Rupert
Rupert 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
- 51.43°, -76.27°
About Rupert
The Rupert River is a river in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows 556 kilometres (345 mi) west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of 43,400 square kilometres (16,800 sq mi).
There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid much of it by portage routes on the side. The most impressive falls, which cannot be avoided except by portaging, are the "Oatmeal Rapids" right at the James Bay Road (a set of cascades dropping 18 m (59 ft)) and "The Fours" near the end of the river (a 24 m (79 ft) drop).
The Rupert has long been an important river for the Cree of the area. Every year, a group of Cree youth from the village of Waskaganish, at the mouth of the Rupert, travel up the river to Lake Nemiscau.
Major tributaries of the Rupert are (in downstream order):
Lemare River (Rivière Lemare) - 1,290 km2 (500 sq mi) subbasin
Marten River (Rivière à la Marte) - 4,505 km2 (1,739 sq mi) subbasin
Nemiscau River (Rivière Nemiscau) - 3,015 km2 (1,164 sq mi) subbasin
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Rupert River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rupert in Depth
History
In 1668, an expedition led by Médard des Groseilliers came to the mouth of the Rupert River in order to bypass French-controlled areas along the St. Lawrence River and in doing so, trying to break the French hold on the fur trade. They named the river after the sponsor of the expedition, Prince Rupert. A fort (originally called Fort Charles) was established at the mouth of the river, which later became the trading post Rupert House, the oldest trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. From then on, the Rupert River played a vital role in supplying inland trading posts (such as Nemiscau and Mistissini) with regular canoe brigades, right until the beginning of the twentieth century when supplies started to come from the south via rail and later road.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rupert River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rupert: Key Facts
| Length | 763 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 900 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 43,400 km² |
| Source | Lake Mistassini |
| Mouth | James Bay |
| Drainage system | Rupert River basin |
| Tributaries | Rivière à la Marte, Rivière Nemiscau, Rivière De Maurès, Rivière Jolliet, Rivière Lemare, Rivière Natastan, Rivière Niyeutachun Kauchipischeyach, rivière Shipastouk |
Facts from Wikidata Q427437 (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
Rupert: Quick Answers
- Where is Rupert?
- Rupert is located in Canada, at 51.4299° N, 76.2703° W.
- Are there dams on the Rupert?
- No dam on the Rupert is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.