Saint Lawrence River
Fleuve Saint-Laurent
St. Lawrence River near Alexandria Bay
Countries	Canada, United States
State/Provinces	Ontario, Quebec, New York
Source	Lake Ontario
- location	Kingston, Ontario / Cape Vincent, New York
- elevation	74.7 m (245 ft)
- coordinates	44°06′N 76°24′W / 44.1°N 76.4°W / 44.1; -76.4
Mouth	Gulf of Saint Lawrence / Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	49°30′N 64°30′W / 49.5°N 64.5°W / 49.5; -64.5
Length	1,197 km (744 mi)
Basin	1,344,200 km2 (519,000 sq mi) [1]
Discharge	for below the Saguenay River
- average	16,800 m3/s (590,000 cu ft/s) [2]
Map of the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes Watershed

The Saint Lawrence (French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Tuscarora: Kahnawáʼkye;^[3] Mohawk: Kaniatarowanenneh, meaning "big waterway") is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin. The river traverses the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and forms part of the international boundary between Ontario and New York in the United States.

Geography[link]

The Saint Lawrence River originates at the outflow of Lake Ontario between Kingston, Ontario, on the north bank, Wolfe Island in mid-stream, and Cape Vincent, New York. From there, it passes Gananoque, Brockville, Ogdensburg, Massena, Cornwall, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City before draining into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, one of the largest estuaries in the world. The estuary portion begins at the eastern tip of Île d'Orléans, just downstream from Quebec City.^[2] The river becomes tidal in the vicinity of Quebec City.^[4]

Downstream from Quebec City, the St. Lawrence widens into a huge estuary.

The river runs 3,058 km (1,900 mi) from the farthest headwater to the mouth and 1,197 km (743.8 mi) from the outflow of Lake Ontario. The farthest headwater is the North River in the Mesabi Range at Hibbing, Minnesota. Its drainage area, which includes the Great Lakes and hence the world's largest system of fresh water lakes, has a size of 1,344,200 km² (519,000 sq mi), of which 839,200 km² (324,000 sq mi) is in Canada and 505,000 km² (195,000 sq mi) is in the United States. The basin covers parts of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The average discharge below the Saguenay River is 16,800 m³/s (590,000 cu ft/s). At Quebec City, it is 12,101 m³/s (427,300 cu ft/s). The average discharge at the river's source, the outflow of Lake Ontario, is 7,410 m³/s (262,000 cu ft/s).^[2]

The river includes Lake Saint-Louis south of Montreal, Lake Saint Francis at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Lac Saint-Pierre east of Montreal. It encompasses four archipelagoes: the Thousand Islands chain near Kingston, Ontario; the Hochelaga Archipelago, including the Island of Montreal and Île Jésus (Laval); the Lake St. Pierre Archipelago (Classified biosphere world reserve by the UNESCO in 2000) ^[5] and the smaller Mingan Archipelago. Other islands include Île d'Orléans near Quebec City, and Anticosti Island north of the Gaspé. It is the second longest river in Canada.

Lake Champlain and the Ottawa, Richelieu, Saguenay and Saint-François rivers drain into the St. Lawrence.

The Saint Lawrence River is in a seismically active zone where fault reactivation is believed to occur along late Proterozoic to early Palaeozoic normal faults related to the opening of Iapetus Ocean. The faults in the area are rift related, which is called the Saint Lawrence rift system.

The river valley is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division, containing the Champlain and Northern physiographic section.^[6]

History[link]

Though European mariners, such as John Cabot and Alonso Sanchez in the 15th Century and the Norse 500 years still earlier, explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence the first European explorer known to have sailed up the St. Lawrence River itself was Jacques Cartier, during his second trip to Canada in 1535, with the help of Iroquoian chief Donnacona's two sons. As he arrived in the estuary on St. Lawrence's feast day, Cartier accordingly named it the Gulf of St. Lawrence.^[7] The land along the river was inhabited at the time by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians. The St. Lawrence River is partly within the U.S. and as such is that country's sixth oldest surviving European place-name.^[8]

Map of 1543 showing Cartier's discoveries.

