Medicine River (Alberta)

Medicine River
The Medicine River from Alberta Highway 53
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Medicine Lake
• coordinates	52°43′54″N 114°43′53″W
• elevation	982 m (3,222 ft)
Mouth
• location	Red Deer River
• coordinates	52°03′36″N 114°05′56″W
• elevation	894 m (2,933 ft)

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 southeast, 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 Medicine River outside Rimbey, Alberta

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

The Medicine River in Alberta, Canada, meandering through Leedale, Ponoka County, with Medicine Lake source at upper right

• 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 Archived 2009-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
2. Tracey Harrison, Place Names of Alberta: Volume III, Central Alberta. (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1994), page 164.