Great River (the Grande)

The Grande River

The Grande River, known as well as Chisasibi (meaning Great River in Cree language) flows in northwestern Quebec 900 km or 560 mi west. It drains into James Bay.

he Grande is the second largest river in Quebec, and the river is surpassed only by the St. Lawrence River. Previously, the Grande River was known as the Fort George River, as a trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, known as Fort George, was established here on an island at the mouth of the river.

In the early 20th century, Fort George became a village as the Crees of the James Bay. In 1980, the Cree village of Chisasibi replaced Fort George, but it was relocated few kilometres o the East. Starting in 1974, the river has been developed as a source of hydroelectric power by Hydro-Québec.

Large areas were flooded. Besides, almost all of the flow of the Eastmain River was diverted into the Grande watershed. As a result, the Cree people of the region lost about 10% of their traditional hunting and trapping territories.