Volume 1

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WINNIPEG RIVER—DALLES AND PORTAGES. 2/
began to descend the River Winipic ; '"
the water was very
high and rapid, and rather dangerous. At sunset we
camped at the Dalles.
Au£-. 8tJi. We embarked and proceeded to the Grande
D^charge, where we carried about 300 paces. We- then
passed to Portage de la Terre Jaune, about 200 paces
then a short distance to Petit Rocher, a portage of about
60 paces ; thence to Portage de la Terre Blanche, about 400
paces ;
then to the Cave, which is about 50 paces, at times
not so much." In leaving this portage my canoe ran on a
2" This word is given as Cree Wi-nipi, or W^in-nepe, meaning turbid water.
In Canadian geography it has settled in the form Winnipeg, after long fluctuation
in many different shapes, from such as the early F. Ounipigon, through
Winnipegon, Winepegon, with loss of final syllable, final g, k, c, or ck, one n
or two, and all the vowels either e or i. A list of forms tabulated by C. N.
Bell, in Trans. Manitoba Hist, and Sci. Soc, Jan. 22d, 1885, p. 3, includes
Ouinipigon, Verendrye, 1734 ; Ouinipique, Dobbs, 1742 ; Vnipignon, Gallissoniere,
1750 Ouinipeg,
; Bougainville, 1757 ; Ouinipique, on a F. map of 1776 ;
Winnepeck, Carver. 1768 ; Winipegon, Henry, 1775 ; Winipic, McKenzie,
1789 Winipick,
; Harmon, 1800
;
Winepic, Ross Cox, 1817 ; Winnipic, Schoolcraft,
1820 ; Winnepeek, Keating, 1823 ; Winipeg, Beltrami, 1823 ; Winnipeg,
Back, 1833. I have verified most of these, and have no doubt that others
could be found.
Among other names of the river or some part of it may be noted
White r. of Sir A. McKenzie and of
Riviere Maurepas of Verendrye, :
1734
Harmon, after Riviere Blanche of the French ; and Sea r. of Thompson, 1796,
whence " Lee " r. of some late maps : see also Pinawa, beyond. It extends in
a general W. N. W. direction, but with a very tortuous course aside from its
minor reciprocal bends, from the N. end of Clearwater 1. (a part of the old Lake
of the Woods, as we have seen) to Traverse bay in the S. E. part of Lake Winnipeg
;
its total length is said to be about 200 m. It is one of the great waterways,
used as a canoe route since the first penetration of the whites into this
region, though the rapidity and turbulence of the stream, and the many obstructions
in its course in spite of its great average width and depth, render navigation
both difficult and dangerous. An upper portion of the river is confined
for some miles to a width of about 40 yards between perpendicular granitic
cliffs ;
these are the Dalles : for the explanation of which term, see Lewis and
Clark, ed. 1893, p. 954. Henry's camp there was probably about 8 m. down
river from Rat portage.
2^ The five places Henry names are easily collated with those given in
Thompson's MS.; in McKenzie, p. lix ; and in Keating's Long, II. p. 145.
I. The Grand Discharge or Grande Decharge is named alike by all ; it is a
place over 20 m. down river, where canoes may usually shoot the rapids, empty
or partly laden, with good carriage on the left, about 200 yards. Below this,