, is a river in west central Quebec. It rises in central Quebec and flows 800 km (500 mi) west to James Bay, draining an area of 46,400 km2 (17,900 sq mi). The First Nations Cree village of Eastmain is located beside the mouth.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Eastmain River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Eastmain in Depth
Geography
Since the late 1980s, most of the waters of the Eastmain River have been diverted and flow northwards through the Opinaca Reservoir, with a surface area of about 950 square kilometres (370 sq mi), and into the Robert-Bourassa Reservoir of Hydro-Québec's La Grande Complex. The remainder of the Eastmain River contains only about 10 percent of the volume of its former flow, and is now subject to freeze-up in winter (see photo). These changes have affected the Cree and Inuit peoples who live along the Eastmain River and James Bay coast, making it more difficult for them to travel in winter and reducing their access to fish in the river.
In 2005, a further hydroelectric project on the upper Eastmain River was under construction.
History
The mouth of the Eastmain was a centre of the Hudson's Bay Company fur trade. Charles Bayly reached it from Rupert House in the 1670s. After Rupert House was destroyed in 1686, the area was visited by a ship from York Factory. In 1723 to 1724, Joseph Myatt of the Hudson's Bay Company built a post.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Eastmain River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Eastmain: Key Facts
| Length | 756 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 46,400 km² |
| Mouth | James Bay |
| Drainage system | James Bay Basin |
| Tributaries | Rivière Opinaca, Rivière à l'Eau Froide, Eau Claire River (Eastmain), La Pêche River, Rivière Saffray, Rivière Tichégami, Rivière Misask |
Facts from Wikidata Q1968809 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Eastmain: Quick Answers
- Where is Eastmain?
- Eastmain is located in Canada, at 52.1499° N, 75.3538° W.
- Are there dams on the Eastmain?
- No dam on the Eastmain is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.