View source for Peace River

{{short description|River in Canada}}
{{about|the river in Canada|the river in Florida|Peace River (Florida)|other uses}}
{{redirect|Peace River (Alberta)|the town|Peace River, Alberta}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Peace River
| native_name        = {{plainlist|1=
* {{native name|bea|Unchaga}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=David W. |first1=Leonard |title=Peace River |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/peace-river |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=4 December 2021}}</ref>
* {{native name|fr|Rivière de la Paix}}
}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| name_other         = 
| name_etymology     = [[Peace Point, Alberta]], where a treaty marking the river as the boundary between [[Dunneza|Beaver]] and [[Cree]] was signed in 1781
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Peace River Valley Site C Flooding Area.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| image_caption      = Peace River Valley in BC
| map                = Peace_River_Watershed.png
| map_size           = 300
| map_caption        = Map of the Peace River watershed in western Canada
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 300
| pushpin_map_caption= 
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[Canada]]
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = Province
| subdivision_name3  = [[British Columbia]], [[Alberta]]
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = Cities
| subdivision_name5  = [[Fort Saint John, British Columbia]], [[Peace River, Alberta]]
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|1923|km|mi|abbr=on}} 
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Peace Point, Alberta]]<ref name="R-Arcticnet">{{cite web|url=http://www.r-arcticnet.sr.unh.edu/v4.0/ViewPoint.pl?Point=801|title=Peace River at Peace Point|publisher=R-ArcticNet|date=1959–2000|access-date=2010-10-08}}</ref>
| discharge1_min     = {{convert|344|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|2110|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="R-Arcticnet"/>
| discharge1_max     = {{convert|9790|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = [[Finlay River]]
| source1_location   = [[Thutade Lake]], British Columbia
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|57|04|29|N|126|53|36|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = {{convert|1140|m|abbr=on}}
| source2            = [[Parsnip River]] 
| source2_location   = Near Mount Barton, British Columbia
| source2_coordinates= {{coord|54|30|02|N|121|26|26|W|display=inline}}
| source2_elevation  = {{convert|1716|m|abbr=on}}
| source_confluence            = [[Williston Lake]]
| source_confluence_location   = 
| source_confluence_coordinates= {{coord|55|59|21|N|123|50|08|W|display=inline}}
| source_confluence_elevation  = {{convert|748|m|abbr=on}}(Elevation of Williston Lake)
| mouth              = [[Slave River]]
| mouth_location     = Confluence of Peace with [[Athabasca River]], Alberta
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|59|00|01|N|111|24|38|W|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = 
| progression        = 
| river_system       = [[Mackenzie River]] watershed
| basin_size         = {{convert|306000|km2|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|author1=Bennett, R.M.|author2=Card, J.R.|author3=Hornby, D.M.|url=http://iahs.info/hsj/183/183013.pdf|title=Hydrology of Lake Athabasca: Past, Present and Future|publisher=International Association of Hydrological Science|work=Hydrological Sciences Bulletin, XVIII|date=1973-03-09|access-date=2010-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516111419/http://iahs.info/hsj/183/183013.pdf|archive-date=2013-05-16|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| tributaries_left   = [[Finlay River]], [[Halfway River]], [[Beatton River]], Clear River (Alberta), Ponton River
| tributaries_right  = [[Parsnip River]], [[Pine River (British Columbia)|Pine River]], [[Kiskatinaw River]], Pouce Coupé River, [[Smoky River]], [[Wabasca River]], Mikkwa River
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}
The '''Peace River''' ({{langx|fr|links=no|rivière de la Paix}}) is a {{convert|1923|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} river in [[Canada]] that originates in the [[Rocky Mountains]] of northern [[British Columbia]] and flows to the northeast through [[northern Alberta]]. The Peace River joins the [[Athabasca River]] in the [[Peace-Athabasca Delta]] to form the [[Slave River]], a tributary of the [[Mackenzie River]]. The [[Finlay River]], the main headwater of the Peace River, is regarded as the ultimate source of the Mackenzie River. The combined Finlay–Peace–Slave–Mackenzie river system is the [[List of rivers by length|13th longest river system in the world]].

== History ==
The regions along the river are the traditional home of the [[Dane-zaa people]], called the Beaver by the Europeans. The [[fur trade]]r [[Peter Pond]] is believed to have visited the river in 1785. In 1788 Charles Boyer of the [[North West Company]] established a [[fur trading]] post at the river's junction with the [[Boyer River (Alberta)|Boyer River]].

