Little Whale River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Whale River |
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The Little Whale is just north of the Great Whale River basin (in yellow)
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| Other name(s) | Petite rivière de la Baleine, Wâpamekustûss |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Nunavik |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Unnamed |
| River mouth | Hudson Bay Point Qilalugarsiuvik 0 m (0 ft) 56°00′15″N 76°47′00″W / 56.00417°N 76.78333°W |
| Length | 380 km (240 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 15,900 km2 (6,100 sq mi) |
| Tributaries |
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The Little Whale River is a river found in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It is also known by its French name, Petite rivière de la Baleine. The local Cree people call it Wâpamekustûss.
This river is quite large! Its basin, which is the area of land drained by the river and its smaller streams, covers about 15,900 square kilometres (6,100 sq mi). This makes it the 35th biggest river basin in Quebec.
The Cree people had a name for part of the river near its end, Wâpamekustus. This name is very similar to what was written down in 1740. The Inuit people have their own name for it, Qilalugarsiuviup Kuunga. This means "river or place where beluga is hunted," because beluga whales are found there.
Sometimes, the river's name has been incorrectly translated into French as Rivière de la Petite Baleine.
River History: Exploring the Past
Records from 1740 tell us about this river. Joseph Isbister, who worked at the Eastmain Post, wrote about a river called Wapameg-Us-Sosh. This name means "White Whale River." He noted that many beluga whales were found there.
He also mentioned that this river was a short distance south of a large bay. This bay is now known as Richmond Gulf or Lac Guillaume-Delisle in French.
First English Records
The English name for the river was first written down in 1744. This happened in the logbooks of two Hudson's Bay Company employees. Their names were Thomas Mitchell and John Longland. They were exploring the coast of Hudson Bay.
On July 29, Mitchell wrote about the "Little White Whale River." This is the first time we see a name similar to what we use today.
Early Mining and Whaling
In the mid-1700s, people found traces of copper along the Little Whale River. Because of this, a house was built there for miners. There was also a small operation to hunt whales. However, the mine did not find anything valuable, so it didn't last long.
