Turgeon River (Harricana River tributary)

The Turgeon River originates at Lake Turgeon (Eeyou Istchee Baie-James) (length:9.1 kilometres (5.7 mi)), which is located in the administrative region of Abitibi-Temiscamingue (southern part of the lake) and Nord-du-Québec (northern part of the lake). In its northwesterly course, the river flows 62.3 kilometres (38.7 mi), a priori south, west, and northwesterly, up to the confluence of the Boivin River coming from the south); then 3.5 km northwesterly to Orfroy Creek; then 29.0 kilometres (18.0 mi) northwest to the Ontario border.

The Turgeon River makes a 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) foray into Ontario where it catches the waters of the Burntbush River and the Patten River. Then the river bifurcates northeast to return to Quebec where it continues for 8.7 kilometres (5.4 mi); then northwards along 49.3 kilometres (30.6 mi) along the interprovincial boundary (at an average distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the border). In this last segment, the river crosses the Rivers-Forests Areas, where Kapipawesig Island is located, for 15.2 kilometres (9.4 mi).

From there, the river collects the waters of the Detour River before turning east and descending 34 kilometres (21 mi), forming a large loop to the south, to the confluence of the Wawagosic River. Then the river flows 13.1 kilometres (8.1 mi) east to the Harricana River. The mouth is located in the municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality).

Before the arrival of the explorers of European ancestry, these lands were inhabited by Algonquins. The region was covered with forests until the 1930s when a large number of unemployed fleeing the major Canadian cities struck by the global economic crisis arrived there in the hope of establishing themselves and rebuilding their lives.

At the time there was no road, so the people crossed the valley in barge, following the course of river.

Three parishes were founded there in the 1930s, namely Saint-Joachim-de-Beaucanton, Saint-Camille-de-Villebois and Saint-Ephrem-de-Val-Paradis. Today, Beaucanton and Val-Paradis have merged to become Valcanton, Quebec, and these villages are part of the huge municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), the largest in the world.

In the 1940s and 1950s, several covered bridges were built in the Turgeon Valley. Five can still be visited today: three on the Turgeon River and two on its tributaries.

The lake and the Turgeon River owe their name to the Minister of Lands and Forests of the time. The proclamation was made by the Honorable Adélard Turgeon in 1908. The first nations named him Nikikwatinipi (Lac Frimas). The name "rivière Turgeon" was officially registered on December 5, 1968, at the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[2]

Media related to Rivière Turgeon (Nord-du-Québec) at Wikimedia Commons