In 1792 and 1793, the explorer [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]] travelled up the river to the [[Continental Divide]].<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9058854 "Peace River"], ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service</ref> Mackenzie referred to the river as ''Unjegah'', from the Dane-zaa meaning "large river."

The decades of hostilities between the Dane-zaa and the [[Cree]], (in which the Cree dominated the Dane-zaa), ended in 1781 when a [[North American smallpox epidemic|smallpox epidemic]] decimated the Cree. The Treaty of the Peace was celebrated by the smoking of a [[ceremonial pipe]]. The treaty made the Peace River a border, with the Dane-zaa to the North and the Cree to the South.<ref>Coutts, M. E. (1958). [http://ipac2.vpl.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1129U0R81L677.2893&profile=pac&source=~!horizon&view=items&uri=full=3100001~!113862~!0&ri=3&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Dawson+Creek+(B.C.)&index=SUBJECT&uindex=&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&ri=3 ''Dawson Creek: Past and Present, An Historical Sketch''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181729/http://ipac2.vpl.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1129U0R81L677.2893&profile=pac&source=~!horizon&view=items&uri=full=3100001~!113862~!0&ri=3&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Dawson+Creek+(B.C.)&index=SUBJECT&uindex=&aspect=subtab13&menu=search&ri=3 |date=2016-03-03 }} Edmonton: Dawson Creek Historical Society.</ref>

In 1794, a fur trading post was built on the Peace River at [[Fort St. John, British Columbia|Fort St. John]]; it was the first  European settlement established on the British Columbia mainland.

=== Post-settlement ===
{{main|Peace River Country}}
The rich soils of the Peace River valley in Alberta have been producing [[wheat]] crops since the late 19th century. In the early 21st century, the [[BC Grain Producers Association]] was researching the productivity of wheat and other grain crops near [[Dawson Creek]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BC Peace Region 2018 Field Crop Variety Performance |url=http://bcgrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018-Book.pdf |website=bcgrain.com |publisher=BC Grain Producers Association}}</ref> The Peace River region is also an important centre of [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[natural gas]] production. There are also [[wood pulp|pulp]] and paper plants along the river in Alberta and British Columbia.

[[File:Gathering fuel for the steamship Grenfell on the Peace River.jpg|left|thumb|The ''Grenfell'' was one of the vessels that shipped cargo on the Peace River.]]
The Peace River has two navigable sections, separated by the [[Vermilion Chutes]], near [[Fort Vermilion]].<ref name=BCHistorySteamboating>{{cite news
 |url         = http://www.bchistory.ca/awards/article/Affleck.pdf
 |title       = Steamboating on the Peace River
 |publisher   = [[British Columbia History]]
 |author      = Edward L. Affleck
 |archive-date = 2013-09-21
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054140/http://www.bchistory.ca/awards/article/Affleck.pdf
 |url-status  = dead
 |quote       = The brothers built a fleet of small primitive steamers, extending by 1903 to the waters of the Peace above the Vermilion Chutes. In that year the pint—sized sternwheeler St. Charles began to work the 526 mile stretch from Fort Vermilion to Hudson’s Hope, carrying lumber and supplies for the Mission at Fort St. John in British Columbia, as well as goods for the Northwest Mounted Police.
 |access-date = 2012-12-06
}}</ref>
The first steam-powered vessel to navigate the Peace River was the [[SS Grahame|''Grahame'']], a [[Hudson's Bay Company]] vessel built at [[Fort Chipewyan]], on [[Lake Athabasca]].  Brothers of the [[Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate]] built the [[St. Charles (ship, 1903)|''St. Charles'']] to navigate the upper reaches of the River, from Fort Vermilion to [[Hudson's Hope]]. Approximately a dozen vessels were to navigate the river. Most of the early vessels were wood-burning steamships, fuelled by wood cut from the river's shore.  The last cargo vessel was the [[Watson's Lake (ship)|''Watson's Lake'']], retired in 1952.

