Duncan River

The Duncan River is a 128mi long river in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its drainage basin is 2443km2 in area. It is part of the Columbia River basin, being tributary via Kootenay Lake to the Kootenay River, which is a tributary of the Columbia River. It forms part of the boundary between the Selkirk Mountains, to its west, and the Purcell Mountains, to its east (the boundary northwards is the Beaver River).CourseThe Duncan River originates near Mount Dawson and flows south through the Purcell Trench between the Selkirk Mountains and Purcell Mountains. It flows into Duncan Lake, a natural lake that has been enlarged by Duncan Dam. A short distance below the dam, the Duncan River is joined by the Lardeau River, its largest single tributary. From here the river continues south to join the Kootenay River at the North Arm of Kootenay Lake.HistoryDuncan River was named for John Duncan, a prospector and candidate for the colonial Legislative Council from the Kootenay Land District in the 1866.