The Metabetchouan River (French: Métabetchouane) is a tributary of Lac Saint-Jean in the centre of the province of Quebec, Canada. The course of this river successively crosses the regional county municipalities (MRC) of:
- La Jacques-Cartier Regional County Municipality (administrative region of Capitale-Nationale): in the unorganized territory of Lac-Croche;
- La Tuque (administrative region of Mauricie):
- Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality (administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean): in the unorganized territory of Lac-Moncouche;
- Le Domaine-du-Roy Regional County Municipality (administrative region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean): in the municipality of Saint-André-du-Lac-Saint-Jean.
It ends at Desbiens, where a cave called Le trou de la Fée is located. Its source are the Mâles and Bouteille Lakes in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve and it is long.
The river has been dammed for hydroelectric power. Now, it is also a tourist river with rafting, canoeing, and fishing opportunities. It is known for its reserve of fresh-water salmon. In the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, this fish is known as Ouananiche.
This watercourse begins in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. The course of this river constitutes:
- the western limit of the territory of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve, between Lac Long and Métabetchouane Lake;
- the eastern limit of the controlled harvesting zone Zec Kiskissink and the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve;
- the boundary between the municipalities of Lac-Bouchette and Saint-André-du-Lac-Saint-Jean.
The Métabetchouane river valley is mainly accessible by:
- intermediate part: forest road R0279 passing north of Saint-Henri Lake;
- lower part: route 169 along the south shore of lac Saint-Jean, the Trou-de-la-Fée road, the Chambord road, the rang path Saint-Hilaire.
The surface of the Métabetchoune River (except the rapids zones) is usually frozen from the end of November to the beginning of April, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to the end of March.
Geography
With an average flow of 47 m<sup>3</sup>/s, it takes its source in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. It has several falls, including the "chute à l'Épouvante" (Fall to the Horror) and the Martine Fall.
The main watersheds neighboring the Métabetchouane River are:
- north side: lac Saint-Jean;
- east side: Métabetchouane East River, rivière aux Écorces, Pikauba River, Saguenay River;
- south side: Batiscan River, Jacques-Cartier River;
- west side: Bouchette Lake, Lac des Commissaires, Ouiatchouan River, Ouellet River.
At its mouth on the south shore of lac Saint-Jean, the Métabetchouane river forms a small lake, between the village of Chambord to the west and Desbiens to the east.
From the mouth of the Métabetchouane river on the south shore of lac Saint-Jean, the current crosses the latter on towards the northeast, then follows the course of the Saguenay River via La Petite Décharge on until Tadoussac where it merges with the Saint Lawrence estuary.
History
400px|thumb|left|[[Hudson's Bay Company trading post, circa 1890]]
thumb|150px|Powder magazine of the 18th century built along the Métabetchouane River
The mouth of the river may have been a seasonal Innu camp for thousands of years and the river itself was used as a route between Lake Saint-Jean and the Quebec City region. Important archaeological excavations on the banks of the river led, in the 1960s, to the discovery of a site frequented by the Amerindians since approximately 5000 years. In 1647, Jean de Quen was the first European to visit the place but his report did not make mention of the river. Some two decades later in 1676, the first reference was made of this river as Metabeki8an in the second register of Tadoussac. A French trading post was erected at its mouth in 1676. That same year, Jesuits established the Saint-Charles Mission at the river's mouth. In the mid 19th century, William Price began logging along the length of the river and it was used for a long time for log driving.
See also
- List of rivers of Quebec