=== Hydroelectric development ===
[[Hydroelectric]] development began on the Peace River in 1968 and continues to be an important source of renewable energy for British Columbia's main electricity provider, [[BC Hydro]]. The river’s first dam, the [[W. A. C. Bennett Dam]], was completed in 1968 and is British Columbia's largest dam and the third-largest hydroelectric facility in Canada. It supplies over 30% of British Columbia's total power demand. Engineers took advantage of the W. A. C. Bennet Dam's large reservoir storage to further develop the river with the [[Peace Canyon Dam]] opened in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Peace Region|url=https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/operations/our-facilities/peace.html|website=BC Hydro}}</ref> The [[Site C dam]] is under construction and scheduled to be finished in 2025;{{update after|2025}} it will further benefit from the upstream dams and generate additional electrical capacity to meet British Columbia's growing demand for green energy and reduce the carbon footprint of residents.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About the Site C project|url=https://sitecproject.com/about-site-c/project-overview|website=Site C Clean Energy Project}}</ref> {{As of|2020}} both the Alberta government and private producers were studying the possibility of hydroelectric development on the Alberta stretch of the river with one [[Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity|run-of-the-river]] project currently being proposed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020|title=Home|url=http://www.amiskhydro.com/home-.html|website=Amisk Hydro Project}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Existing and proposed dams on Peace River listed in downstream order
! scope=col | Name
! scope=col | Height
! scope=col | Capacity
([[Megawatts|MW]])
! scope=col | Province
! scope=col | Year completed
! scope=col | Owner
! scope=col | Reservoir name
|-
|[[W. A. C. Bennett Dam]]
| style="text-align: right" | 186 m
| style="text-align: right" | 2730
|B.C.
|1968
|[[BC Hydro]]
|[[Williston Lake]]
|-
|[[Peace Canyon Dam]]
| style="text-align: right" | 50 m
| style="text-align: right" | 694
|B.C.
|1980
|[[BC Hydro]]
|Dinosaur Lake
|-
|[[Site C dam|Site C Dam]]
| style="text-align: right" | 60 m
| style="text-align: right" | 1100
|B.C.
|2025 planned{{update after|2025}}
|[[BC Hydro]]
|{{abbr|TBD|to be determined}}
|-
|Amisk Dam
| style="text-align: right" | 24 m
| style="text-align: right" | 370
|Alberta
|late 2020s
|Concord Green Energy
|{{abbr|TBD|to be determined}}
|}

==Geography==

===Course===
This river is {{convert|1923|km|mi}} long (from the head of [[Finlay River]] to Lake Athabasca). It drains an area of approximately {{convert|302500|km2|mi2}}.<ref>{{Cite web | url= http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html | author= Atlas of Canada | author-link= Atlas of Canada | title= Rivers in Canada | access-date= 2007-05-01 | archive-date= 2008-10-14 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081014235559/http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html | url-status= dead }}</ref> At Peace Point, where it drains in the [[Slave River]], it has an annual discharge of {{convert|68.2|e9m3|e6acre-feet|abbr=off}}.<ref>[http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm Alberta Environment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116201051/http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm |date=2007-01-16 }} - Alberta river basins</ref>

A large man-made lake, [[Williston Lake]], has been formed on the upper reaches by the construction of the [[W. A. C. Bennett Dam]] for [[hydroelectric]] [[Independent Power Producers in British Columbia|power]] generation. Prior to its flooding, the confluence of the Finlay and [[Parsnip River]]s at [[Finlay Forks]] was distinct. A half mile east of that location were the half-mile long Finlay Rapids and a further seven miles east is the Peace Pass, which separates the [[Muskwa Ranges]] and the [[Hart Ranges]] of the [[Canadian Rockies]].

The only river cutting completely through the Rockies,<ref>Fort George Tribune, 20 Jun 1914</ref><ref>Prince George Citizen, 26 Sep 1916</ref> it nowadays flows into Dinosaur Lake, a reservoir for the [[Peace Canyon Dam]]. After the dams, the river flows east into Alberta and then continues north and east into the [[Peace-Athabasca Delta]] in [[Wood Buffalo National Park]], at the western end of Lake Athabasca. Water from the delta flows into the Slave River east of Peace Point and reaches the [[Arctic Ocean]] via the [[Great Slave Lake]] and [[Mackenzie River]].

===Communities===
[[Image:FortVermilion-Sunset.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Peace River in [[Fort Vermilion, Alberta]].]]
[[Image:The Peace River.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The Peace River as it winds past the town of Peace River during the autumntime.]]
Communities located directly on the river include:
*[[Hudson's Hope, British Columbia]]
*[[Taylor, British Columbia]]
*[[Peace River, Alberta]]
*[[Fort Vermilion, Alberta]]

Many [[provincial park]]s and wildland reserves are established on the river, such as [[Butler Ridge Provincial Park]], [[Taylor Landing Provincial Park]], [[Beatton River Provincial Park]], [[Peace River Corridor Provincial Park]] in British Columbia and [[Dunvegan Provincial Park]], [[Dunvegan West Wildland Provincial Park]], [[Peace River Wildland Provincial Park]], [[Greene Valley Provincial Park]], [[Notikewin Provincial Park]], Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta.

