Liard River 958249 225596689 2008-07-14T14:01:32Z Sardanaphalus 427947 updating link using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{dablink|For other uses of "Liard", see [[Liard (disambiguation)]].}} {{Infobox River | river_name = Liard River | image_name = | caption = | origin =Pelly Mountains | mouth =Mackenzie River | basin_countries = [[Canada]] | length =1,115 km (693 miles) | elevation = | mouth_elevation = | discharge = | watershed = }} The '''Liard River''' flows through the [[Yukon]] Territory, [[British Columbia]] and the [[Northwest Territories]], [[Canada]]. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the [[Pelly Mountains]] in southeastern [[Yukon]], it flows 1,115 km (693 miles) southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and then curving northeast back into the Yukon and Northwest Territories, draining into the [[Mackenzie River]] at [[Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories|Fort Simpson]], Northwest Territories. The river drains approximately 277,100 square kilometres of [[boreal]] forest and [[muskeg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9048105/Liard-River#202593.hook |title=Liard River |publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |accessdate=2008-01-24}}</ref> The river habitats are a subsection of the Lower Mackenzie Freshwater Ecoregion. The area around the river in the Yukon Territory is called the ''Liard River Valley'', and the [[Alaska Highway]] follows the river for part of its route. This surrounding area is also referred to as the '''Liard Plain''', and is a physiographic section of the larger Yukon-Tanana Uplands province, which in turn is part of the larger [[Intermontane Plateaus]] physiographic division. The Liard River is a crossing area for [[Nahanni]] [[wood bison]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic56-4-408.pdf |title=Observations of Wood Bison Swimming across the Liard River, Northwest Territories, Canada |publisher=Arctic, VOL 56, NO. 4, P. 408-412 |author=N.C. Larter, J.S. Nishi, T. Ellsworth, D. Johnson, G. More, D.G. Allaire |date=December 2003 |accessdate=2008-01-24}}</ref> ==History of Exploration== {{TOCright}} The origin of the river's name is obscure, but is derived from the French word for "[[poplar]]", which grow in abundance along sections of the river. Among the early [[fur trade|fur traders]], the Liard above the [[Fort Nelson River]] was referred to as the "West Branch," while the Fort Nelson River was the "East Branch." The first European to traverse most of the river was [[John McLeod]] of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]. Leaving [[Fort Simpson]] on June 28, 1831, McLeod and eight others ascended the river, reaching and naming the [[Dease River]] in just over six weeks. Four days later, they reached the [[Frances River]], and mistankenly ascended it, thinking it was the Liard's main branch. Nine years later, another HBC employee - [[Robert Campbell (fur trader)|Robert Campbell]] - journeyed to the source of the Liard in the [[St. Cyr Range]], re-naming the river McLeod had ascended for Frances Ramsay Simpson, the wife of the [[George Simpson (administrator)|Sir George Simpson]], the HBC's governor who had authorised both expeditions. ==Features of the River== *The '''Grand Canyon of the Liard''' is a spectacular 30 km stretch of the river beginning just east of the Liard River Hotsprings. It contains numerous class IV and higher rapids. *'''[[Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park|Liard River Hotsprings]]''' is a popular tourist attraction located at kilometre 765 of the Alaska Highway. *The historic '''Liard River Suspension Bridge''', built in 1944, is located at kilometre 798 of the Alaska Highway. ==Major Tributaries== <div style="float:right;border:1px silver solid;"> {{Superimpose | base = Major Rivers in West Canada.png | base_width = 280px | base_caption = Western Canada rivers | float = Map symbol-pin.gif | float_width = 20px | float_caption = Liard River | x = 133 | y = 0 }} <center><small>Liard River in western Canada</small></center> </div> From mouth to headwater, the major tributaries of the Liard are: *[[South Nahanni River]] *[[Muskeg River]] *[[Petitot River]] *[[Kotaneelee River]] *[[Fort Nelson River]] *[[Kechika River]] *[[Dease River]] *[[Frances River]] ==Communities Along the Liard== From mouth to headwater, communities along the river include: *[[Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories]] *[[Fort Liard, Northwest Territories]] *[[Liard River, British Columbia]] *[[Lower Post, British Columbia]] *[[Watson Lake, Yukon]] *[[Upper Liard, Yukon]] ==References== {{reflist}} <!--For ease of standardization, use a citation template from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Template_messages/Sources_of_articles#Citations_of_generic_sources --> ==External links== * [http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic56-4-408.pdf Map and photos] {{Geography topics}} {{Physical geography topics}} [[Category:Rivers of British Columbia]] [[Category:Rivers of the Northwest Territories]] [[Category:Rivers of the Yukon]] [[Category:Physiographic sections]] [[cs:Liard]] [[de:Liard River]] [[fr:Liard (rivière)]] [[gl:Río Liard]] [[it:Liard]] [[lt:Lajardas]] [[ja:リアード川]] [[pl:Liard]]