Battle River

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Battle River
BattleRiver.JPG
North Saskatchewan basin map.png
North Saskatchewan River drainage basin
Canada Saskatchewan relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of mouth in Saskatchewan
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Red pog.svg
Battle River (Canada)
Location
CountryCanada
Provinces
  • Alberta
  • Saskatchewan
Physical characteristics
Source Battle Lake
  location Alberta
  coordinates 52°56′57″N114°08′41″W / 52.94917°N 114.14472°W / 52.94917; -114.14472
  elevation849 m (2,785 ft)
Mouth North Saskatchewan River
  location
Battleford, Saskatchewan
  coordinates
52°42′42″N108°15′13″W / 52.71167°N 108.25361°W / 52.71167; -108.25361
  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]

Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. [3]

Contents

The Battle River flows for 570 kilometres (350 mi) and has a total drainage area of 30,300 km2 (11,700 sq mi). The mean discharge is 10 m³/s at its mouth. [4]

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. [5]

Course

Fabyan Trestle Bridge over the Battle River Valley near Wainwright BattleRiverTrestle.JPG
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

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, and Soda Lake) lie in the Battle River hydrographic basin.

See also

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References

  1. "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Battle River)" . Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  2. "Atlas of Canada Toporama" . Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  3. "Battle River Watershed". Battle River Watershed. Battle River Watershed Alliance. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. Atlas of Canada Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine - Rivers in Canada
  5. Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 16.