Rupert River

Rupert River (Rivière Rupert)
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Jamésie
Source	Lake Mistassini
- coordinates	50°57′0″N 73°42′0″W / 50.95000°N 73.70000°W / 50.95000; -73.70000
Mouth	Rupert Bay off James Bay
- location	Waskaganish
- coordinates	51°29′0″N 78°46′0″W / 51.48333°N 78.76667°W / 51.48333; -78.76667Coordinates: 51°29′0″N 78°46′0″W / 51.48333°N 78.76667°W / 51.48333; -78.76667
Length	763 km (474 mi)
Basin	43,400 km2 (16,800 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	900 m3/s (31,800 cu ft/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Lake Mistassini outlet	434 m3/s (15,300 cu ft/s)
Rupert River original basin in yellow and orange, diverted basin in orange

The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Quebec, it flows 600 kilometres (370 mi) west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of 43,400 square kilometres (16,800 sq mi). There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid much of it by portage routes on the side. The most impressive falls, which cannot be avoided except by portaging, are the "Oatmeal Rapids" right at the James Bay Road (a set of cascades dropping 18 m (59 ft)) and "The Fours" near the end of the river (a 24 m (79 ft) drop).

The Rupert has long been an important river for the Cree of the area. Every year, a group of Cree youth from the village of Waskaganish, at the mouth of the Rupert, travel up the river to Lake Nemiscau.

Major tributaries of the Rupert are (in downstream order):

In 1668, an expedition led by Médard des Groseilliers came to the mouth of the Rupert River in order to bypass French controlled areas along the St. Lawrence River and in doing so, trying to break the French hold on the fur trade. They named the river after the sponsor of the expedition, Prince Rupert. A fort (originally called Fort Charles) was established at the mouth of the river, which later became the trading post Rupert House, the oldest trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. From then on, the Rupert River played a vital role in supplying inland trading posts (such as Nemiscau and Mistissini) with regular canoe brigades, right until the beginning of the twentieth century when supplies started to come from the south via rail and later road.