View source for Rouge River (Laurentides)

{{short description|River in Laurentides, Quebec (Canada)}}
{{For|other rivers called Rouge River|Rouge River (disambiguation){{!}}Rouge River}}
{{Infobox river
| name                = Rouge River
| name_native         =
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<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image               = Rivière Rouge.JPG
| image_caption       = Rouge River from a bridge at [[Rivière-Rouge, Quebec]]<br />Rouge River at [[Rivière-Rouge]] (L'Annonciation)
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<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1   = Country
| subdivision_name1   = [[Canada]]
| subdivision_type2   = Province
| subdivision_name2   = [[Quebec]]
| subdivision_type3   = Region
| subdivision_name3   = [[Laurentides]]
| subdivision_type4   = [[Regional County Municipality|MRC]]
| subdivision_name4   = [[Argenteuil Regional County Municipality]]
| subdivision_type5   = [[Municipality]]
| subdivision_name5   = [[Rivière-Rouge]], [[Brébeuf]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length              = {{convert|161|km|mi|abbr=on}}
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<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1             = Lac de la Fougère
| source1_location    = [[Lac-Matawin, Quebec|Lac-Matawin]]
| source1_coordinates = {{coord|47|04|41|N|74|25|41|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation   = {{convert|549|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| mouth               = [[Ottawa River]]
| mouth_location      = [[Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Quebec|Grenville-sur-la-Rouge]]
| mouth_coordinates   = {{coord|45|38|34|N|74|41|30|W|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation     = {{convert|41|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| progression         = {{ROttawa}}
| river_system        = [[Ottawa River]] [[drainage basin]]
| basin_size          =
| tributaries_left    = (upstream) [[Beaven River]], ruisseau Larose, [[rivière du Diable (Mont-Tremblant)|rivière du Diable]], [[Macaza River]] et [[Lenoir River]]
| tributaries_right   = (upstream) [[Maskinongé River (Argenteuil)|Maskinongé River]], ruisseau Noir, [[Nominingue River]]
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The '''Rouge River''' (English: Red River) is a [[river]] flowing in the [[Laurentides]], in the municipality of [[Grenville-sur-la-Rouge]], in the [[Argenteuil Regional County Municipality]], in the administrative region of [[Laurentides]], in the west of [[Quebec]], in western [[Quebec]], Canada.
This {{convert|161|km}} river takes its source at Lac de la Fougère and flows south to empty into the [[Ottawa River]] near [[Pointe-au-Chêne]] and flows north of [[Mont Tremblant]], of which it is a tributary of the left bank. It is in the [[Laurentides]], about halfway between [[Ottawa]] and [[Montreal]]. Its name is derived from the reddish tint of its sandbanks.
The river is a popular destination for [[whitewater]] [[rafting]]. Its last 10 kilometres are renowned for [[rafting]].<ref name="environnement">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/eau/eco_aqua/outaouais/secteur_e.htm
| title=Water quality of the Outaouais river - 1979-1994: Outaouais river, Red River sector (E sector)
| access-date=October 12, 2008
}}</ref> It is the main body of water in an area comprising hills, valleys, lakes, and waterfalls.
