Trompeuse River


The Rivière Trompeuse is a tributary of the rivière aux Écorces, flowing in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The course of the Trompeuse River crosses the northwestern part of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.
The Trompeuse river valley is located between route 169 connecting Quebec (city) to Chicoutimi and route 155 connecting La Tuque to Chambord. This valley is also served by some secondary forest roads of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, especially for forestry and recreational tourism activities.
Forestry is the main economic activity in this valley; recreational tourism, second. On the rivière aux Écorces, downstream from the confluence of the Trompeuse river and at the head of the lac aux Écorces des spawning grounds are recognized as one of the best spring fishing sites in the territory of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.
The surface of the Trompeuse 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 neighboring the Trompeuse River are:
The Trompeuse River originates at Trompeur Lake in a forest area in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. This source is located at:
From its source, the Trompeuse River flows over with a drop of entirely in the forest zone, according to the following segments:
  • towards the south in particular by crossing Lake Tiffaut over its full length, up to its mouth. Note: Lac Tiffaut receives the outlet from Lac Rousseau;
  • south to Fortin stream ;
  • first towards the west, towards the northwest, then towards the west by crossing an area of marsh, until the discharge of the lake of Chasseur;
  • first towards the southwest by crossing a marsh area at the start of the segment, then towards the south in particular by crossing Second Lake Thivierge, then Thivierge Lake on, to the mouth of the latter;
  • south, to Cloutier stream ;
  • towards the south by forming a loop towards the west and collecting around twenty streams, to its mouth.
The Trompeuse river flows on the northeast bank of the rivière aux Canots. This confluence is located at:
From the mouth of the Trompeuse river, the current successively follows the course of the rivière aux Écorces on generally towards the north, the course of the Pikauba River on generally to the north, crosses Kenogami Lake on north-east to 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 towards the east until Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.

Toponymy

The toponym “Rivière Trompeuse” appears on a 1928 map. Two theses can explain the meaning of this toponym:
  • According to the first thesis, this toponym was attributed by the fact that the body of water at its confluence, generated by the widening of the river, comprising five islands, leads to confuse the discharge of the Trompeuse river and the main course de la rivière aux Écorces. This body of water also receives the Spider Creek.
  • According to the second thesis, when going up the river upstream of Second Thivierge Lake, navigators arriving at a marsh area, confuse the discharge of Lac du Chasseur, which is wider, and the outlet from Trompeur and Tiffaut lakes. This confusion is accentuated in this place by the presence of an island on the course of the outlet of Lac Trompeur, in the marsh area.
The toponym “Rivière Trompeuse” was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.