Athabasca River
| Athabasca River | |
.jpg) Athabasca River in Jasper National Park
|
|
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Alberta |
| Source | Columbia Icefield |
| - location | Jasper National Park |
| - elevation | 1,520 m (4,987 ft) (foot of glacier) |
| - coordinates | 52°10′4″N 117°25′50″W / 52.16778°N 117.43056°W |
| Mouth | Lake Athabasca |
| - elevation | 205 m (673 ft) |
| - coordinates | 58°37′35″N 110°50′5″W / 58.62639°N 110.83472°WCoordinates: 58°37′35″N 110°50′5″W / 58.62639°N 110.83472°W |
| Length | 1,231 km (765 mi) |
| Basin | 95,300 km2 (36,796 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Athabasca Delta |
| - average | 783 m3/s (27,650 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 4,790 m3/s (169,160 cu ft/s) |
| - min | 75.0 m3/s (2,650 cu ft/s) |
 Athabasca River watershed in western Canada
|
|
The Athabasca River (French: rivière Athabasca) originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The impressive and scenic Athabasca Falls is located upstream about 30 km (19 mi) from the Jasper townsite.
The name Athabasca comes from the Woods Cree word aðapaskāw, which means "[where] there are plants one after another", likely a reference to the spotty vegetation along the river.
Sekani, Shuswap, Kootenay, Salish, Stoney and Cree tribes hunted and fished along the river prior to the European colonization. From about 1778, the Athabasca River, the Clearwater River, which enters the Athabasca River from the east at Fort McMurray, and the Methye Portage were part of the main fur trade route from the Mackenzie River to the Great Lakes. See Canadian Canoe Routes (early).
David Thompson and Thomas the Iroquois travelled through Athabasca Pass in 1811. In 1862, the Athabasca Springs area was crossed during the Cariboo Goldrush by the Overlander Party.
This river was designated a Canadian Heritage River for its importance to the fur trade and the construction of railways and roads opening up the Canadian West, as well as for its natural heritage.
...
Wikipedia