River · Canada
Nelson River
The Nelson River carries the water of Lake Winnipeg north through the wild land of Manitoba to Hudson Bay. The river itself is short, but it collects water from a huge area that reaches all the way to the Rocky Mountains.
Picture credit: US Mission Canada (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Nelson River?
The river starts here: Northern end of Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
It ends in the Hudson Bay at Port Nelson, Manitoba.
Countries on the river: Canada.
The story behind it
The Nelson leaves Lake Winnipeg at its northern tip and flows north-east through a chain of lakes such as Cross Lake and Split Lake. In 1612 the English explorer Thomas Button spent the winter at its mouth and named the river after Robert Nelson, a ship's master who died there. Later the Hudson's Bay Company built the trading post York Factory near the mouth, and traders carried furs and goods along the river. Today the Nelson is a river of power: Manitoba Hydro runs five hydroelectric stations on it, and the biggest one, Limestone, has ten turbines. A railway to Hudson Bay follows much of the river. Every summer beluga whales gather in the Nelson's estuary, where river water meets the sea. Scientists think the shallow, warmer water may help them rub off old skin, look after their calves and hide from killer whales.
Questions children ask
How long is the Nelson River?
The Nelson River is about 644 km long; some sources give 664 km. Together with the Saskatchewan and Bow rivers, which bring water to Lake Winnipeg from the Rocky Mountains, the whole waterway is about 2 575 km long.
Why do beluga whales visit the Nelson River?
In July and August, beluga whales swim into the shallow estuary of the Nelson River. Scientists think the warmer water, the rough riverbed for rubbing off old skin and the protection from killer whales may all be reasons.
How does the Nelson River make electricity?
Manitoba Hydro runs five hydroelectric stations on the Nelson: Jenpeg, Kelsey, Kettle, Long Spruce and Limestone. Limestone, finished in 1992, is the largest, with ten turbines and about 1 340 megawatts.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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