View source for Back River (Nunavut)

{{short description|Major river in northern Canada}}
{{for|other rivers with the same name|Back River (disambiguation)|Fish River (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox river
 | name                 = Back River
 | native_name          = {{Unbulleted list|list_style=line-height: inherit;|{{native name|dgr|Thlewechodyeth}}|{{native name|iu|Haningayok}}}}
 | name_other           = Great Fish River
 | name_etymology       = Named after [[Sir George Back]]
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
 | image                = Back River (July 2006).jpg
 | image_caption        = Rock garden on the Back River in July 2006
 | map                  = 
 | map_size             = 300
 | map_caption          = 
 | pushpin_map          = Canada Nunavut#Canada
 | pushpin_map_size     = 300
 | pushpin_map_caption  = Back River mouth location in Canada
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
 | subdivision_type1    = Country
 | subdivision_name1    = Canada
 | subdivision_type2    = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Territories]]
 | subdivision_name2    = Nunavut & Northwest Territories
 | subdivision_type3    = 
 | subdivision_name3    = 
 | subdivision_type4    = 
 | subdivision_name4    = 
 | subdivision_type5    = 
 | subdivision_name5    = 
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
 | length               = {{convert|974|km|abbr=on}} 
 | width_min            = 
 | width_avg            = 
 | width_max            = 
 | depth_min            = 
 | depth_avg            = 
 | depth_max            = 
 | discharge1_location  = 
 | discharge1_min       = 
 | discharge1_avg       = {{convert|612|m3/s|abbr=on}}
 | discharge1_max       = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
 | source1              = Unnamed lake
 | source1_location     = [[North Slave Region]], Northwest Territories
 | source1_coordinates  = {{coord|64|43|38|N|108|02|08|W|region:CA-NT|notes=<ref>{{cite cgndb|LABWP|Back River source}}</ref> | display              = inline}}
 | source1_elevation    = {{convert|382|m|abbr=on}}
 | mouth                = [[Chantrey Inlet]], [[Arctic Ocean]]
 | mouth_location       = [[Kitikmeot Region]], Nunavut
 | mouth_coordinates    = {{coord|67|16|00|N|95|15|00|W|region:CA-NU|notes=<ref>{{cite cgndb|OAUGP|Back River mouth}}</ref> | display = inline,title}}
 | mouth_elevation      = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
 | progression          = 
 | river_system         = 
 | basin_size           = {{convert|106500|km2|abbr=on}}
 | tributaries_left     = 
 | tributaries_right    = 
 | custom_label         = 
 | custom_data          = 
 | extra                = <ref>{{cite web
| title = Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Back River)
| url = http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/LABWP
| access-date =2014-08-29}}</ref><ref name= "Atlas of Canada">{{cite web
| title =Atlas of Canada Toporama
| url =http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/toporama/index.html
| access-date =2014-08-29}}</ref>
}}

The '''Back River''', formerly '''Backs River'''<ref>[http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/8c69bd9dba3611d892e2080020a0f4c9 Back River / Back River (Formerly Backs River)]</ref> ([[Dogrib language|Dogrib]]: '''''Thlewechodyeth''''',<ref name="EoC">{{cite encyclopedia|url= http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/back-river/|last= Marsh|first= James|author-link= James Harley Marsh|title= Back River|encyclopedia= [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|publisher= [[The Historica Dominion Institute]]|access-date= 2010-08-05}}</ref> [[Inuktitut]]: '''''Haningayok''''',<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-NhBAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Prince+Albert+Sound%22&pg=PA50|pages=50|title=The Stefánsson-Anderson Arctic Expedition of the American Museum: Preliminary Ethnological Report|last=Stefansson|first=Vilhjalmur |year=1914|publisher=The Trustees of the American Museum|location=New York|oclc=13626409}}</ref> or '''Great Fish River'''), is the [[List of longest rivers of Canada|20th longest Canadian river]] and is located in the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]]. It rises at an unnamed lake in the [[North Slave Region]] of the Northwest Territories and flows more than {{convert|974|km|abbr=on|0}}<ref name="AOCRivers">{{cite web|url= http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html/#arctic|title= Rivers Flowing Into the Arctic Ocean - Other Rivers|work= [[Atlas of Canada]]|publisher= [[Natural Resources Canada]]|date= 2009-08-17|access-date= 2010-08-05|archive-date= 2013-01-22|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130122002203/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html#arctic|url-status= dead}}</ref> mostly through the [[Kivalliq Region]], Nunavut, to its mouth at the [[Arctic Ocean]] in the [[Kitikmeot Region]] of Nunavut.

