Sawine River


The Sawine River is a tributary of the Rivière aux Écorces, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Ministuk, in the Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in the province from Quebec, to Canada. The course of the Sawine River crosses the northwestern part of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.
The small valley of the Sawine River is located near route 169. This valley is also served by a few secondary forest roads, especially for forestry and recreational tourism activities.
Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second.
The surface of the Sawine River is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally made from mid-December to mid-March.

Geography

The main watersheds adjacent to the Sawine River are:
The Sawine River rises at the confluence of Lac du Virage in a forest area in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. This source is located at:
From its source, the Sawine River flows over with a drop of entirely in the forest zone, according to the following segments:
  • north across Lac du Cabanon, up to the outlet of Petit Lac Morin;
  • northerly collecting a stream and curving towards the north-west, up to the bridge of the route 169;
  • towards the northwest by snaking to the outlet of Lac Chartrand;
  • northwards, to a stream ;
  • north to Daoust stream ;
  • towards the north by forming a hook towards the east, then by bending towards the northwest, until its mouth.
The Sawine river flows on the southeast bank of the Rivière aux Écorces. This confluence is located at:
From the mouth of the Sawine river, the current successively follows the course of the Rivière aux Écorces on towards the northeast, the course of the Pikauba River on generally towards the north, crosses Kenogami Lake on towards the northeast until at Barrage de Portage-des-Roches, then follows the course of the Chicoutimi River on towards the east, then the northeast and the course of the Saguenay River on eastward to Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.

Toponymy

The toponymic designation “Sawine River” appears on a 1947 map of Laurentian National Park. This acronym evokes the memory of an Abenaki family, more particularly that of Ambroise O'Bomsawin and her son Amable. In the 1850s, this family would have settled in Mashteuiatsh, in Lac-Saint-Jean. The specific “Sawine” would therefore be the shortened form of the surname O'Bomsawin.
The toponym “Sawine River” was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.

Appendices

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