Black Sturgeon River (Thunder Bay District)

Black Sturgeon River
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Region Northwestern Ontario
District Thunder Bay
Part of Lake Superior drainage basin
Tributaries
 - right Nonwatin River
Source Black Sturgeon Lake
 - elevation 251 m (823 ft)
 - coordinates 49°17′00″N 88°46′32″W / 49.28333°N 88.77556°W / 49.28333; -88.77556
Mouth Lake Superior
 - elevation 180 m (591 ft)
 - coordinates 48°50′10″N 88°24′15″W / 48.83611°N 88.40417°W / 48.83611; -88.40417Coordinates: 48°50′10″N 88°24′15″W / 48.83611°N 88.40417°W / 48.83611; -88.40417
Length 72 km (45 mi)
Location of the mouth of the Black Sturgeon River in Ontario.

The Black Sturgeon River is a river in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located west of the Nipigon River, that flows to Lake Superior.

History

Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park is a waterway park and occupies the land from Black Sturgeon Dam north to and including the lands around Black Sturgeon Lake.[1] In 1959, a dam was constructed on the Black Sturgeon river. Originally, this was done in order to control water levels, yet it also ended up preventing access to the upper reaches of the river. Many speculated that this construction is what led to the collapse of the most common fish type in the area, the walleye.[2]

Course

The river begins at Black Sturgeon Lake, southwest of Lake Nipigon, and flows southeast over the Split Rapids to Nonwatin Lake where the right tributary Nonwatin River and left tributary Ferguson Creek join. It turns south, passes Mount Magee on the left, and continues southeast over the Gardener Rapids and Black Sturgeon Dam, and further downstream heads under Ontario Highway 11 / Ontario Highway 17, the Canadian National Railway line and the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline at the settlement of Everard. The Black Sturgeon turns abruptly southwest and reaches its mouth at Black Bay on Lake Superior, about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southeast of the community of Hurkett.

Geology

The river valley and Black Sturgeon Lake follow a major fault line, the Black Sturgeon Fault, which runs north-south. The valley also contains sills with columnar jointing which are related to the Midcontinent Rift System.[1]

Tributaries

  • Moseau Creek (left)
  • Shillabeer Creek (right)
  • Larson Creek (left)
  • Scooper Creek (right)
  • Mound Creek (left)
  • Nonwatin River (right)
  • Ferguson Creek (left)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Chapter 5 Ecological Land Use and Resource Management Strategy - Section 5.1.1 Earth Science" (PDF). Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park Management Plan. Ontario Parks. July 2003. p. 13. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  2. ↑ Furlong, P., Foster, R.F., Colby, P.J., & Friday, M. (2006), "Black Sturgeon River Dam: A barrier to the rehabilitation of Black Bay walleye", www.thunderbayfishing.com

  • "Black Sturgeon River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  • "Black Sturgeon River". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2011-03-02. Shows course of river.


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