A few [[Indian reserve]]s are also on the river banks, among them [[Beaver Ranch 163]], [[John D'Or Prairie 215]], [[Fox Lake 162]], [[Peace Point 222]] and [[Devil's Gate 220]].

===Tributaries===

Tributaries of the Peace River include:
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
;[[Williston Lake]]
*[[Finlay River]]
*[[Omineca River]]
*[[Ingenika River]]
*[[Ospika River]]
*[[Parsnip River]]
*[[Manson River]]
*[[Nation River (British Columbia)|Nation River]]
*Clearwater Creek
*[[Nabesche River]]
*Carbon Creek

;Northeastern British Columbia
*<small>Gething Creek, Moosbar Creek, Johnson Creek, Starfish Creek, Bullrun Creek, Portage Creek, Maurice Creek, Lynx Creek, Farrell Creek</small>
*[[Halfway River]]
*<small>Cache Creek, Wilder Creek, Tea Creek</small>
*[[Moberly River]]
*[[Pine River (British Columbia)|Pine River]]
*<small>Eight Mile Creek</small>
*[[Beatton River]]
**[[Doig River]]
**[[Blueberry River (British Columbia)|Blueberry River]]
*<small>Golata Creek, Mica Creek</small>
*[[Kiskatinaw River]]
*[[Alces River]]

;Alberta
*<small>Moonlight Creek</small>
*[[Pouce Coupe River]]
*[[Clear River (Alberta)|Clear River]]
*<small>Sneddon Creek</small>
*[[Montagneuse River]]
*<small>Fourth Creek, Hamelin Creek</small>
*Ksituan River
*<small>Hines Creek, Dunvegan Creek, Boucher Creek</small>
*[[Leith River (Alberta)|Leith River]] (Little Burnt River)
*[[Saddle River (Alberta)|Saddle River]] (Burnt River)
*<small>Griffin Creek, Mcallister Creek, Strong Creek</small>
*[[Smoky River]]
*[[Heart River (Alberta)|Heart River]]
*<small>[[Pat's Creek (Alberta)|Pat's Creek]], Three Creeks, Carmon Creek</small>
*[[Whitemud River (Alberta)|Whitemud River]]
*[[Cadotte River]]
*<small>Buchanan Creek, Keppler Creek</small>
*[[Notikewin River]]
*<small>Scully Creek</small>
*[[Wolverine River]]
*[[Buffalo River (Alberta)|Buffalo River]]
*[[Keg River]]
*<small>Steephill Creek</small>
*[[Boyer River (Alberta)|Boyer River]]
*[[Caribou River (Alberta)|Caribou River]]
*<small>Beaver Ranch Creek</small>
*[[Wabasca River]]
*[[Lawrence River (Alberta)|Lawrence River]]
*[[Mikkwa River]] (Little Red River)
*<small>Dummy Creek, Waldo Creek</small>
*[[Pakwanutik River]]
*<small>Garden Creek, Drolet Creek, Swan River, Vermilion River, Trident Creek, [[Portage River (Alberta)|Portage River]]</small>
*[[Jackfish River (Alberta)|Jackfish River]]
*<small>Jodoin Creek</small>
*[[Claire River]]

;Lake Claire
*[[Lake Claire (Alberta)|Lake Claire]]
**[[Birch River (Alberta)|Birch River]]
**[[McIvor River]]
**Mamawi Lake
*Baril River
*Chenal Des Quatre Fourches
*Revolution Coupe
*Scow Channel
{{div col end}}

==See also==
[[File:Longest_Rivers_of_Canada.png|thumb|200px|right|Longest Rivers of Canada]]
*[[List of rivers of Alberta]]
*[[List of rivers of British Columbia]]
*[[List of longest rivers of Canada]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{BCGNIS|6874|Peace River}}
*{{BCGNIS|6875|Peace Reach}}
*{{BCGNIS|38649|Peace River Canyon}}
*{{BCGNIS|6870|Peace Canyon Dam}}
* http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Peace (river)|Peace River}}
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.discoverthepeacecountry.com/ Discover The Peace Country]

{{Alberta rivers and lakes}}
{{British Columbia hydrography}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Alberta]]
[[Category:Rivers of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Canadian Rockies]]
[[Category:Peace River Country]]
[[Category:Peace River Regional District]]