==Communities==
* [[Bell Falls, Quebec|Bell Falls]]
* [[Rivington, Quebec|Rivington]]
* [[Harrington, Quebec|Harrington]]
* [[Arundel, Quebec|Arundel]]
* [[Huberdeau, Quebec|Huberdeau]]
* [[Brébeuf, Quebec|Brébeuf]]
* [[Lac-Duhamel, Quebec|Lac-Duhamel]]
* [[Lac Lamoureux, Quebec|Lac Lamoureux]]
* [[La Conception-Station, Quebec|La Conception-Station]]
* [[Daoust, Quebec|Daoust]]
* [[Marchand, Quebec|Marchand]]
* [[L'Annonciation, Quebec|L'Annonciation]]
* [[Rivière-Rouge, Quebec|Rivière-Rouge]]
* [[Petit-Lac-Lanthier, Quebec|Petit-Lac-Lanthier]]
* [[Lac-Lanthier-Ouest, Quebec|Lac-Lanthier-Ouest]]
* [[L'Ascension, Quebec|L'Ascension]]
* [[Sienna, Quebec|Sienna]]
== Features ==
* Mouth of rivière-rouge: {{coord|45|38|34|N|74|41|27|W|type:river_region:CA-QC|display=inline}}
* Rapides Maskinongé: {{coord|45|49|56|N|74|39|55|W}}
* The Canyons
* The Turbo
* Surprise
* Devil's Door
== Hydrography ==
[[File:Grenville-sur-la-Rouge (QC)-Rivière Rouge-Vue du pont ferroviaire à l'embouchure-2022-07-31.jpg|thumb|View of the railway bridge at the mouth of the Rouge River in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge in 2022]]
[[File:Grenville-sur-la-Rouge (QC)-Embouchure de la rivière Rouge et pont ferroviaire (vue du pont de la route 148)-2022-07-31.jpg|thumb|View of the mouth of the Rouge River and the railroad bridge from the Route 148 bridge]]
The main neighboring watersheds of the Rouge River are:
* north side: [[Maskinongé River (Argenteuil)|Maskinongé River]];
* west side: [[Petite rivière Saumon (Argenteuil)|Petite rivière Saumon]], [[Petite-Nation River]], [[Maskinongé River (Argenteuil)|Maskinongé River]], [[Nominingue River]];
* east side: [[Kingham River]], [[Calumet River]], [[Beaven River]], [[Diable River (Mont-Tremblant)|Diable River]], [[Macaza River]], [[Lenoir River]];
* south side: [[Ottawa River]].
The Rouge river has its source at Lac de la Fougère, located at the northern end of the township of Dupont, in the unorganized territory of [[Lac-Matawin, Quebec|Lac-Matawin]] at about {{convert|550|m}} of altitude.
From Fougère Lake, the Rouge River flows south, crossing Red Lake formed by the widening of the river. The river winds along the entire length of the western limit of the [[Rouge-Matawin Wildlife Reserve]] that it separates from the [[Zec de la Maison-de-Pierre]]. When leaving the wildlife reserve, it has already lost more than {{convert|275|m}} in altitude.
The landscape also changes from a rocky plateau to a sandy plain and crosses its first village, [[L'Ascension]], then [[Labelle, Quebec|Labelle]] and [[La Conception, Quebec|La Conception]]. About twenty kilometers downstream, it meets the [[Nominingue River]] and then changes its course in a south-southeast direction. At the end of a {{convert|161|km}} route, the Red River flows on the north shore of the [[Ottawa River]] between the village of [[Calumet, Quebec|Calumet]] and the municipality of [[Pointe-au-Chêne]], in the territory of the [[Argenteuil Regional County Municipality]].
In the last {{convert|10|km}} long segment, the river has several falls and rapids, including the First, Second and Third Nigger-Eddy Rapids. Among its main tributaries, the Rouge River receives water from:
* east side: the [[Lenoir River]], [[Macaza River]] and the [[rivière du Diable (Mont-Tremblant)|rivière du Diable]] rivers, passing to [[Saint-Jovite]];
* west side: the [[Maskinongé River (Argenteuil)|Maskinongé River]] and the [[Nominingue River]].
The Red River watershed covers {{convert|5543|km|2}}. The course of the river is generally peaceful (except the last segment of {{convert|10|km}}) with many U and S meanders.
