The Rivière du Moulin (, ) flows in the municipality of Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, in the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.
The lower part of this small valley is served by Chemin Royale (route 368) which runs along the southeast shore of Île d'Orléans. Apart from the village area, near its mouth, agriculture is the main activity of this small valley.
The surface of the Moulin river is generally frozen from the beginning of December until the end of March; however, safe circulation on the ice is generally done from mid-December to mid-March. The water level of the river varies with the seasons and the precipitation; the spring flood occurs in March or April.
Geography The Moulin river takes its source at the limit of the forest and agricultural area, that is on the northwest side of the Coast at Gobeil, in Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans. This source is located southeast of the Maheu River, southeast of the chenal de l'Île d'Orléans and north-east of the shore of the Saint Lawrence River (Chenal des Grands Voiliers).Poirier, J. (1962). La toponymie de l'Ile d'Orléans. Cahiers de géographie du Québec, 6(12), 183–199S.
From this source, the course of the Moulin river descends on , with a drop of , according to the following segments: first towards the northeast first in the forest zone, then entering the agricultural zone and crossing a golf course, up to a bend of the river corresponding to a stream (coming from the north and draining six small lakes); to the south-east, then east, with a drop of down the hill to Filion, and through the village of Saint- Laurent-d'Orléans, to its mouth.Atlas of Canada - Department of Natural Resources Canada - Rivière du Moulin - Distance and altitude measurements established from the application of site measurements.
The Moulin river flows at the bottom of Anse de l'Église, on the northwest bank of the Chenal des Grands Voiliers (which is crossed by the Saint-Laurent river) in Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans. Here, the sandstone is around at low tide and the Chenal des Grands Voiliers is wide. A marina is built on the point advancing south-east on the east side of the cove.
Toponymy The toponym "river of the Mill" originates from the existence of a mill which would have been erected in the XVIIth century undoubtedly in the lower part of its course.Toponymic itinerary of Quebec in Charlevoix, 1983.
The toponym "Rivière du Moulin" was formalized on February 11, 1971 at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Bank of Place Names - Toponym: Rivière du Moulin - Accessed June 9, 2020
See also
Capitale-Nationale, an administrative region L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality Île d'Orléans, an island Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans Chenal des Grands Voiliers St. Lawrence River List of rivers of Quebec
Notes and references