==Course==
[[File:Head of the Back River's Escape Rapids in August 2006.jpg|thumb|left|Head of the Escape Rapids, August 2006]]
The river begins at the outflow of an unnamed lake at an elevation of {{convert|382|m|abbr=on|0}} and flows west into Sussex Lake, then north to Muskox Lake, at the border between the Northwest Territories and the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, where it takes in the left [[tributary]] Icy River. It flows over the Muskox Rapids, takes in the [[Tributary#Terminology|left tributary]] Contwoyto River, and heads east through the Heywood Range. The Back River heads over the Malley Rapids, takes in the left tributary Siorak River and enters the long lake-expansion [[Lake Beechey]] in a southeast direction. It heads east, takes in the right tributary Baillie River, left tributary Warren River, right tributary Jervoise River, passes over the Hawk Rapids, takes in the right tributary McKinley River and right tributary Consul River. Between the Baillie and Consul Rivers, the Back River forms the northern border of the [[Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Currie|first1= Douglas C|last2= Giberson|first2= Donna|last3= Adler|first3= Peter H|title= Insect biodiversity in the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary|url= http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/news21_2/arctic.htm|journal= Newsletter of the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods)|date=Fall 2002|volume= 21|issue= 2}}</ref> The river turns northeast, takes in the left tributary Bullen River, and reaches Pelly Lake at an elevation of {{convert|155|m|abbr=on|0}}. It flows east through, in immediate succession: Upper Garry Lake, where it takes in the right tributary Morse River; [[Garry Lake]]; Lower Garry Lake; Buliard Lake; Upper MacDougall Lake; and Lower MacDougall Lake. The Back River then heads over the Rock Rapids, Sinclair Falls, Escape Rapids, Sandhill Rapids, and Wolf Rapids, and takes in the right tributary Meadowbank River. The river curves around Mount Meadowbank, takes in the right tributary Hermann River and left tributary Montresor River, passes McKay Peak, heads over the Whirlpool Rapids, and reaches Franklin Lake. It continues northeast, takes in the right tributary Mistake River, passes north into Kitikmeot Region, takes in the right tributary [[Hayes River (Nunavut)|Hayes River]] and reaches its mouth at Cockburn Bay on [[Chantrey Inlet]] on the Arctic Ocean.<ref name="EoC" />

==Watershed==
The river has a watershed of {{convert|106500|km2|abbr=on|0}}<ref name="AOCRivers" /> and a mean discharge of {{convert|612|m3|abbr=on|0}} per second.<ref name="EoC" /> The river is {{convert|974|km|abbr=on}} long to the Muskox Lake outlet,<ref name="AOCRivers" /> though the river continues further upstream to its source.

Like the [[Coppermine River|Coppermine]], [[Hood River (Nunavut)|Hood]], [[Dubawnt Lake#Dubawnt River|Dubawnt]] or [[Kazan River|Kazan]], which are other large rivers in this part of Canada, it is navigable only by experienced [[Canoeing|canoeists]] because of the numerous and challenging 83 [[rapids]].

