The Saint-François River is a right

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the St. Lawrence River in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. Its source is Lake Saint-François in

Chaudière-Appalaches Chaudière-Appalaches () is an administrative region in Quebec, Canada. It comprises most of what is historically known as the " Beauce" (french: La Beauce; compare with the electoral district of Beauce). It is named for the Chaudière River and ...

, southeast of Thetford Mines. It flows southwest towards

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...

, where it changes course northwest towards Drummondville, and finally empties into the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

near Pierreville. Its total length is 135 miles.

Etymology

The river is named after Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552) by the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, who explored the region under the French regime, and after François de Lauzon.François de Lauzon (1635-1647 or 1648), son of

Jean de Lauzon Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson (; 2 January 1586 – 16 February 1666) was the governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the new colony. He also was born into being the lord of Lirec. As a prominent lawyer in ...

Geography

Its course is also unusual, as it flows from northeast to southwest to branch off, halfway through, and continue its course from southeast to northwest. The Saint-François River has its origins in the lake Saint-François and heads southwest towards

. Along the way, it crosses the lakes

Lake Aylmer Lake Aylmer (french: Lac Aylmer) is a lake located on the border of the Chaudière-Appalaches and Estrie regions of Quebec, Canada. It is shared by the Regional County Municipalities The term regional county municipality or RCM (''fr ...

and Lake Louise as well as many municipalities. In

, it receives the waters of the

Massawippi River The Massawippi River is a river flowing in the territory of North Hatley (MRC de Memphrémagog) and the city of Sherbrooke, in the administrative region of Estrie, in Quebec, Canada. It is a tributary of the Saint-François River which flows nor ...

basin and the

Magog River The Magog River, or Sekosonotek in Abenaki, is a river that drains Lake Memphremagog. It is a small river running through the territories of the cities of Magog and Sherbrooke, in the administrative region of Estrie, in Quebec, in Canada, along a ...

basin. It continues north-west, passing through the municipalities of Windsor,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

, Drummondville and from there outflows into the

lake Saint-Pierre Lake Saint Pierre (; abe, Nebesek) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. Th ...

History

The river has long been traveled by Native Americans; particularly the Abenakis. The Indian Reservation of Odanak, which today has a population of about 400, has existed since 1670. The

Fort Crevier Fort Crevier is a French fort built near the Saint-François River in Quebec. In 1687, near Saint-François-du-Lac, the fort was built by Jean Crevier de Saint-François. It was also known as Fort Saint-François. The fort's purpose was to def ...

was also built in 1687 by the river. A temporary Jesuit mission was established at Coös for the Abenaki living in the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Islan ...

valley or near the Kennebec River. When the Abenaki mission Saint-François-de-Sales located on the

Chaudière River The Chaudière River (French for "Cauldron" or "Boiler"; Abenaki: Kik8ntekw) is a river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Mégantic in the Estrie region, it runs northwards to flo ...

moved to Odanak, the village took the latter's name, "Saint-François”. Odanak is located on the banks of the Saint-François River, about 10 kilometers east of

. In 1805, an 8,000 acre reserve () was granted for Indian refugees in Durham Township, near the present village of L'Avenir, as well as () in 1853 on the shore of Petit Lac Saint-François in the township of Coleraine.

References

Appendices

* Grand lac Saint François * Lake Saint-François *

* Lake Louise (Quebec) *

Lake Saint-Pierre Lake Saint Pierre (; abe, Nebesek) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. Th ...

List of rivers of Quebec This is a list of rivers of Quebec. Quebec has about: *one million lakes of which 62279 have a toponymic designation (a name), plus 218 artificial lakes; *15228 watercourses with an official toponymic designation, including 12094 streams and 3134 ...

External links