- Richelieu River
The Richelieu River is a river in
Quebec ,Canada . It flows fromLake Champlain about 171 km (106 miles) north, ending into theSt. Lawrence River at Sorel. It has a drainage basin of 23,400 km² (9035 miles²), of which 19,600 km² (7570 miles²) are in the United States, and a mean discharge of 330 m³/s (430 yd³/s) [ [http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html Atlas of Canada] ] . St. Jean, Chambly, and Sorel are important communities on its route.The French explorerSamuel de Champlain was the first European to reach the mouth of the river in1609 . Already an important pathway for the Iroquois Indians, it soon became one for French traders as well. They built forts along its length:Fort Richelieu at its mouth, Fort St. Louis (or Chambly), Fort Ste. Thérese and Fort St. Jean on the way, and Fort Ste. Anne on the Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain near its source. Some early journals and maps refer to the lower river as the Sorel River. Formerly also called Iroquois River, its French name comes from Fort Richelieu, which in turn was named in memory of Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642).The
Chambly Canal (9 locks) permits boats to bypass the rapids at St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Chambly.The [http://www.routeverte.com/ang/voyager.lasso?troncon=10&code=monteregie Piste cyclable du Canal-de-Chambly] is a 20 km bicycle path that follows the towpath along the canal. The bike path is part of Quebec's [http://www.routeverte.com/ang/ Route Verte] bicycle path network. The canal is aNational Historic Site of Canada and is operated byParks Canada .The
Champlain Canal andLake Champlain form the U.S. portion of theLakes to Locks Passage , linking with theHudson River and allowing navigation using the Richelieu between the St. Lawrence River and New York City and theErie Canal .References
ee also
*
List of Quebec rivers
*Ile aux Noix
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