Back River

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This article is about the river in Nunavut. For other uses, see Back River (disambiguation)

Back River (Thlewechodyeth, or "Great Fish River"), is a river in the Kitikmeot Region of Canada's Nunavut territory and flows for 1,150 kilometres (715 miles). It rises in the relatively small Sussex Lake and flows with a very tortuous course northeast to Chantrey Inlet on the Arctic Ocean, passing through several large lake-expansions - Beechey Lake, Pelly Lake, Garry Lake, Buliard Lake, MacDougall Lake and Franklin Lake.

Like the Coppermine, Hood, Dubawant or Kazan, which are other large rivers in this part of Canada, it is navigable only by experienced canoeists because of the numerous and challenging rapids.

It first known exploration by Europeans was by George Back in 1834 and again by James Anderson - a Chief Factor with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1856. After a hiatus of slightly over 100 years, it was again descended in 1962 by two groups. One a British group of four young men and the other a group of four young Americans. The British group was led by Robert Cundy who wrote a book about their descent called Beacon Six and the Americans were led by Austin Hoyt. The Americans started at the source of the River, Sussex Lake, with two Cedar Canvas Canoes and reached the Coast before the British Team. Robert Cundy's group started lower down on Beechey Lake and were overtaken by the Americans. The British were paddling three foldup kayaks, one of which was destroyed on the expedition. Both groups filmed the trip and the British film - Beacon Six was shown on TV by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Back River

See also