Thames River ( Ontario ) - wikipedia Thames River ( Ontario ) Jump to : navigation , search Not to be confused with River Thames . Thames River North Thames River , just upstream from the confluence with the Avon River near Stratford , Ontario Name origin : after the River Thames in England Country Canada Province Ontario Region Southwestern Ontario Part of Great Lakes Basin Source - location Near Tavistock Mouth Lake Saint Clair - location Lighthouse Cove - elevation 173 m ( 568 ft ) - coordinates 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Coordinates : 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Length 273 km ( 170 mi ) Basin 5,825 km ( 2,249 sq mi ) Discharge for Chatham - average 52.9 m / s ( 1,868 cu ft / s ) - max 1,090 m / s ( 38,493 cu ft / s ) - min 8.25 m / s ( 291 cu ft / s ) Location of the mouth of the Thames River in southern Ontario The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario , Canada . The Thames flows west 273 kilometres ( 170 mi ) through southwestern Ontario , from the Town of Tavistock westward through the cities of Woodstock , London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair . Its drainage basin is 5,825 square kilometres ( 2,249 sq mi ) . Called Askunessippi ( Anishinaabe language : Eshkani - ziibi , `` the antlered river '' ) by the Odawa and Ojibwa inhabitants , who together with the Neutrals have lived in the area since before Europeans arrived , the river was named after the River Thames in England by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793 . Much of the Thames is surrounded by deciduous Carolinian forests , although much of this forest has been removed to permit agriculture and other forms of development . Contents ( hide ) 1 Course 2 History 3 References 4 External links Course ( edit ) The Thames River in London , Ontario , just west of Wonderland Road . There are three rivers in the watershed with Thames in the name -- the Thames River itself , North Thames River , and Middle Thames River . These are also known locally as South Branch , North Branch , and Middle Branch . The South Branch is the main stem Thames River and officially carries the Thames River name . The Thames River and North Thames River on the upper part of the watershed flow through valleys created during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age . The Thames River and North Thames River meet in central London at the `` Forks '' ; the University of Western Ontario is located north of the Forks on the North Thames River . The Middle Thames River runs north of the Thames River joining it west of Ingersoll . Downriver from London , the lower part of the river flows through a shallow plain of sand and clay , with an average depth of 4 feet ( 1.2 m ) . The lower Thames River flows through Delaware , Chatham , Thamesville , as well as Chippewa and Oneida First Nations settlements . Tributaries of the Thames include the Avon River , Dingman Creek , Jeanettes Creek , McGregor Creek , Medway Creek , Pottersburg Creek , Stoney Creek , Trout Creek and Waubuno Creek . Three separate dams are used to control seasonal flooding in the watershed : Wildwood Dam , located on Trout Creek which flows into the North Thames River ; Pittock Dam , located on the Thames River near Woodstock ; and the Fanshawe Dam located on the North Thames River in the northeasterly area of London . History ( edit ) The river was the location of an important battle of the War of 1812 . The Battle of the Thames ( also known as the Battle of Moraviantown ) was fought on October 5 , 1813 , between American General William Henry Harrison and British General Henry Proctor , along with Proctor 's ally Tecumseh . Chief Tecumseh was killed in the battle . On May 25 , 1881 , the river steamer ' Victoria ' capsized and sank killing 182 passengers . After the disaster all ferries could only carry their maximum capacity . In the early morning hours of July 11 , 1883 , London flooded from heavy rainfall . The ferry `` Princess Louise '' was forced over Waterworks Dam and capsized killing 7 . On August 25 , 1899 , the propeller - boat `` Thames '' was set on fire and eventually sunk only feet from Waterworks Dam . On April 27 , 1937 , the Thames River reached an all - time high of 21.5 feet ( 6.6 m ) above normal flow resulting in 5 deaths and over 1000 homes being damaged . On August 13 , 1950 , a launch ( boat ) capsized and killed four passengers . On August 14 , 2000 , the Thames River was designated a Canadian Heritage River . During the weekend of February 24 - 25 , 2018 , abnormally persistent rains caused moderate flooding along the river , causing damage in Chatham and nearby Thamesville . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates Jump up ^ `` Thames River '' . Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . ^ Jump up to : `` Thames River Fact Sheet '' . Canadian Heritage Rivers System . Retrieved 13 October 2010 . Jump up ^ Station 02GE003 ( Thames River at Thamesville ) , Archived Hydrometric Data , Water Survey of Canada . Jump up ^ Topographic maps via ACME Mapper Jump up ^ Thames River Coordinating Committee ( 2000 ) . `` The Thames Strategy : Managing the Thames as a Canadian Heritage River '' ( PDF ) . Upper Thames River Conservation Authority . Retrieved 13 October 2010 . Jump up ^ `` Twenty Five Years of Conservation on the Upper Thames Watershed , 1947 - 1973 '' . UTRCA . Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 07 . External links ( edit ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thames River ( Ontario ) . Upper Thames River Conservation Authority Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority City of London Web site Thames River , Natural Resources Canada , Geographical Names Board of Canada http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/FCVOV ( hide ) Canadian Heritage Rivers System Rivers Alsek Arctic Red Athabasca Bay du Nord Bloodvein Bonnet Plume Boundary Waters Clearwater Cowichan Detroit Fraser French Grand Hayes Hillsborough Humber Kazan Kicking Horse Main Margaree Mattawa Missinaibi North Saskatchewan Red Rideau Seal Shelburne Soper South Nahanni St. Croix St. Marys Tatshenshini Thames Thelon The Three Rivers Upper Restigouche Yukon Nominated Adams Churchill Coppermine Ottawa Saint John See also American Heritage Rivers Category : American Heritage Rivers Category : Canadian Heritage Rivers Category : Rivers of Canada Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thames_River_(Ontario)&oldid=834140625 '' Categories : Rivers of Middlesex County , Ontario Canadian Heritage Rivers Lake St. Clair Landforms of London , Ontario Tributaries of Lake Erie Hidden categories : Coordinates on Wikidata Pages using geobox with a locator map Geobox usage tracking for river type Talk Contents About Wikipedia Cebuano Deutsch Français Հայերեն Русский Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 4 April 2018 , at 04 : 13 . 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where does the thames river begin and end
