Information AboutLiard River |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LIARD RIVER | |
| rivers of british columbia | |
| rivers of the northwest territories | |
| rivers of the yukon | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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The Liard River flows through the Yukon Territory, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories , Canada . Rising in the Pelly Mountains in south-eastern 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. The river drains approximately 277,100 square kilometres of Boreal forest and Muskeg . 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. HISTORY OF EXPLORATION 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 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 main branch. Nine years later, another "Bay man" - Robert Campbell - journeyed to the source of the Liard in the St. Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains, re-naming the river McLeod had ascended for the wife of the Company's governor, Sir George Simpson , who had authorised both expeditions. FEATURES OF THE RIVER
MAJOR TRIBUTARIES From mouth to headwater, the major tributaries of the Liard are:
COMMUNITIES ALONG THE LIARD From mouth to headwater, communities along the river include:
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