St. Lawrence River

Back to New York to Ontario to Quebec to Montreal

History
The St. Lawrence River originates at the outflow of Lake Ontario between Kingston, Ontario, on the north bank, Wolfe Island in mid-stream, and Cape Vincent, New York. From there, it passes Gananoque, Brockville, Morrisburg, Ogdensburg, Massena, Cornwall, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City before draining into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, one of the largest estuaries in the world. The estuary portion begins at the eastern tip of Île d'Orléans, just downstream from Quebec City.[2] The river becomes tidal in the vicinity of Quebec City.[4] Downstream from Quebec City, the St. Lawrence widens into a huge estuary.

The river runs 3,058 kilometres (1,900 mi) from the farthest headwater to the mouth and 1,197 km (743.8 mi) from the outflow of Lake Ontario. The farthest headwater is the North River in the Mesabi Range at Hibbing, Minnesota. Its drainage area, which includes the Great Lakes and hence the world's largest system of freshwater lakes.

The source of the North River in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota (Seven Beaver Lake) is considered to be the source of the Saint Lawrence River. Because it crosses so many lakes, the water system frequently changes its name. From source to mouth, the names are: North River, Saint Louis River, Lake Superior, Saint Marys River, Lake Huron, Saint Clair River, Lake Saint Clair, Detroit River, Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, Thousand Islands, and Saint Lawrence River. The Saint Lawrence also passes through Lake Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre in Quebec.

Records
Records may be found about the migration on the River system in the following:

United States Records
New York Clinton County, New York Franklin County, New York St. Lawrence County, New York Jefferson County, New York Oswego County, New York Cayuga County, New York Wayne County, New York Monroe County, New York Orleans County, New York Niagara County, New York

Canadian Records
Ontario Quebec