Old Woman River (Ontario)

Old Woman River
Old Woman River (Ontario) is located in Ontario
Old Woman River (Ontario)
Location
Canada
ProvinceOntario
DistrictAlgoma
Physical characteristics
MouthOld Woman Bay (Lake Superior)
 • location
Unorg. North Algoma
 • coordinates
47°47′08″N 84°53′45″W / 47.78556°N 84.89583°W / 47.78556; -84.89583[1]
 • elevation
183 m (600 ft)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSouth Old Woman River

The Old Woman River is a river in Algoma District of Ontario, Canada, which empties into Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior south of Wawa.[1] It flows through Lake Superior Provincial Park.

The river follows a fault which became a spillway for glacial meltwater following the last ice age. The river's valley has extensive deposits of sand and gravel. At its mouth, the river bends sharply behind a beach berm, that has formed as a result of prevailing westerly winds, which in turn causes lake waves to dam the river's mouth with sand.[2]

Towering cliffs along the bay have been home to peregrine falcons.

The name for the bay and river come from a rock formation near the river's mouth that resembles the face of an old woman.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Old Woman River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Bob Turner; Marianne Quat; Ruth Debicki; Phil Thurston (2015). "Lake Superior Provincial Park - On the Geological Shores of the World's Largest Freshwater Lake" (PDF). Natural Resources Canada and Ontario Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 October 2022.

External links[edit]

Media related to Old Woman River (Canada) at Wikimedia Commons