Oldman River

The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into the Hudson Bay.

Not to be confused with Old Man River (disambiguation).
Oldman River
Oldman River seen from Veterans Memorial Highway
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationCanadian Rockies
 • coordinates50°06′50″N 114°43′14″W
 • elevation2,100 m (6,900 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
South Saskatchewan River
 • coordinates
49°55′45″N 111°41′27.4″W
 • elevation
701 m (2,300 ft)
Length363 km (226 mi)
Basin size26,700 km2 (10,300 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • average95 m3/s (3,400 cu ft/s).[1]

Oldman River has a total length of 362 kilometres (225 mi) and a drainage area of 26,700 square kilometres (10,300 sq mi).[1]

History

The Oldman River was, at one time, known as the Belly River.[2] The Belly River is now a separate river that is a tributary of the Oldman.

In 1991, the Alberta government finished construction of the Oldman River Dam. The Piikani renegade, led by Milton Born With A Tooth, had attempted to divert the Oldman River away from the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District canal intake, leading to an armed standoff.[3] The dam was constructed where the Oldman, Crowsnest, and Castle river systems converge.

The Peigan Timber Limit B and Peigan 147 Indian reserves of the Piikani Nation.

2013 floods

On June 21, 2013, during the 2013 Alberta floods Alberta experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding throughout much of the southern half of the province along the Bow, Elbow, Highwood and Oldman rivers and tributaries. A dozen municipalities in Southern Alberta declared local states of emergency on June 21 as water levels rose and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders.[4]

Tributaries
Oldman River in Alberta

From headwaters to mouth, Oldman River receives:

Nature

Oldman River originates in the Beehive Natural Area,[5] an area of alpine tundra and old-growth spruce and fir forests. Downstream it flows through Bob Creek Wildland Park[6] and Black Creek Heritage Rangeland.[7] Oldman Dam and Oldman River are other Provincial Recreation Areas established along the river.

The river and some of its tributaries have formed coulees in Southern Alberta, and the strata revealed by these formations guide local prospectors to ammolite deposits.

Fish

The Oldman River contains fish species such as rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout, brown trout, hybrid trout species ("cutbow" rainbow and cutthroat cross), mountain whitefish, pike, walleye, lake sturgeon, catostomidae, goldeye, and minnows.[8]

See also

Notes
  1. Atlas of Canada. "Rivers in Canada". Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  2. "McCord Museum - Keys to History". Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  3. University of Lethbridge. "Oldman River Dam". Archived from the original on 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2006-11-10.
  4. Kaufmann, Bill (June 21, 2013). "Thousands flee rising waters from Red Deer to Crowsnest". Calgary Sun. p. 3.
  5. Alberta Community Development. "Beehive Natural Area". Archived from the original on 2004-08-13. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  6. Alberta Community Development. "Bob Creek Wildland Park". Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  7. Alberta Community Development. "Black Creek Heritage Rangeland". Archived from the original on 2004-08-13. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  8. "AlbertaFishingGuide.com: The Dependable Online Resource For Fishing In Alberta". AlbertaFishingGuide.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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