Pic River
Encyclopedia
The Pic River is a river
in the east part of Thunder Bay District
in northwestern
Ontario
, Canada
. It flows from McKay Lake
southeast of the community of Longlac and empties into Lake Superior
southeast of the town of Marathon
.
mainline, flowing south out of the lake over McKay Lake Dam. It heads over the Bigrock Rapids to Sagiwatan Lake, then further south over the Deadman Rapids to Waboosekon Lake. The river passes out of the lake over Waboosekon Lake Dam, turns southeast, passes over the High Falls and Middle Falls, and takes in the left tributary White Otter River. The Pic heads south over the Manitou Falls and takes in the right tributary Kagiano River
. It continues south, passes under Ontario Highway 17 and enters the Pic River 50
Indian Reserve
of the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation
. The Pic River passes their community of Heron Bay, where it is crossed by the Canadian Pacific Railway
mainline, takes in the left tributary Black River
, passes the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation community of Pic River, and reaches its mouth at Lake Superior. A beach and system of sand dunes are found at the mouth.
operated a trading post at the mouth of the river during the 19th century. The river was later used to transport logs to sawmill
s down stream.
In later years the Pic was used to transport 8 foot pulp logs to Heron Bay, where they were assembled in booms and towed to Marathon
. Marathon Paper operated a pulp mill
at Marathon using timber that was driven down the Pic each spring. The Marathon Corporation was purchased by American Can, and in 1982 by the James River Paper Company. The Pic river drive was phased out and trucks were employed in lieu of the water based system that was in place for many years. It is interesting to note that the woodlands that furnished wood for the mill at Marathon were delineated by the Pic watershed. In the early years woodsmen walked from Marathon after their hire, following trails blazed along the Pic river to camps built to provide wood for the mill. Walkers went from the mill to the camps taking mail and gathering statistics on wood cut and hauled by horses to the river. During the early years all wood was 'driven' in the spring, down the Pic and White Otter rivers. In later years roads supplanted the trails, but until 1982 there was a Camp near the White Otter River operated by American Can. Dynamite caches were located at strategic places along the river so that log jams could be cleared.
developments have been proposed for sites at High Falls and Manitou Falls by the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation. These would tie in to the transmission line from an existing development on the Kagiano River at Twin Falls, a development just upstream of that river's mouth with the Pic River.
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...
in the east part of Thunder Bay District
Thunder Bay District
Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....
in northwestern
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
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...
. It flows from McKay Lake
McKay Lake (Pic River)
McKay Lake is a lake in Lake Superior drainage basin in the east part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada and the source of the Pic River. The northeast tip of the lake is southwest of the Canadian National Railway mainline, south of Ontario Highway 11 and west of the...
southeast of the community of Longlac and empties into 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...
southeast of the town of Marathon
Marathon, Ontario
Marathon is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Thunder Bay District, on the north shore of Lake Superior north of Pukaskwa National Park, in the heart of the Canadian Shield.- History :...
.
Course
The river begins at an elevation of 321 metres (1,053 ft) at Outlet Bay at the southeast of McKay Lake, about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of the community of Caramat and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southwest of the Canadian National RailwayCanadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
mainline, flowing south out of the lake over McKay Lake Dam. It heads over the Bigrock Rapids to Sagiwatan Lake, then further south over the Deadman Rapids to Waboosekon Lake. The river passes out of the lake over Waboosekon Lake Dam, turns southeast, passes over the High Falls and Middle Falls, and takes in the left tributary White Otter River. The Pic heads south over the Manitou Falls and takes in the right tributary Kagiano River
Kagiano River
The Kagiano River is a river in the east part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Lake Superior drainage basin and flows from an unnamed lake south of the community of Longlac on Ontario Highway 11 to the Pic River north northeast of the town of Marathon on...
. It continues south, passes under Ontario Highway 17 and enters the Pic River 50
Pic River 50, Ontario
Pic River 50 is an Indian reserve on the north shore of Lake Superior at the mouth of the Pic River, near Marathon, Ontario, Canada. The reserve is 316.6 ha within its exterior boundaries. The reserve contains the community of Heron Bay, Ontario. It serves as the land-base for the Ojibways of...
Indian Reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation
Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation
Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation is an Ojibwa First Nation band on the north shore of Lake Superior at the mouth of the Pic River. Pic River is not a signatory to the Robinson Superior treaty. The community is located on 316.6 ha Pic River 50 Indian reserve...
. The Pic River passes their community of Heron Bay, where it is crossed by the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
mainline, takes in the left tributary Black River
Black River (Ontario)
Black River may refer to several rivers by that name in the province of Ontario, Canada.*The Black River in Hastings County, Ontario joins the Moira River near Tweed, Ontario....
, passes the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation community of Pic River, and reaches its mouth at Lake Superior. A beach and system of sand dunes are found at the mouth.
History
The Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson'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...
operated a trading post at the mouth of the river during the 19th century. The river was later used to transport logs to sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s down stream.
In later years the Pic was used to transport 8 foot pulp logs to Heron Bay, where they were assembled in booms and towed to Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
. Marathon Paper operated a pulp mill
Pulp mill
A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fibre source into a thick fibre board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
at Marathon using timber that was driven down the Pic each spring. The Marathon Corporation was purchased by American Can, and in 1982 by the James River Paper Company. The Pic river drive was phased out and trucks were employed in lieu of the water based system that was in place for many years. It is interesting to note that the woodlands that furnished wood for the mill at Marathon were delineated by the Pic watershed. In the early years woodsmen walked from Marathon after their hire, following trails blazed along the Pic river to camps built to provide wood for the mill. Walkers went from the mill to the camps taking mail and gathering statistics on wood cut and hauled by horses to the river. During the early years all wood was 'driven' in the spring, down the Pic and White Otter rivers. In later years roads supplanted the trails, but until 1982 there was a Camp near the White Otter River operated by American Can. Dynamite caches were located at strategic places along the river so that log jams could be cleared.
Etymology
Two possibilities exist for the origin of the name of the river. It may be from either Ojibwe bikodinaa or French meaning "be a high ground" for the promonotory found at the mouth of the river, or from the corruption of the Ojibwe "pekatek" or "mud", which describes its silty water.Hydroelectricity Development
Small scale hydroelectricityHydroelectricity
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...
developments have been proposed for sites at High Falls and Manitou Falls by the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation. These would tie in to the transmission line from an existing development on the Kagiano River at Twin Falls, a development just upstream of that river's mouth with the Pic River.
Tributaries
- Black RiverBlack River (Ontario)Black River may refer to several rivers by that name in the province of Ontario, Canada.*The Black River in Hastings County, Ontario joins the Moira River near Tweed, Ontario....
- Camp 14 Creek (right)
- Spruce Creek (left)
- Goodchild Creek (left)
- Lacobeer Creek (right)
- Jim Creek (right)
- Little Joe Creek (right)
- Huck Creek (right)
- Cirrus Creek (left)
- Dewey Creek (right)
- Nama Creek (left)
- Slingshot Creek (left)
- Kagiano River (right)
- White Otter River (left)
- Hagarty Creek (left)
- Deadman Creek (right)
- Dianthus Creek (right)
- Kaboosa Creek (left)
- Bluejay CreekBluejay CreekBluejay Creek is a river in the east part of Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Lake Superior drainage basin and is a tributary of the Pic River.-Course:...
(left) - Mustela Creek (right)
- Bambino Creek (right)