Rivière à la Cruche

The rivière à la Cruche (river of the jug) is a tributary of the Malbaie River, flowing into the Lac-Pikauba unorganized territory, into the Regional County Municipality (MRC) of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in the Capitale-Nationale administrative region, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. Most of the "rivière à la Cruche" flows to the eastern end of the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve except for the lower part of its course.

The hydrographic slope of "rivière à la Cruche" is served primarily by route 381 (north–south direction) which goes up this valley. It is also served by various secondary forest roads for forestry and recreational tourism purposes.^[1]

Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector; recreational tourism activities, second.

The "rivière à la Cruche" area is usually frozen from early December to late March, however, safe ice circulation is generally from mid-December to mid-March.

Geography

The mouth of La Cruche River is located between the Grands-Jardins National Park and Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park; between Ha! Ha! Lake and the Lac des Martres.

The main hydrographic slopes near the "rivière à la Cruche" are:

• North side: Malbaie River, Small Ha! Ha! Lake, Ha! Ha! Lake, Ha! Ha! River;
• east side: Belle Truite Lake, Cran Rouge Creek, Malbaie River, Porc-Épic River, Moreau Lake, Martres River;
• south side: La Cruche Lake, Chenard Lake, Cows Creek, Ha! Ha! River;
• west side: Ha! Ha! River, Myel Lake, Cinto Lake, Goéland Creek, Rivière à Mars Nord.^[1]

La Cruche River rises at the mouth of Pimpant Lake (length: 0.17 km (0.11 mi); altitude: 979 m (3,212 ft)) in the southwest corner of the township of Lalemant. The mouth of this lake is located at:

• 2.1 km (1.3 mi) northeast of the Ha! Ha! River;
• 1.9 km (1.2 mi) southwest of Michta Lake;
• 3.0 km (1.9 mi) west of Belle Truite Lake;
• 6.2 km (3.9 mi) south of Little Ha! Ha! Lake;
• 7.3 km (4.5 mi) northwest of "La Cruche Lake";
• 7.6 km (4.7 mi) northwest of the confluence of the "rivière à la Cruche" and the Malbaie River.^[1]

From its source (Pimpant Lake), the Cruche river descends on 9.9 km (6.2 mi) in forested and mountainous areas, with a difference of 307 m (1,007 ft) according to the following segments:

• 3.2 km (2.0 mi) easterly curving southeast to the outlet (coming from the west) of Lake Myel;
• 3.4 km (2.1 mi) southeasterly by collecting a stream (from the northwest) to the outlet (coming from the northeast) of the Petit lac à la Cruche;
• 0.7 km (0.43 mi) southeasterly to a creek (coming from the northwest);
• 1.4 km (0.87 mi) southeasterly to the outlet (coming from the south) of La Cruche Lake;
• 1.2 km (0.75 mi) easterly forming a curve to the south, to its mouth.^[1]

The "rivière à la Cruche" flows into a swirl zone on the west bank of the Malbaie River. This confluence is located at:

• 0.7 km (0.43 mi) downstream of the mouth of the Porc-Epic River;
• 2.0 km (1.2 mi) northeast of the mouth of La Cruche Lake;
• 7.0 km (4.3 mi) northeast of the Ha! Ha! River;
• 8.4 km (5.2 mi) west of lac des Martres;
• 12.2 km (7.6 mi) southeast of Little Ha! Ha! Lake;
• 45.2 km (28.1 mi) west of downtown Clermont;
• 52.0 km (32.3 mi) west of the confluence of the Malbaie River and the St. Lawrence River.^[1][2]

From the confluence of the La Cruche River, the current flows down the Malbaie River over 98.9 km (61.5 mi) to the northeast, south, and south-east, which flows on the northwestern shore of the St. Lawrence River.

Toponymy

The toponym "Rivière à la Cruche" is indicated on the draft "Lac des Martres", 1961-09-25, item 84. This name was approved on 1963-07-03 by the Quebec Geography Commission.

The toponym "Cruche River" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Bank of Place Names of the Commission de toponymie du Quebec.^[3]

See also

• Charlevoix, a MRC
• Lac-Pikauba, Quebec, an unorganized territory
• La Malbaie, a municipality
• Laurentides Wildlife Reserve
• Grands-Jardins National Park
• Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park
• Malbaie River
• St. Lawrence River
• List of rivers of Quebec

Notes and references