Rivière du Petit Pré facts for kids

The Rivière du Petit Pré is a small river in Quebec, Canada. It flows south into the famous Saint Lawrence River. The entire river is located within the town of L'Ange-Gardien. This area is part of the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region.

The lower part of the river valley is easy to reach. You can use Avenue Royale and Quebec Route 138. These roads run along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The upper part of the valley is reached by Lucien-Lefrançois road. The main jobs here involve forestry, especially making maple syrup. Farming is also important in the lower parts of the valley.

The river's surface usually freezes from early December to late March. It's generally safe to walk on the ice from mid-December to mid-March. The amount of water in the river changes with the seasons and how much rain or snow falls. The river usually floods in March or April when the snow melts.

Where the Petit Pré River Flows

The Petit Pré River starts at a lake called Lac la Retenue. This lake is in the countryside behind Côte-de-Beaupré. There's a dam at the lake's exit. Lac la Retenue has two exits. One forms the Petit Pré River. The other forms the outlet of the rivière la Retenue, which flows into the Ferrée River.

From Lac la Retenue, the Petit Pré River flows for 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) (about 6.3 miles). It drops 193 metres (633 ft) (about 633 feet) in height along its path. Here's how its journey goes:

• For the first 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) (about 1.2 miles), it flows southeast. It passes through farms and a small village. Then it meets the Queen River, which comes from the north.
• Next, for 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) (about 1.7 miles), it mostly flows through forests. It goes south, then east, passing a small lake. This lake is 0.4 kilometres (0.25 mi) (about 0.25 miles) long and 144 metres (472 ft) (about 472 feet) high. It then reaches a dam.
• After the dam, it flows for 5.1 kilometres (3.2 mi) (about 3.2 miles). First, it goes northeast through forests. It crosses under big Hydro-Québec power lines, where farmland begins. It makes some small turns. Then it goes east, making more turns and passing through the small village of Petit Pré. It reaches Quebec Route 138.
• Finally, for 0.42 kilometres (0.26 mi) (about 0.26 miles), it flows southeast. It passes south of the village of Giguère. It crosses a bay that is 0.39 kilometres (0.24 mi) (about 0.24 miles) long. Then it reaches its mouth.

The Petit Pré River empties into the northwest side of the Saint Lawrence River. This area is called "La Longue Pointe." It's right across from Pointe Saint-Pierre on Île d'Orléans. The river's mouth is between the villages of Valin (to the north) and Petit-Pré (to the south). This meeting point is 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) (about 1.6 miles) north of the center of L'Ange-Gardien. It's also 0.9 kilometres (0.56 mi) (about 0.56 miles) from the northwest shore of Île d'Orléans. And it's 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) (about 4.8 miles) north of the bridge that connects Île d'Orléans to L'Ange-Gardien. The last 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) (about 0.5 miles) of the river, going upstream from its mouth, forms the border between the towns of L'Ange-Gardien and Château-Richer.

What's in a Name?

The name "Petit Pré" means "small meadow" in French. This name makes sense because natural meadows, which provided hay for animals, helped the first settlements grow along the Côte-de-Beaupré. In the early 1900s, a train station helped a small community form. This community became the current village of Petit Pré.

This river was first called "Rivière du Petit-Pré" in 1652. But it has had other names too. In the 1600s, it was sometimes called "Lothainville" or "Lotinville." This name came from a piece of land behind a fiefdom (a type of land grant) that was named Lotinville or Lothainville. This was in memory of Isabelle Lotin, who was the mother of Governor Lauson. In the 1900s, some local people also called it "Rivière du Moulin" (Mill River) and "Rivière à Richard" (Richard's River).

The official name, "Rivière du Petit Pré," was made formal on December 5, 1968. This was done by the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.