Thames River North Thames River , just upstream from the confluence with the Avon River near Stratford , Ontario Name origin : after the River Thames in England Country Canada Province Ontario Region Southwestern Ontario Part of Great Lakes Basin Source - location Near Tavistock Mouth Lake Saint Clair - location Lighthouse Cove - elevation 173 m ( 568 ft ) - coordinates 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Coordinates : 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Length 273 km ( 170 mi ) Basin 5,825 km ( 2,249 sq mi ) Discharge for Chatham - average 52.9 m / s ( 1,868 cu ft / s ) - max 1,090 m / s ( 38,493 cu ft / s ) - min 8.25 m / s ( 291 cu ft / s ) Location of the mouth of the Thames River in southern Ontario Thames River North Thames River , just upstream from the confluence with the Avon River near Stratford , Ontario Name origin : after the River Thames in England Country Canada Province Ontario Region Southwestern Ontario Part of Great Lakes Basin Source - location Near Tavistock Mouth Lake Saint Clair - location Lighthouse Cove - elevation 173 m ( 568 ft ) - coordinates 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Coordinates : 42 ° 19 ′ 9 '' N 82 ° 27 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 42.31917 ° N 82.45417 ° W ﻿ / 42.31917 ; - 82.45417 Length 273 km ( 170 mi ) Basin 5,825 km ( 2,249 sq mi ) Discharge for Chatham - average 52.9 m / s ( 1,868 cu ft / s ) - max 1,090 m / s ( 38,493 cu ft / s ) - min 8.25 m / s ( 291 cu ft / s ) Location of the mouth of the Thames River in southern Ontario The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario , Canada . The Thames flows west 273 kilometres ( 170 mi ) through southwestern Ontario , from the Town of Tavistock westward through the cities of Woodstock , London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair . Its drainage basin is 5,825 square kilometres ( 2,249 sq mi ) . Called Askunessippi ( Anishinaabe language : Eshkani - ziibi , `` the antlered river '' ) by the Odawa and Ojibwa inhabitants , who together with the Neutrals have lived in the area since before Europeans arrived , the river was named after the River Thames in England by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793 . Much of the Thames is surrounded by deciduous Carolinian forests , although much of this forest has been removed to permit agriculture and other forms of development . There are three rivers in the watershed with Thames in the name -- the Thames River itself , North Thames River , and Middle Thames River . These are also known locally as South Branch , North Branch , and Middle Branch . The South Branch is the main stem Thames River and officially carries the Thames River name . The Thames River and North Thames River on the upper part of the watershed flow through valleys created during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age . The Thames River and North Thames River meet in central London at the `` Forks '' ; the University of Western Ontario is located north of the Forks on the North Thames River . The Middle Thames River runs north of the Thames River joining it west of Ingersoll . Downriver from London , the lower part of the river flows through a shallow plain of sand and clay , with an average depth of 4 feet ( 1.2 m ) . The lower Thames River flows through Delaware , Chatham , Thamesville , as well as Chippewa and Oneida First Nations settlements . Tributaries of the Thames include the Avon River , Dingman Creek , Jeanettes Creek , McGregor Creek , Medway Creek , Pottersburg Creek , Stoney Creek , Trout Creek and Waubuno Creek . Three separate dams are used to control seasonal flooding in the watershed : Wildwood Dam , located on Trout Creek which flows into the North Thames River ; Pittock Dam , located on the Thames River near Woodstock ; and the Fanshawe Dam located on the North Thames River in the northeasterly area of London . The river was the location of an important battle of the War of 1812 . The Battle of the Thames ( also known as the Battle of Moraviantown ) was fought on October 5 , 1813 , between American General William Henry Harrison and British General Henry Proctor , along with Proctor 's ally Tecumseh . Chief Tecumseh was killed in the battle . On May 25 , 1881 , the river steamer ' Victoria ' capsized and sank killing 182 passengers . After the disaster all ferries could only carry their maximum capacity . In the early morning hours of July 11 , 1883 , London flooded from heavy rainfall . The ferry `` Princess Louise '' was forced over Waterworks Dam and capsized killing 7 . On August 25 , 1899 , the propeller - boat `` Thames '' was set on fire and eventually sunk only feet from Waterworks Dam . On April 27 , 1937 , the Thames River reached an all - time high of 21.5 feet ( 6.6 m ) above normal flow resulting in 5 deaths and over 1000 homes being damaged . On August 13 , 1950 , a launch ( boat ) capsized and killed four passengers . On August 14 , 2000 , the Thames River was designated a Canadian Heritage River . During the weekend of February 24 - 25 , 2018 , abnormally persistent rains caused moderate flooding along the river , causing damage in Chatham and nearby Thamesville .
Near Tavistock Near Tavistock