Until the early 17th century, the French used the name Rivière du Canada to designate the Saint Lawrence upstream to Montreal and the Ottawa River after Montreal. The Saint Lawrence River served as the main route for European exploration of the North American interior, first pioneered by French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

Control of the river was crucial to British strategy to capture New France in the Seven Years' War. Having captured Louisbourg in 1758, the British sailed up to Quebec the following year thanks to charts drawn up by James Cook. British troops were ferried via the St. Lawrence to attack the city from the west, which they successfully did at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Because of the virtually impassable Lachine Rapids, the St. Lawrence was once continuously navigable only as far as Montreal. Opened in 1825, the Lachine Canal was the first to allow ships to pass the rapids. An extensive system of canals and locks, known as the Saint Lawrence Seaway, was officially opened on 26 June 1959 by Queen Elizabeth II (representing Canada) and President Dwight D. Eisenhower (representing the United States). The Seaway now permits ocean-going vessels to pass all the way to Lake Superior.

During the Second World War, the Battle of the St. Lawrence involved a number of submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the lower St. Lawrence River and the entire Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Strait of Belle Isle and Cabot Strait from May to October 1942, September 1943, and again in October and November 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank a number of merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships.

In the late 1970s, the river was the subject of a successful ecological campaign (called "Save the River"), originally responding to planned development by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The campaign was organized, among others, by Abbie Hoffman.

Names[link]

The source of the North River in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota (Seven Beaver Lake) is considered to be the source of the Saint Lawrence River. Because it crosses so many lakes, the water system frequently changes its name. From source to mouth, the names are:

• North River^[9]
• Saint Louis River^[10]
• Lake Superior
• Saint Marys River
• Lake Huron
• Saint Clair River
• Lake Saint Clair
• Detroit River
• Lake Erie
• Niagara River
• Lake Ontario
• Thousand Islands
• Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence also passes through Lake Saint-Louis and Lac Saint-Pierre in Quebec.

Saint Lawrence River between Quebec City (seen at left) and Lévis (seen at right). The Île d'Orléans appears further in the centre.

Works[link]

The St. Lawrence River is at the heart of many Quebec novels (Anne Hébert's Kamouraska, Réjean Ducharme's L'avalée des avalés), poems (in works of Pierre Morency, Bernard Pozier), and songs (Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, Michel Rivard's L'oubli, Joe Dassin's Dans les yeux d'Emilie), and Andre Gagnon's Le Saint-Laurent). The river has also been portrayed in paintings, notably by the Group of Seven. In addition, the river is the namesake of Saint-Laurent Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

In 1980, Jacques Cousteau traveled to Canada to make two films on the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, Cries from the Deep and St. Lawrence: Stairway to the Sea.^[11]

See also[link]

NEPCO 140 Oil Spill Boldt Castle Grindstone Island Jorstadt Castle Wellesley Island List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem) List of longest rivers of Canada List of Quebec rivers List of Ontario rivers

Geography of Canada portal List of New York rivers List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River Lac Saint-Pierre Lachine Rapids RMS Empress of Ireland Saint Lawrence Seaway Steamboats in Canada

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Lawrence River

• Regional Geography of the St. Lawrence River
• Information about Juniper Island (Ontario)
• St. Lawrence Parks Commission (Ontario)
• Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System
• Safe Passage: Aids to Navigation on the St. Lawrence – Historical essay, illustrated with drawings and photographs
• Annotated Bibliography on St. Lawrence County and Northern New York region.
• International Saint Lawrence River Board of Control
• Saint Lawrence River from The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Saint Lawrence River Cam
• Watch the Jacques Cousteau documentary, St. Lawrence: Stairway to the Sea
• The Steamboats "Sir James Kemp" and "Lord Dalhousie" on the River St. Lawrence, Upper Canada in 1833 by D.J. Kennedy, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

v t e Great Lakes of North America Main lakes Erie Huron Michigan Ontario Superior Secondary lakes Nipigon Nipissing St. Clair Simcoe Winnebago Lake Champlain Waterways Detroit River Erie Canal French River Great Lakes Waterway Niagara River Nipigon River St. Clair River Saint Lawrence River Saint Lawrence Seaway St. Marys River Soo Locks Straits of Mackinac Trent–Severn Waterway Welland Canal Lists of islands Detroit River Great Lakes Michigan (Huron, Isle Royale National Park) Ontario Historic geology Lake Agassiz Lake Chicago Lake Maumee Mackinac Falls Niagara Escarpment Wisconsin glaciation Lake Michigan–Huron Lakeshores Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Calumet Shoreline Glenwood Shoreline Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Related topics Basin Bays of the Great Lakes Great Lakes region Georgian Bay Great Lake ships Isle Royale Lake-effect snow Manitoulin Island Megalopolis Quebec City – Windsor Corridor Settlements Shipwrecks Tall ships Great Lakes Areas of Concern Great Lakes Treaties

The Lawrence River is a river of inland Canterbury in New Zealand's South Island.^[1] One of the headwaters of the Rangitata River system, it flows south from its source north of Mount Arrowsmith, before joining with the Clyde River and Havelock River to become the Rangitata.