The entire river is above the [[tree line]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic38-1-72.pdf|title=James Anderson|publisher=ucalgary.ca|access-date=2008-01-23}}</ref>

==History==
The Back River is the historic homeland of the ''[[Haningayogmiut]]'' (or ''Hanningajurmiut'') [[Copper Inuit]], also referred to as the ''Ualininmiut'' by their [[Caribou Inuit]] northern neighbours, the ''Utkusiksalinmiut''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000299&sl=6814&pos=1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080306122008/http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000299&sl=6814&pos=1|url-status = dead|archive-date=2008-03-06|title=Inuit Heritage Centre|publisher=virtualmuseum|access-date=2008-01-22}}</ref> The ''[[Kaernermiut]]'' (also ''Kainermiut'') and the southerly ''[[Ahiagmiut]]'' of the Copper Inuit also frequented this area. The Back River and [[Thelon River]] were also the northern and northeastern edges of the tribal territories of the enemy [[Yellowknives]] and [[Chipewyan]] to the south.

Its first exploration by Europeans was led by [[George Back]] in 1834,<ref name="EoC" /> as part of an expedition initially mounted to seek the 1829 expedition of [[John Ross (Royal Navy officer)|Captain John Ross]].<ref name="Back">{{cite book|last= Back |first= George |year= 1836 |title= Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the Mouth of The Great Fish River and Along the Shores of the Arctic Ocean, in the Years 1833, 1834, and 1835 |url= https://archive.org/details/gb_IjJCAAAAcAAJ |location= London |publisher= John Murray }}</ref> Back learned of the river from local guides, and throughout his memoir of the expedition he referred to the river as the "Thlew-ee-cho-dezeth", which he translated as "Great Fish River".<ref name="Back" /> Later 19th-century explorers habitually referred to the river as "Back's Great Fish River", but gradually this was shortened to "Back River" over time.<ref name="EotA">{{cite book |last= Tews |first= Jörg |editor-first= Mark |editor-last= Nuttall |title= Encyclopedia of the Arctic |url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaarct00nutt |url-access= limited |publisher= Routledge |location= New York |year= 2005 |page= [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaarct00nutt/page/n229 185] |chapter= Back River |isbn= 0-203-99785-9 }}</ref>

On abandoning their ships to the ice, the remaining members of [[Sir John Franklin]]'s 1845 expedition to map a [[Northwest Passage]] set out for the Back River but did not survive.<ref>Jonathan Dore, "Franklin Fever", ''Times Literary Supplement'', 23 September 2016, p. 23: reviewing Russell A Potter's ''Finding Franklin'' (McGill).</ref> In search of them, James Anderson and James Stewart of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] descended the river in 1855 to Chantrey Bay and [[Montreal Island (Nunavut)|Montreal Island]].

After a hiatus of slightly over 100 years, it was again descended in 1962 by two groups. A British group of four young men was led by Robert Cundy, who wrote a book about their descent called ''Beacon Six''. They started at Beechey Lake paddling three foldup [[kayak]]s, one of which was destroyed on the expedition. An American group of four led by Austin Hoyt started at the source of the river, Sussex Lake, with two cedar canvas [[canoe]]s. Both groups filmed their trips. The British film, ''Beacon Six'', was televised by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]].

[[File:Back River Hayes River confluence.jpg|thumb|400px|The lighter-colored Hayes River flows from the northeast (top right) into the dark Back River. Note the two flows remain distinct for about 10 miles downstream (towards photo-top). From [[NASA Earth Observatory]] ]]
Over the course of 17 months in 1963–1965, anthropologist [[Jean Briggs]] did field research with the Utkusiksalinmiut [[Inuit]] living at the opening of Back River and [[Chantrey Inlet]], resulting in her work ''Never in Anger'', as well as helping to compile an [[Utkuhiksalik]] dictionary.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Never in Anger|last=Briggs|first=Jean|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1970}}</ref><ref name=cbc>{{cite news|first=Lisa|last=Gushue|title=Eminent anthropologist Jean Briggs, Inuit language expert, dead at 87 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/anthropologist-jean-briggs-dead-at-87-1.3700470 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=2016-07-29 |access-date=2016-08-21}}</ref>

