Medicine River (Alberta)

Medicine River
The Medicine River from Alberta Highway 53
Origin	Medicine Lake 52°43′54″N 114°43′53″W / 52.73167°N 114.73139°W / 52.73167; -114.73139
Mouth	Red Deer River 52°03′36″N 114°05′56″W / 52.06°N 114.09889°W / 52.06; -114.09889 (Red Deer River mouth)
Basin countries	Canada
Source elevation	982 m (3,222 ft)
Mouth elevation	894 m (2,933 ft)

The Medicine River outside Rimbey, Alberta

The Medicine River is a medium-sized river in central Alberta. It begins at the outlet of Medicine Lake, north of Rocky Mountain House. The Medicine River initially travels through the Rocky Mountain House Grazing Reserve, a protected area with over 15,000 acres (61 km²) of land set aside for cattle grazing and recreation.^[1]. The river flows southwest, taking on a number of creeks before passing Eckville. The Medicine River joins the Red Deer River north of Innisfail, downstream of the Dickson Dam, at the Medicine Flats. The Medicine is bridged by Alberta highways 53, 12, 11, and 54.

The name Medicine River is a translation from the Cree words muskiki and nipagwasimow, or Sundance river. It first appeared on a John Arrowsmith map in 1859.^[2]

Tributaries

• Open Creek
• Wilson Creek
• Welch Creek
  • Block Creek
• Wood Lake
• Blueberry Creek
  • Lobstick Creek
• Lasthill Creek
• Tindastoll Creek
• Dickson Creek

See also

• List of Alberta rivers

References

1. ^ Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
2. ^ Tracey Harrison, Place Names of Alberta: Volume III, Central Alberta. (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1994), page 164.