Severn River (Ontario)
There are two Severn Rivers in Ontario, Canada
In central Ontario, the headwaters of the Severn River are located at the north end of Lake Couchiching. It drains Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally northwest into Georgian Bay, a large bay of Lake Huron. The Severn forms part of the inland canal system known as the Trent-Severn Waterway, which links Port Severn on Georgian Bay with Trenton on Lake Ontario via the Trent Canal. From the middle of the 19th century up until the completion of the canal in 1920, the Severn was used to transport logs to sawmills down river. There are two hydroelectric stations at falls located on its course. The central Ontario river is only 30 km (20 miles) long.
The northern Ontario river has its headwaters near the western border of the province. It flows northeasterly into Severn Lake, then by a second section to Hudson Bay at Fort Severn. Located at the mouth of the river, the fort was established as a trading post in 1689 by the Hudson's Bay Company. It was captured by Pierre le Moyne, sieur d'Iberville in 1690. The post, rebuilt in 1759, has been in continuous operation to this day making this community one of the oldest European settlements in Ontario. The Severn River is 680 km (420 miles) long.