La Pêche River


The La Pêche River is a river in western Quebec, in Canada, which drains La Pêche Lake in Gatineau Park and empties into the Gatineau River at Wakefield.

Geography

The south shore of La Pêche Lake is just north of the Ottawa River. The mouth of the lake is at in direct line from the mouth of the La Pêche river.
From its source at La Pêche Lake in the Pontiac municipality, the La Pêche River flows for about to the east, partly in the Gatineau Park, sometimes in woodlands, agricultural or urban. La Pêche Lake receives water discharges of several lakes, including: Martin, Serpent, à Guilbeault, Fisher, Trois Monts, Malverson, du Loup and La Loutre. The mouth of La Pêche Lake is at its northern end.
La Pêche river flows towards the north-east, then east, where it will run along more or less the 366 West Main Road to its mouth. On its way to the east, La Pêche River collects various branches dumps lakes:
La Pêche river empties into the Gatineau River at south of the covered bridge of Wakefield, northern sector of the city of Gatineau, and upstream of the mouth of the Gatineau River in Ottawa River.

Toponymy

At the beginning of the 19th century, Joseph Bureau, among other explorers, described this lake as a very fishy lake, abounding especially pike and trout. Accessibility of La Pêche Lake, near the Ottawa River and Ottawa city, in, favoured sport fishing.
The toponym "La Pêche River" was recorded as of December 24, 1976, at the "Bank of place names" in Commission de toponymie du Québec. The toponyms of the lake and river are related together.

History

A grain mill was built in 1838 on the river at MacLaren Falls near Wakefield and is now operated as an inn, the Moulin Wakefield Inn and Spa. A textile mill and a sawmill at the same location helped to provide the impetus for the development of a settlement at Wakefield.