See also[link]

• List of rivers of New Zealand

References[link]

Coordinates: 43°27′17″S 170°51′22″E / 43.454740°S 170.856013°E / -43.454740; 170.856013

This Canterbury Region-related geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2011)

Saint Lawrence
Lawrence before Valerianus
Martyr
Born	c. 225 AD Osca, Hispania (now modern-day Spain)
Died	258 AD 10th August Rome
Honored in	Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Major shrine	Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome
Feast	August 10
Attributes	Usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
Patronage	Rome, Rotterdam, Birgu (Malta), Huesca (Spain), San Lawrenz, Brgy. San Lorenzo, San Pablo City, Philippines (Gozo), Canada, Sri Lanka, comedians, librarians, students, miners, tanners, chefs, roasters

Lawrence of Rome (Latin: Laurentius, lit. "laurelled"; c. 225 – 258) was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome, serving under Pope St. Sixtus II, who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.

Holy Chalice[link]

According to lore, among the treasures of the Greek church entrusted to Lawrence for safe-keeping was the Holy Chalice, the cup from which Jesus and the Apostles drank at the Last Supper. Lawrence was able to spirit this away to Huesca, in present day Aragon, with a letter and a supposed inventory, where it lay hidden and unregarded for centuries. When Augustine connects Lawrence with a chalice, it is the chalice of the Mass:

For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood.

According to Christian history the Holy Grail is a relic that was sent by St Lawrence to his parents in northern Aragon. He entrusted this sacred chalice to a friend whom he knew would travel back to Huesca, remaining in the monastery of Saint John of Pena, core of spiritual strength for the emerging kingdom of Aragon. While the Holy Chalice's exact journey through the centuries is disputed, it is generally accepted by Catholics that the Chalice was sent by his family to this monastery for preservation and veneration. Historical records indicate that this chalice has been venerated and preserved by a number of monks and monasteries through the ages. Today the Holy Grail is venerated in a special chapel in the Catholic Cathedral of Valencia, Spain.

Jewels of St Lawrence[link]

After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth.^[1] Lawrence worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to give up the treasures of the Church, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said that these were the true treasures of the Church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom. This can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia.

Martyrdom[link]

"The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence" by Juan de León (1758) R.A.B.A.S.F., Madrid)

By tradition, Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, imprisoned in San Lorenzo in Fonte, martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, and buried in the Via Tiburtina in the Catacomb of Cyriaca by Hippolytus and Justinus, a presbyter. Tradition holds that Lawrence was burned or "grilled" to death, hence his association with the gridiron. Tradition also holds that Lawrence joked about their cooking him enough to eat while he was burning on the gridiron, hence his patronage of cooks and chefs, stating something along the lines of, "turn me over ... I'm done on this side". One of the early sources for the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence was the description by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn II.

Some historians, such as Rev. Patrick Healy, view the traditions of how Lawrence was martyred as "not worthy of credence"^[2], as the slow lingering death can not be reconciled "with the express command contained in the edict regarding bishops, priests, and deacons (animadvertantur) which ordinarily meant decapitation."^[2] A theory of how the tradition arose is put forward by Pio Franchi de' Cavalieri. He postulates that it was the result of a mistaken transcription, the accidental omission of the letter "p" - "by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr--passus est ["he suffered," that is, was martyred ] -- was made to read assus est [he was roasted]."^[2] The Liber Pontificalis, which is held to draw from sources independent of the existing traditions and Acta regarding Lawrence, uses passus est concerning him, the same term it uses for Pope Sixtus II (martyred by beheading during the same persecution).^[2]

Constantine I is said to have built a small oratory in honour of the martyr, which was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh century. Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now known as San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while the minor basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was built over the place of his martyrdom. The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina.

