Generating Station at Seven Sisters Falls, MacArthur Falls Generating Station, Great Falls Generating Station, and Pine Falls Generating Station at Powerview, Manitoba. Flows on the Winnipeg River are controlled through the various dams by the Lake of the Woods Control Board. It maintains a website with detailed descriptions of the river basin and water flow characteristics. Tributaries Major tributaries include the Black Sturgeon River, English River, Bird River, Lee River, Whiteshell River, Whitemouth River, and Macfarlane River. Manitoba: Spence Creek Princes Creek Pine Creek Maskwa River Little Bear River Maple Creek North Coca-Cola Creek Sweet Creek Coppermine Creek Bird River Rice Creek Lee River Whitemouth River Big Creek Caribou Creek Picket Creek Whiteshell River Tie Creek Lauries Creek Walters Creek Greer Lake Creek Ryerson Creek Bloms Creek Crowduck Creek Ontario: Turtle Creek Jadel Creek Scot River Sword Creek English River Whitedog River Alice Creek Dean Creek Macfarlane River Black Sturgeon River Culloden Creek War Eagle Creek Lakes Areas where the Winnipeg River widens markedly have been identified as lakes, including Gun, Roughrock and Sand lakes in Ontario; and Nutimik, Eleanor, Dorothy, Margaret, Natalie, and Lac du Bonnet, all in Manitoba. Nutimik, Dorothy, and Margaret lakes are all entirely within the Whiteshell Provincial Park. Lake of the Woods (source) Middle Lake, Ontario (Kenora) Gun Lake, Ontario Pistol Lake Little Sand Lake Big Sand Lake Roughrock Lake Swan Lake, Ontario (Kenora) Tetu Lake Numao Lake Nutimik Lake Margaret Lake, Manitoba Dorothy Lake Eleanor Lake Sylvia Lake, Manitoba Natalie Lake (lake) Lac du Bonnet (lake) Lake Winnipeg (mouth) Exploration and fur trade The Winnipeg River was the main route from the Great Lakes to Western Canada before the railroads were constructed in this area. After reaching Lake Winnipeg, a traveler could go by canoe as far as the Rocky Mountains, Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay. This section covers the route from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg via Rainy Lake, the Rainy River, Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River. For the route in general, see Nelson River basin. The area was too rocky to be good beaver country, as they needed a forested habitat. Grand Portage was the second-longest portage in Canada after Methye Portage. Once over the height of land, rivers led west to Rainy Lake and the Rainy River. Duncan M'Gillivray called the Rainy the 'most beautiful river in the north'. George Simpson and many others made similar comments. The