Battle River

Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.

This article is about the Saskatchewan river. For other uses, see Battle River (disambiguation).
Battle River
North Saskatchewan River drainage basin
Location
CountryCanada
ProvincesAlberta, Saskatchewan
Physical characteristics
SourceBattle Lake
 ⁃ locationAlberta
 ⁃ coordinates52°56′57″N 114°08′41″W
 ⁃ elevation849 m (2,785 ft)
MouthNorth Saskatchewan River
 ⁃ location
Battleford, Saskatchewan
 ⁃ coordinates
52°42′42″N 108°15′13″W
 ⁃ elevation
463 m (1,519 ft)
Length570 km (350 mi)
Basin size30,300 km2 (11,700 sq mi)
Discharge 
 ⁃ average10 m3/s (350 cu ft/s)
[1][2]

The Battle River flows for 570 kilometres (350 mi) and has a total drainage area of 30,300 square kilometres (11,700 sq mi). The mean discharge is 10 m³/s at its mouth.[3]

History

The river did not gain its current name until relatively recently. When Anthony Henday passed through the region in the 1750s, he did not mention a river with this name. But by 1793 Peter Fidler mentions arriving at the "Battle or Fighting River", likely so named because of the beginning of a period of rivalry between the Iron Confederacy (Cree and Assiniboine) and the Blackfoot Confederacy.[4]

Course
Fabyan Trestle Bridge over the Battle River Valley near Wainwright

The headwaters of Battle River is Battle Lake in west-central Alberta, east of Winfield. The river meanders through Alberta eastward into Saskatchewan, where it discharges into the North Saskatchewan River at Battleford. Over its course, the river flows through Ponoka and by Hardisty and Fabyan within Alberta. Big Knife Provincial Park is situated on the south bank of the river west of Highway 855, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Forestburg. The Fabyan Trestle Bridge crosses the river.

Tributaries
  • Sunny Creek
  • Wolf Creek
  • Pigeon Lake Creek
  • Stoney Creek
  • Pipestone Creek
  • Driedmeat Creek
  • Meeting Creek
  • Paintearth Creek
  • Castor Creek
  • Iron Creek
  • Ribstone Creek

Battle Lake, Samson Lake, Driedmeat Lake and Big Knife Lake are formed along the river, and numerous other lakes (such as Pigeon Lake, Coal Lake, Bittern Lake, Vernon Lake, Ernest Lake, Soda Lake) lie in the Battle River hydrographic basin.

See also

References
  1. "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Battle River)". Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  2. "Atlas of Canada Toporama". Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  3. Atlas of Canada - Rivers in Canada
  4. Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 16.
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