Windigo River facts for kids

The Windigo River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows through wild forest areas in a region called Mauricie. The river is important for the local environment and has an interesting name with a special meaning.

Where the Windigo River Flows

The Windigo River flows from north to south through thick forests in the Laurentian Mountains. It's about 100 kilometers (62 miles) long. It runs to the east of the larger Saint-Maurice River. As it flows, the river passes through two main areas: a wild, unorganized territory called Lac-Ashuapmushuan, Quebec and the town area of La Tuque.

River Neighbors

The land around a river that collects all its water is called a watershed. The Windigo River's watershed has some neighbors:

• To the east, it's next to the watersheds of the Jolie River and the Pierriche River.
• To the west, it's right next to the watershed of the big Saint-Maurice River.

River's Journey

The Windigo River starts high up in the mountains from small lakes like "lac de la hauteur" (Lake of Height) and "lac du Pigamon" (Lake Pigamon). These starting lakes are surrounded by mountains that reach up to 2,150 feet (about 655 meters) high!

As the water flows down from the mountains, it passes through several other lakes, including:

• Lake l'Abbé
• Lake de l'Adiante
• Lake Wilfried
• Lake Windigo
• Lake Wageguma
• Lake Compass

Near its end, about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) before it joins a larger body of water, the Windigo River turns west. It then flows into the Reservoir Blanc. This reservoir is actually a wider part of the Saint-Maurice River, created by a dam called Rapide-Blanc. The Windigo River's mouth (where it ends) is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) upstream from a bend in the Saint-Maurice River, near a small place called McTavish.

Smaller Rivers Joining Windigo

Many smaller streams and rivers flow into the Windigo River, adding to its water. These are called tributaries. Some of the main ones include:

• From the west side: streams like "Two and a Half Mile," "des Cinq milles" (Five Miles), and the Windigo River West.
• From the east side: streams like Veillette, Doucet, and the Cabeloga River.

The Name Windigo

The name "Windigo River" has a very interesting history!

A Monster's Name

The name "Windigo" (sometimes spelled "Wendigo") comes from the Algonquin people and the Cree language. In their stories, the Windigo is a powerful, giant, and sometimes scary monster that can be a cannibal. It's often seen as a person possessed by an evil spirit. People believed that if you saw a Windigo, you had to try to stop it right away.

The name was also used to scare children into behaving, much like a "bogeyman." In Quebec, if someone says "from the Windigo," it often means going deep into the woods, to remote or wild places, or going on an adventure far away.

Indigenous Names

Different Indigenous groups have their own names for the river:

• The Abenaki people call it Kiwakwazibo, which means "the giant river."
• The Attikameks people know it as Witiko Sipi, meaning "river monster."

Official Naming

The name "Windigo River" was officially recorded on December 5, 1968, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec (which is like Quebec's official board for geographical names). This board makes sure place names are correct and recorded. There are 28 places in Quebec that use the name "Windigo," including "Rapids Windigo" on the Saint-Maurice River.