Veneration[link]

The stone on which Lawrence's body was laid after death, in San Lorenzo fuori le mura

Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Devotion to him was widespread by the fourth century. As his martyrdom occurred very early in Church history, many Non-Catholic Christians honour him as well. Since the Perseid Meteor Shower typically occurs every year in mid-August, on or near Saint Lawrence's feast day, some refer to the shower as the "Tears of Saint Lawrence."

The shrine in Rome containing the gridiron said to have been used to grill Lawrence to death

St Lawrence is especially honoured in the city of Rome, where he is one of the city's patrons. There are several churches in Rome dedicated to him, including San Lorenzo in Panisperna, traditionally identified as the place of his execution. He is invoked by librarians, archivists, cooks, and tanners as their patron. His celebration on 10 August has the rank of feast throughout the entire Catholic world.^[3] On this day, the reliquary containing his burnt head is displayed in the Vatican for veneration.

Lawrence statue in St. Lawrence Deacon & Martyr Parish Church, Balagtas, Bulacan, Philippines[1].

The Escorial Palace, situated at the foot of Mt. Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama, was built by King Philip II of Spain to commemorate the victory of Spanish forces over those of King Henry II of France at the Battle of St Quentin, which took place on the feast of St Lawrence on 10 August 1557. To honour the martyr, the entire floor plan of this imposing edifice was laid out in the form of a gridiron, the means by which St Lawrence was martyred.

French explorer Jacques Cartier gave the name of Saint Lawrence to the widest river estuary in the world. At the mouth of this river is the large Gulf of Saint Lawrence, surrounded by all the Canadian Maritime provinces. Closer to the source of this river are the Laurentian mountains (north of the city of Montreal), the major Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent (borough), as well as the famed Saint Lawrence Boulevard that spans the full 11.25 km width of the island of Montreal. Further upstream, on the south side of the river near its source at Lake Ontario, is St. Lawrence County, New York.

St Lawrence is the patron saint of the monks of Ampleforth Abbey. St Lawrence is also venerated by Anglo-Catholics. A major church in Sydney, Australia, situated in the former civil (land division) parish of St Lawrence, is called "Christ Church St. Laurence". The Brotherhood of St Laurence also bears his name.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saint Lawrence

Prayer[link]

This prayer can be found in the Divine Office on the saint's feast day, August 10:^[4][5] <poem>

Father,

you called Saint Lawrence to serve you by love

and crowned his life with glorious martyrdom.

Help us to be like him

in loving you and doing your work.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.</poem>

Or more accurately: <poem>

O God,

Blessed Lawrence showed forth the fire of his love for you, both by faithful service and glorious martyrdom.

Make us to love the things which he loved,

and to do the works that he taught.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.</poem>

In the Breviary of 1962 (now authorized again) the prayer reads:

O Almighty God,

Who didst give unto Blessed Lawrence power

to be more than conqueror in his fiery torment;

grant unto us, we beseech thee,

the power to quench the flames of our sinful lusts.

Through Jesus Christ, we pray

Amen ^[6]

See also[link]

• Saint Lawrence (disambiguation) for places, churches and schools called Saint Lawrence or Saint Laurent
• San Lorenzo del Escorial, the monastery built by Philip II to commemorate his victory at St. Quentin on the feast day of St. Lawrence. The monastery (and the attached palace, college, library, etc.) are laid out in a grid resembling a grill with a handle.
• Saint Lawrence River
• San Lorenzo de Almagro
• List of saints
• Lorcán Ua Tuathail, also known as St Laurence O'Toole

References[link]

External links[link]

• Henry Wace, A Dictionary of Christian Biography: Laurentius
• Catholic Encyclopedia Saint Lawrence
• Golden Legend: "The Life of Saint Laurence"
• Leo I: Sermon on St Lawrence
• Orthodox Christianity Church of Saint Lawrence
• [2] Church of Saint Lawrence, Birgu, Malta
• [3] Patron of Ampleforth Abbey, North Yorkshire

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2008)

David Usher
Usher in 2008
Background information
Born	(1966-04-24) April 24, 1966 (age 46)
Origin	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Maple Music, Capitol
Associated acts	Moist
Website	davidusher.com

David Usher (born April 24, 1966) is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. Formerly the frontman for the alternative rock band Moist, he embarked on a solo career beginning in 1997 and has released seven solo albums to date.

