Petawawa

The Petawawa River descends through lakes, gorges and rapids to meet the Ottawa River. Its Algonquin name has been translated as “where one hears the noise of the water,” recalling the sound of its rapids. The meeting of the two rivers lay in the country of the Kichesipirini, the “people of the great river,” and provided access to gathering places and routes for exchange. In 1686, people at the river mouth hailed the French expedition of the Chevalier de Troyes as it journeyed towards James Bay.