==2019 floods==
In late April 2019, water flows reached 10 times the normal flow due to heavy flooding in the area. Fearing dam failure, authorities evacuated citizens down the stream of the Bells Fall dam.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bell-falls-what-we-know-1.5112853| title = What we know about the dam at risk of failing in western Quebec {{!}} CBC News}} </ref>
== Mythic creature ==
{{unsourced section|date=August 2023}}
"The Forgotten Wonder of the Rivière Rouge," also known as "Bisso," is a creature from [[Canadian folklore]] that is said to inhabit the Rouge River. The story tells of a nineteenth century man riding down the country road in a horse-drawn carriage when he suddenly lost control of the vehicle and plunged into the depths of the river. After being presumed dead for several years, the man took the form of a husky aquatic creature who meandered in the river, only coming to the surface to hunt. Bisso is said to possess an insatiable appetite and would hunt whatever animals would venture to the river bank. Swimming with just its eyes above the water, Bisso is believed to use floating vegetation as camouflage when it is stalking its prey. There have been alleged sightings of the creature in the Rouge River, with witnesses claiming to have seen Bisso's eyes as well as the trail of bubbles from its "snaps" (gaseous bowel movements.)
== History ==
The region was inhabited by the [[Iroquois]] until the end of the 19th century. Under the leadership of the priest [[Antoine Labelle|François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle]], the river served as a path of colonization which saw the birth of most of the communities along its course and its tributaries. The [[Chute Bell Powerhouse]] was installed {{convert|15|km}} from its mouth in [[1915]].<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=274310&Latitude=45.77361&Longitude=-74.68639&Zoom=1700
| title = Topos on the web: Chute-Bell generating station
| access-date = October 12, 2008
}}</ref>
== Toponymy ==
The Rouge River valley served as a penetration route for the pioneers responding to calls for colonization in the north of Montreal made by the priest [[François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle|Antoine Labelle]]. In French Canada, the Catholic dioceses exercised the role of planning for the establishment of parishes and of organizing parishes in the territories of colonization.
A map by [[Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin|Franquelin]], dated [[1699]], indicated the "Red River" as an extension of the "North River". Hypotheses have been made by historians as to the origin of this hydronym. The most likely hypothesis makes the link with the slightly reddish hue of the waters of the river, due to the oxidation of certain types of rocks of the [[Canadian Shield]] that cross the river.<ref>{{Cite web
| url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=54707&Latitude=45.64278&Longitude=-74.69167&Zoom=1700
| title = Topos on the web: Rivière Rouge
| access-date= October 12, 2008
}}</ref> However, its water is said to be clearer than that of neighboring rivers.<ref name="environnement"/> Another explanation would come from a red chalk deposit located at [[lake Nominingue|Grand lac Nominingue]] that the [[Algonquins]] and [[Iroquois]] used to paint themselves.
Flowing at the western edge of the [[Rouge-Matawin Wildlife Reserve]], the term "red" of this river has been transposed to the latter.<ref>Source: ''Names and places of Quebec'', work of the Commission de toponymie du Québec, published in 1994 and 1996 in the form of a printed illustrated dictionary, and in that of a CD-ROM produced by the company Micro-Intel, in 1997, from this dictionary</ref>
The toponym Rivière Rouge was formalized on December 5, 1968, by the [[Commission de toponymie du Québec]].<ref>[http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=54707 Commission de toponymie du Québec - Rivière Rouge]</ref>
Among other things, the river gave its name to the [[Rivière-Rouge Ecological Reserve]], the Rouge-Matawin wildlife reserve and the communities of Rivière-Rouge and [[Grenville-sur-la-Rouge]].
== References ==
{{reflist}}
* [http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca The Atlas of Canada] map showing [http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?mapsize=750+666&scale=20000.000000&mapxy=1579598.4929302453+-118435.42855524474&mode=zoomin&layers=other_features%20million_grid%20t50k_grid%20grid_50k_3%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%20nodata_ntdb_50k%20roads&hidetextbox=|mouth of rouge river and last few sets of rapids]
* Fowke, Ethan. ''Canadian Folklore. '' New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
== See also ==
* [[Ottawa River]], a watercourse
* [[Petite rivière Saumon (Argenteuil)|Petite rivière Saumon]], a stream
* [[Macaza River]], a stream
* [[Maskinongé River (Rouge River)|Maskinongé River]], a watercourse
* [[Grenville, Quebec|Grenville-sur-Rouge]], a municipality
* [[Argenteuil Regional County Municipality]] (MRC)
* [[List of rivers of Quebec]]
[[Category:Rivers of Laurentides]]