Harricana
Harricana 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
- 49.51°, -78.37°
About Harricana
The Harricana River (French: Rivière Harricana, pronounced [ʁivjɛʁ aʁikana]) (also known as Harricanaw River) is a river in western Quebec and northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is 533 kilometres (331 mi) long, has a drainage area of 29,300 square kilometres (11,300 sq mi), and has a mean discharge of 570 cubic metres per second (20,000 cu ft/s). While 80% of its drainage area is in Quebec, the river flows for a short distance through Ontario before it ends in Hannah Bay off James Bay.
Because of its undeveloped nature, easy upstream access, and the possibility to paddle to and take out at Moosonee, the Harricana River is popular for canoeing trips to James Bay.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Harricana River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Harricana in Depth
Geography
The Harricana originates at Lake Blouin just north of Val-d'Or. From here De Montigny and Lemoine Lakes add to it before it flows through a series of lakes such as Malartic, La Motte, and Figuery Lakes. After flowing through the town of Amos, one more significant lake follows: Lake Obalski.
North of Amos the river crosses lush boreal forests, where extensive logging takes place. Toward its mouth at Hannah Bay, the forest gradually decreases and is replaced with many wetlands. Here the Harricana has considerable speed and a flat relief, flowing through undeveloped wilderness.
History
As a tributary of the James Bay, and thus of the Hudson Bay, the Harricana River and its basin were part of Rupert's Land, de facto property of the Hudson's Bay Company by exclusive charter of 1670. But not until 1801, Alexander MacKenzie mapped the entire route of the river for the first time and identified it by name Harricanaw. In 1835, the map of Bradford called it Harricana. The Rupert's Land Act 1868 transferred the river and its basin to Canada and was officially annexed to the Province of Quebec in 1898. Thereafter colonization and settlement on the upper Harricana began in earnest.
In 1906, Henry O' Sullivan explored the shores of Harricana and in 1908, the first camps were established on its banks at the rapids.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Harricana River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Harricana: Key Facts
| Length | 533 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 570 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 29,300 km² |
| Source | Lac Blouin |
| Mouth | James Bay |
| Drainage system | Harricana River Basin |
| Tributaries | Turgeon River, Kesagami River, Rivière Samson, Rivière Plamondon, Rivière Joncas, Rivière Wawagosic, Rivière Adam, Again River |
Facts from Wikidata Q71996 (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
Harricana: Quick Answers
- Where is Harricana?
- Harricana is located in Canada, at 49.5053° N, 78.3673° W.
- Are there dams on the Harricana?
- No dam on the Harricana is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.