Mascouche River facts for kids

The Mascouche River is a river that flows through the town of Terrebonne in Quebec, Canada. It's part of the Lanaudière region. This river is an important natural feature in the area.

Geography

The Mascouche River is about 63.5 km (39.5 mi) long. It starts in one place and then flows through many different areas before joining a larger river.

Where the River Starts

The Mascouche River begins near the Mirabel Airport. It gets its water from several smaller streams. These streams include Ouellet, Gascon-Forget, and the Saint Pierre River (Mirabel).

The River's Journey

From the airport area, the river flows:

• About 5.2 kilometres (3.2 mi) east towards Highway 15.
• Then, it travels about 9.3 kilometres (5.8 mi) through the village of Saint-Janvier. Here, it winds and turns a lot. It eventually meets the Saint Pierre River (Mirabel) coming from the northwest.
• The river continues to wind for about 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi). It reaches the border between Mirabel and Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville.
• It flows about 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) with some bends until it reaches Route 335.
• Next, it goes about 6.3 kilometres (3.9 mi) east, still with some turns. It reaches the edge of the Les Moulins Regional County Municipality (RCM).
• It then travels about 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) east, passing through the Pincourt area. It reaches Route 337. In this part, the river starts to turn towards the northeast.
• Finally, it flows about 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi) northeast to meet the Saint Pierre River again. This is the biggest stream that flows into the Mascouche River.

Downstream Journey

After joining the Saint Pierre River, the Mascouche River continues its path:

• It flows about 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) to a highway bridge in the Moorcrest area of Mascouche. From here, the river turns more towards the north.
• It then travels about 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi), making many twists and turns. It reaches the northernmost part of the river, south of Domaine-Guilbeault.
• The river then goes about 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) south to another highway bridge in the city of Mascouche.
• It flows about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) east to Highway 25.
• Then, it goes about 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) east to a railroad bridge.
• It continues about 5.0 kilometres (3.1 mi) south to Highway 640.
• Finally, it flows about 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) southwest to a special channel. This channel helps it reach the Mille Îles River faster.
• The last part of its journey is about 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) west to where it joins the Mille Îles River in Old Terrebonne.

What's in a Name?

The name "Mascouche River" has been around for a long time. In 1721, old records from Mathieu-Benoît Collet mentioned the "Maskoueche river."

Over time, the river was also called by other names, like "St. Marys River" and "Rivière Saint-Jean-Baptiste." However, the name "Mascouche River" became official on December 5, 1968. This was decided by the Commission de toponymie du Québec, which is like Quebec's official board for place names.