==Natural history==
The area around the river is full of [[wildlife]], with many fish in the river, as well as [[Reindeer|caribou]], [[muskox]]en, and [[wolf|wolves]] in the area, with occasional sightings of [[brown bear]]s, [[wolverine]]s and [[Arctic hare]]s. [[Polar bear]]s are also found as the river nears the Arctic Ocean. The Middle Back River [[Important Bird Area]], located on the river in the Pelly Lake to Lower Garry Lake segment, is a significant habitat for [[Canada goose|Canada geese]], the [[snow goose|lesser snow goose]] and other [[Anseriformes|waterfowl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/site.jsp?siteID=NU089 |title=Middle Back River |work=Important Bird Area Canada |publisher=[[Bird Studies Canada]] |access-date=2010-08-06 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612092228/http://www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/site.jsp?siteID=NU089 |archive-date=2011-06-12 }}</ref>

Like other areas in [[Northern Canada]], Back River is subject to very cold weather and a persistent Arctic wind that gusts up to [[gale]] force.

== Modern canoeing ==
[[File:Garry Lake in August 2006.jpg|thumb|left|A view on [[Garry Lake]]]]
The Back River constitutes a long and difficult voyage,<ref>Le Guide complet du canotage, Nicolas Perrault, Broquet inc. 2009, p. 190.</ref> taking over a month of hard work by strong and experienced [[Arctic]] (duo) canoeists. The Back is much more challenging than either the Kazan River or the Dubawnt River. Many rapids end in dense "rock gardens" rendering [[portage|portaging]] often mandatory. Such portages must be conducted on bare rocks and occasionally unstable boulders. The need for portage is generally lower after a set of rapids known as the "Escape Rapids", thereafter very many rapids (but not all) can be run, as the river becomes less rocky and risky. Water level permitting, two further areas of runnable rapids are notable: Sandhill rapids generally navigated on the left bank, Wolf rapids on the right.

[[Bear spray]] is recommended as a protection against polar bears on stretches of the river near the Arctic Ocean. Cooking fuel must also be brought in, as the river is above the tree line, and all vegetation is low-lying and not suitable for use as fuel.

The source of the river can be reached by [[floatplane]] from [[Yellowknife]], N.W.T. At the end of the trip, a [[bush plane]] can be called in from [[Baker Lake, Nunavut|Baker Lake]] in Nunavut for a landing in a prearranged spot in the tundra. One must make sure that a rigid canoe can be attached to the exterior of the bush plane. If not, a foldable canoe should be used instead of a rigid one.

The river can also be travelled to its end, where a boat tow can be arranged to the Inuit community of [[Gjoa Haven]], which has commercial air service back to Yellowknife. If planning a canoeing trip on the river, due to the weather, it is generally recommended to have navigated [[Garry Lake]] by August 8, the mark of the seasonal change to worse weather. It needs to be noted that being windbound can happen at any time. Due to the proximity to the [[Arctic Circle]] and the associated cold, any capsizing can easily conclude in [[hypothermia]] and death. A [[spray deck]]-equipped canoe is strongly recommended both for lakes and rapids.

==Tributaries==
{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}
*Hayes River (right)
*Mistake River (right)
*Hermann River (right)
*Meadowbank River (right)
*Bullen River (left)
*Consul River (right)
*McKinley River (right)
*Jervoise River (right)
*Warren River (left)
*Baillie River (right)
*Siorak River (left)
*Contwoyto River (left)
*Icy River (left)

==See also==
*[[Back River volcanic complex]]
*[[List of rivers of Nunavut]]
*[[List of rivers of the Northwest Territories]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite cgndb|id= OAUGP|title= Back River|access-date= 2010-08-05}}
*{{cite web|title=Topographic Map sheets 56L, 56M, 66E, 66F, 66G, 66H, 66I, 66J, 76B, 76C, 76G, 76H |publisher=[[Natural Resources Canada]] |date=2010-02-04 |work=[[Atlas of Canada]] |url=http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map/ |access-date=2010-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803004853/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map/ |archive-date=3 August 2010 |url-status = dead}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Back's River}}
{{Commons category|Back River}}

{{Rivers of Nunavut}}
{{Northwest Territories hydrography}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Kitikmeot Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of Kivalliq Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Geography of North Slave Region]]