In the late 1600s French explorer Jacques Marquette wrote that the name of the river was 'Meskousing, ' a word believed to mean 'it lies red' because the river flowed through red sandstone.

在17世纪末，法国探险家 Jacques Marquette 写到，河的名字叫Meskousing，它公认的意思是“它是红色的”，因为河流流经红色的砂岩。