Biography[link]

David Usher was born in Oxford, England to a Thai Buddhist, artist Samphan Usher, and a Jewish Montrealer, Dan Usher, who is a professor of economics at Queen's University. He has lived in various places such as Malaysia, New York City, California and Thailand since early childhood, before his family settled in Kingston, ON. He attended high school at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Usher attended Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, majoring in political science. His degree would later influence his music career. Usher is a humanist, and has been involved in such causes as War Child Canada, White Ribbon Campaign and Amnesty International. Usher is featured in the acclaimed 2001 MuchMusic special Musicians in the WarZone, a humanitarian documentary produced by War Child Canada, directed by filmmaker Liz Marshall. In it Usher journeys to the northern border of Thailand to visit a large Burmese refugee community.

Usher married Sabrina Reeves, photographer and co-artistic director for the Bluemouth Inc. performance theatre company, in 1997. They have two daughters, Coco born January 10, 2003, and Océane Danayia born April 28, 2008.

Musical career[link]

Moist[link]

David Usher met his Moist bandmates in 1992 while in university and their 1994 debut release, Silver, went quadruple platinum in Canada. Moist went on to release their multi-platinum follow-up, Creature, in 1996, Mercedes 5 and Dime in 1999 and Machine Punch Through, a collection of singles, in 2001.

Solo career[link]

David Usher recorded his acoustic, debut solo album "Little Songs" in his kitchen in three 10-day stretches. Little Songs was released in April 1998 during Moist's hiatus following the release of Creature.

Following Moist's Mercedes 5 and Dime, Usher revived his solo career and released the highly successful Morning Orbit in the summer of 2001. It contains the hit singles "Alone in the Universe", as well as "Black Black Heart" which was co-produced by Jeff Martin, former frontman for the Canadian rock group The Tea Party. Other "special guests" on Morning Orbit include rapper Snow, Jagori Tanna and Bruce Gordon from I Mother Earth as well as Gord Sinclair from The Tragically Hip.

In 2003, he released another solo album entitled Hallucinations, which features a cover track by Manic Street Preachers entitled "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", as well as a bonus disc which includes live tracks and one remixed track.

After Hallucinations, Usher left EMI in favour of a smaller record company MapleMusic, moved his family to New York, and released the predominantly acoustic If God Had Curves in 2005. This effort featured a collaboration with Tegan Quin, on the track "Hey Kids", as well as a guest guitar performance by Bruce Cockburn on the track "Long Goodbye". That same year Usher released a DVD entitled "Walk.Don't.Run", which gives us a look into the making of If God Had Curves.

Usher's fifth solo album, released in March 2007, is titled Strange Birds. It contains the popular song The Music. David and his family moved back from New York. They now reside in Montreal, Quebec.

Wake Up and Say Goodbye is the second single and title track from Usher's latest album released on September 23, 2008.^[1]

Discography[link]

Moist[link]

• Silver (1994)
• Creature (1996)
• Mercedes 5 and Dime (1999/2000)
• Machine Punch Through (2001)

Solo[link]

• Little Songs (1998)
• Morning Orbit (2001)
• Hallucinations (2003)
• If God Had Curves (2005)
• Strange Birds (2007)
• Wake Up and Say Goodbye (2008)
• The Mile End Sessions (2010)

Videography[link]

• Appears in Building a Mystery from Sarah Mclachlan's Surfacing (1997)
• Forestfire from Little Songs (1998)
• Jesus Was My Girl from Little Songs (1998)
• St. Lawrence River from Little Songs (1998)
• Alone in the Universe from Morning Orbit (2001)
• Black Black Heart V 1.0-2.0 from Morning Orbit (2001)
• A Day in the Life from Morning Orbit (2002)
• My Way Out from Morning Orbit (2002)
• Time of Our Lives from Hallucinations (2003)
• Surfacing from Hallucinations (2003)
• Love Will Save The Day from If God Had Curves (May 2005)
• The Music from Strange Birds (2007)
• Ugly is Beautiful from Strange Birds (July 2007)
• Kill the Lights from Wake Up and Say Goodbye (November 2008)
• Je repars from The Mile End Sessions (August 2010)

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• David Usher on Myspace