The Miguick River flows in the unincorporated territory of Linton, in the

Portneuf Regional County Municipality Portneuf () is a regional county municipality (RCM) in the Capitale-Nationale administrative region of Quebec, Canada. RCM of Portneuf has been established on January 1, 1982. It is composed of 21 municipalities: nine cities, seven municipalities, ...

), in the administrative region the

Capitale-Nationale Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...

, in the

province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The watershed of Miguick river is , the third largest pool of

Batiscanie Batiscanie, a vernacular name, of a territory located in the Mauricie region, divided between the RCMs of Les Chenaux, Portneuf and Mékinac, in Quebec, Canada. The name Batiscanie evokes, without geopositioning it, the territory of the Bati ...

Geography

Miguick River starts at the outlet of

La Salle Lake LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

, heading north after about , to empty in Cuckoo Lake. In this segment of its course, the water of the river pass through many rapids. Then the river makes a large curve to head south, before emptying into the

Batiscan River Batiscan River () has its source in the region of Lac Édouard, in the Laurentians Mountains, the Batiscan River flows over a length of 177 km. It receives water from numerous tributaries, including, in its upper reach, the Rivière aux É ...

(on left bank), facing the Island of the Cross (Quebec), or below the mouth of the Jeannotte River. Several tributaries increase the volume of the river including the discharge of Miguick Lake. Near the mouth, there is a hamlet named "Miguick" (same toponym as the river).

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

train stop there upon request. An important railway bridge is crossing the Miguick river mouth. In the last kilometers of its course, Miguick river follows a very serpentine path.

Toponymy

Translate from french
The term Miguick is known at least since the arrival of the railway in this sector, around 1888–89. The designation "Miguick" is Aboriginal origin. The term is similar to the words "magwak" or "makwa" which means "bear" in the
Algonquin language Algonquin (also spelled Algonkin; in Algonquin: or ) is either a distinct Algonquian languages, Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe language dialects, Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alon ...
. The name has changed with the use by the forestry workers, loggers, workers of the railway, missionaries, explorers... The name "Miguick River" was officially registered on December 5, 1968, in the register of the "Commission de toponymie du Québec" (Geographical Names Board of Québec)

History

Until the arrival of the railroad around 1888–89, the sector of Miguick river was accessible only by boat on Batiscan River, when the ice was gone. From November to April, thanks to the ice, the area became accessible with cars pulled by horses. However, the snow conditions could limit traffic. Well known by indigenous people, the valley of the river attracted hunters, fishermen and trappers. In the second half of the 19th century, logging was granted on the outskirts of the Batiscan River and its tributaries. The exploitation of this forest in the area has been furthered by the construction of access roads and the arrival of the railroad from 1888 to 1889 to the Mid Batiscanie. This stretch of railroad will reach later

Chambord Chambord can refer to: * Chambord (liqueur), a brand of raspberry-flavored liqueur * Château de Chambord, a French ''château'' built in the 16th century * Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, the French commune where the ''château'' is located * Chambord, Eu ...

Lac Saint-Jean Lac Saint-Jean (, ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of , and is ...

. The extraction of architectural stone began around 1888 near the Miguick river in a quarry operated by Mr. Bélanger, a mason of

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. The stone from this quarry was used to build the base including the

Jacques Cartier (section Monuments) Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he nam ...

, opened on June 24, 1889, by the

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society (, ) is an institution in the Canadian province of Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec sovereignism. It is known as the oldest patriotic association in ...

. Masons of this quarry also tailored the stones of the wall of the former

courthouse in Quebec A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

. The type of stone from this quarry was a pinkish gray farsundite coming from the "Suite Rivière-à-Pierre". In Miguick sector, recreational and tourist activities have grown intensely priori through private clubs and the implementation of the

Portneuf Wildlife Reserve The Portneuf Wildlife Reserve is located in the province of Quebec (Canada), in the western part of the Capitale-Nationale region. This wildlife reserve is administered by SEPAQ. See also * Island of the Cross (Quebec) * Jeannotte River * Bati ...

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Capitale-Nationale