Nelson River
Encyclopedia
The Nelson River is a river
of north-central North America
, in the Canadian
province of Manitoba
. Its full length is 2575 kilometres (1,600 mi), it has mean discharge
of 2370 m3/s, and has a drainage basin
of 892300 square kilometres (344,519 sq mi), of which 180000 sqkm is in the United States. The river drains Lake Winnipeg
and runs 644 kilometres (400.2 mi) before it ends in Hudson Bay
.
The river flows through the Canadian Shield
out of Playgreen Lake
at the northern tip of Lake Winnipeg, and flows through Cross Lake
, Sipiwesk Lake, Split Lake and Stephens Lake.
Since it drains Lake Winnipeg, it is the last part of the large Saskatchewan River
system, as well as that of the Red River
and Winnipeg River
. Devils Lake unusual for a glacial lake in being presently closed
, also has been known to overflow into the Red River for at least five separate periods since deglaciation.
Besides Lake Winnipeg, its primary tributaries include the Grass River, which drains a long area north of Lake Winnipeg, and the Burntwood River, which passes through Thompson, Manitoba
.
The river flows into Hudson Bay at Port Nelson
(now a ghost town), just north of the Hayes River
and York Factory
. Other communities upriver from there include Bird, Sundance
, Long Spruce, Gillam
, Split Lake
, Arnot, Cross Lake, and Norway House
.
The river was named by Sir Thomas Button
, a Welsh explorer from St. Lythans, Glamorganshire, who wintered at its mouth in 1612, after Robert Nelson, a ship's master who died there. The area was fought over for the fur trade, though the Hayes River
, whose mouth is near the Nelson's, became the main route inland.
Today, the Nelson River's huge volume and long drop make it useful for generating hydroelectricity
. Flooding caused by damming of the river has provoked bitter disputes with First Nations
in the past although the Northern Flood Agreement was created in the 1970s to help offset the damages caused by flooding.
Fort Nelson, an historic Hudson's Bay Company
trading post, was located at the mouth of the Nelson River at Hudson Bay and was a key trading post in the early 18th century. After his pivotal role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company, Pierre Esprit Radisson
, noted French explorer, was chief director of trade at Port Nelson during one of his sustained periods of service to England. Today, Port Nelson no longer exists. Port Nelson
, the abandoned shipping port remains on the opposite side of the river mouth on Hudson Bay.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
of north-central North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in the Canadian
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...
province of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Its full length is 2575 kilometres (1,600 mi), it has mean discharge
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
of 2370 m3/s, and has a drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of 892300 square kilometres (344,519 sq mi), of which 180000 sqkm is in the United States. The river drains Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
and runs 644 kilometres (400.2 mi) before it ends in Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
.
The river flows through the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
out of Playgreen Lake
Playgreen Lake
Playgreen Lake is a lake in the province of Manitoba in Canada. The lake covers an area of 657 square kilometers and it is a part of the Nelson River watershed. The lake is the ninth largest lake in the province. It is located along the Nelson River some 10 kilometers north from the north end of...
at the northern tip of Lake Winnipeg, and flows through Cross Lake
Cross Lake, Manitoba
Cross Lake is the name of two closely related, adjoining but independent communities in the Canadian Province of Manitoba. One of the Cross Lakes is the Cross Lake Indian Reserve where the main urban area is called Cross Lake...
, Sipiwesk Lake, Split Lake and Stephens Lake.
Since it drains Lake Winnipeg, it is the last part of the large Saskatchewan River
Saskatchewan River
The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg...
system, as well as that of the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
and Winnipeg River
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river which flows from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is in area, mainly in Canada. About of this area is in northern...
. Devils Lake unusual for a glacial lake in being presently closed
Open and closed lakes
Open and closed lakes refer to the major subdivisions of lakes - bodies of water surrounded by land.An open lake is a lake where water constantly flows out under almost all climatic circumstances. Because water does not remain in an open lake for any length of time, open lakes are always fresh...
, also has been known to overflow into the Red River for at least five separate periods since deglaciation.
Besides Lake Winnipeg, its primary tributaries include the Grass River, which drains a long area north of Lake Winnipeg, and the Burntwood River, which passes through Thompson, Manitoba
Thompson, Manitoba
Thompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
.
The river flows into Hudson Bay at Port Nelson
Port Nelson, Manitoba
Port Nelson is today a ghost town at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada. At its peak it had a population of about 1000 people. Immediately to the south is the mouth of the Hayes River. Although the Nelson is much larger, the Hayes is a better route into the interior...
(now a ghost town), just north of the Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...
and York Factory
York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
. Other communities upriver from there include Bird, Sundance
Sundance, Manitoba
Sundance was a community near the Nelson River in Northern Manitoba that was constructed in the mid-1980s to house the workers of the Limestone Dam project, who were employees of Manitoba Hydro, GE and other companies...
, Long Spruce, Gillam
Gillam, Manitoba
Gillam, Manitoba, Canada, is a community between Thompson and Churchill on the Hudson Bay Railway line. Gillam is a significant community because of the nearby Nelson River Bipole converter station on the Nelson River...
, Split Lake
Split Lake, Manitoba
Split Lake is a community in Manitoba on the north shore of Split Lake on Nelson River about 150 miles west southwest of the river's mouth at Hudson Bay....
, Arnot, Cross Lake, and Norway House
Norway House, Manitoba
- Treaty and York Boat Days :Held annually each summer, the York Boat events serve as the main attraction.-External links:* * * *...
.
The river was named by Sir Thomas Button
Thomas Button
Sir Thomas Button was a Welsh officer of the Royal Navy and explorer who in 1612–1613 commanded an expedition that unsuccessfully attempted to locate explorer Henry Hudson and to navigate the Northwest Passage. It was, nonetheless, a voyage of discovery andThomas Button was an explorer as...
, a Welsh explorer from St. Lythans, Glamorganshire, who wintered at its mouth in 1612, after Robert Nelson, a ship's master who died there. The area was fought over for the fur trade, though the Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...
, whose mouth is near the Nelson's, became the main route inland.
Today, the Nelson River's huge volume and long drop make it useful for generating hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
. Flooding caused by damming of the river has provoked bitter disputes with First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
in the past although the Northern Flood Agreement was created in the 1970s to help offset the damages caused by flooding.
Fort Nelson, an historic 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...
trading post, was located at the mouth of the Nelson River at Hudson Bay and was a key trading post in the early 18th century. After his pivotal role in establishing the Hudson's Bay Company, 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...
, noted French explorer, was chief director of trade at Port Nelson during one of his sustained periods of service to England. Today, Port Nelson no longer exists. Port Nelson
Port Nelson, Manitoba
Port Nelson is today a ghost town at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada. At its peak it had a population of about 1000 people. Immediately to the south is the mouth of the Hayes River. Although the Nelson is much larger, the Hayes is a better route into the interior...
, the abandoned shipping port remains on the opposite side of the river mouth on Hudson Bay.
See also
- List of longest rivers of Canada
- Nelson River Hydroelectric ProjectNelson River Hydroelectric ProjectThe Nelson River Hydroelectric Project refers to the construction of a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants on the Nelson River in Northern Manitoba, Canada...
- List of Manitoba rivers
- Manitoba HydroManitoba HydroManitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
- Nelson River BipoleNelson River Bipolethumb|right|Nelson River Bipoles 1 and 2 terminate at Dorsey Converter Station near [[Rosser, Manitoba]]. The station takes [[HVDC]] current and converts it to [[alternating current|HVAC]] current for re-distribution to consumers...