The Moira River is a river in
Hastings County
Hastings County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second-largest county in Ontario, after Renfrew C ...
in eastern
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. It travels from its source in the centre of the county to the Bay of Quinte at the county seat
Belleville .
Name
Originally named the Sagonaska River by the indigenous peoples of the area, the river was renamed in 1807 by the British colonial government (
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
) after
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Earl of
Moira. Rawdon-Hastings fought in the American Revolutionary War and had a political career in England, but has no connection with the site. The name Sagonaska continues to be used in the Belleville area, as the name of a bridge over the Moira, and the name of a public school.
Course
The Moira River begins at an unnamed lake in the more northern Tudor geographic township portion of the municipality of
Tudor and Cashel at an elevation of . It flows south into the township of
Madoc, passes through Wolf Lake at an elevation of , is crossed by
Highway 62, and takes in the right tributary Jordan River at the settlement of Bannockburn, before heading south. The river loops east then back west under the highway at Keller Bridge and continues south to the west of Eldorado. The river takes a sharp turn west, before taking in the right tributary Gawley Creek and heading south again at Malone in the municipality of
Marmora and Lake. It passes through Deloro Lake and over the Deloro Dam at Deloro at an elevation of , and is crossed by
Highway 7. The Moira then heads east, enters the township of
Stirling-Rawdon, and empties into Bend Bay on
Moira Lake at an elevation of , south of the community of
Madoc, where it takes in the left tributary Madoc Creek. The river continues east from the lake, enters the municipality of
Tweed
Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...
and takes in the left tributaries
Black River and
Skootamatta River. It then heads south through the village of
Tweed, Ontario
Tweed is a municipality located in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, in Hastings County.
History
The Municipality of Tweed is an amalgamation (politics), amalgamated municipality comprising the former Tweed, Ontario (village), Village of Tweed a ...
into
Stoco Lake at an elevation of , where it takes in the left tributaries
Sulphide Creek and
Clare River. The river leaves the lake via two channels, an eastern channel Moira River and the named West Channel, which enclose Sugar Island. It heads southwest, and is paralleled by
Highway 37 from Tweed all the way to Belleville. The river flows past
Chisholm's lumber Mills,
through the northwest corner of the township of
Tyendinaga and enters the city of Belleville, continuing southeast. It takes in the right tributaries
Chrysal Creek and Palliser Creek, flows over the Belleville Yardmen Dam through the former Laziers Dam Site, the McLeod Dam and the Lott Dam and reaches its mouth at the
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte () is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of ...
,
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
.
Watershed
While the Moira river itself is entirely within Hastings County, the watershed includes parts of the next two counties to the east,
Lennox and Addington
Lennox and Addington was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was first created in 1903 from Addington and Lennox ridings. It co ...
(one east) and
Frontenac (two east). Tributaries of the Clare River extend into the township of
Central Frontenac in Frontenac County. The Clare River also is in the townships of
Stone Mills and
Addington Highlands in Lennox and Addington County. The Skootamatta River and tributitaries flow through Addington Highlands as well. The tributaries also extend further north in Hastings County than the Moira itself. For example, Partridge Creek in the Skootamatta system extends past
Upper Partridge Lake to 44° 57′ 28″ North in the more northerly Cashel portion of the township of Tudor and Cashel.
Tributaries
*Palliser Creek (right)
*Chrysal Creek (right)
*Clare River (left)
*Sulphide Creek (left)
*Skootamatta River (left)
*Black River (left)
*Madoc Creek (left)
*Gawley Creek (right)
*Jordan River (right)
See also
*
List of rivers of Ontario
This is the list of rivers which are in and flow through Ontario. The watershed list includes tributaries as well.
Dee River, flows between Three Mile Lake and Lake Rosseau.
List of rivers arranged by watershed Hudson Bay
Atlantic Ocean
...
References
Sources
*
*
*
{{refend
External links
Canoe GuideDead link
Rivers of Hastings County
Tributaries of Lake Ontario