![Ghost River in winter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Ghost_River_in_winter.jpg)
The Ghost River is a river in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It begins within the front ranges of the
Canadian Rocky Mountains, joining the
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...
at
Ghost Lake
Ghost Lake is a reservoir in Western Alberta, Canada, formed along the Bow River. It is located approximately west of the city of Calgary and immediately west of Cochrane. It has a water surface of and a drainage basin of The average depth of ...
. These waters flow through Cochrane,
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, and ultimately into
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
. The upper reaches of the Ghost are fully protected by the
Ghost River Wilderness Area.
The origin of the name ''Ghost'' varies somewhat, but generally relates to local
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
legends regarding a battle at the confluence of the Ghost and Bow between the
Stoney and
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
peoples. Spirits of those slain in the battle were said to haunt the area, leading to the name being adopted after it was initially coined ''Deadman's River'' by the
Palliser Expedition in 1860.
[.]
Course
The Ghost River begins in two separate forks, the North Ghost and South Ghost. The North Ghost, longer of the two, forms on the South slope of Mount Oliver in the
Front Ranges
The Front Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies of eastern British Columbia and western Alberta, Canada. It is lowest and the easternmost of the three main subranges of the Continental Ranges, located east of the Bull and ...
.
The North Ghost flows generally eastward, meeting the South Ghost and passing through the settlements of
Waiparous and
Benchlands
Benchlands is a hamlet in Alberta within the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8. The Ghost River is located on the hamlet's south side, while Highway 40 borders the north side.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by ...
before entering a canyon and eventually meeting the
Bow at Ghost Lake. From there the Bow joins the
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacular ...
, eventually flowing into
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
via the
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , it ...
.
Apart from the hydroelectric dam at
Ghost Lake
Ghost Lake is a reservoir in Western Alberta, Canada, formed along the Bow River. It is located approximately west of the city of Calgary and immediately west of Cochrane. It has a water surface of and a drainage basin of The average depth of ...
, there are no hydro projects operating on the river itself. Until 2013, a diversion dam high in the watershed operated by
TransAlta
TransAlta Corporation (formerly Calgary Power Company, Ltd.) is an electricity power generator and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a privately owned corporation and its shares are traded publicly. It o ...
diverted some flow of the North Ghost into
Lake Minnewanka
Lake Minnewanka () ("Water of the Spirits" in Nakoda) is a glacial lake located in the eastern area of Banff National Park in Canada, about northeast of the Banff townsite. The lake is long and deep, making it the 2nd longest lake in the mou ...
to augment the natural catchment of the lake. The diversion dam was rendered inoperable after
significant flooding in 2013 devastated the area, with remediation work of the dam and berms ongoing.
A larger diversion from the North Ghost to Lake Minnewanka has been studied as part of larger Southern Alberta flood remediation efforts in the wake of the 2013 floods, however it was deemed non-viable as the diversion would be too high on the course of the Ghost to reduce downstream flow effectively.
History
![Ghost River from Leseur](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Ghost_River_from_Leseur.jpg)
The Ghost River watershed has been inhabited for hundreds of years before European exploration, notably by the
Assiniboia
Assiniboia District refers to two historical districts of Canada's Northwest Territories. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation.
Historical usage
''For more information on the history of the provisional districts, see also Distric ...
people.
With the signing of Treaty 7 at Crowfoot Crossing in 1877, the Iyhe Nakoda were assigned reserve lands on the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains in their traditional hunting areas. Today they have reserve lands at
Morley Morley may refer to:
Places England
* Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish
* Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish
* Morley, Cheshire, a village
* Morley, County Durham, a village
* Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish
* M ...
extending north from the Bow Valley to the Ghost River. Notable early explorers in the area were
David Thompson, who camped above the confluence of the Bow and Ghost in 1800, and
James Hector
Sir James Hector (16 March 1834 – 6 November 1907) was a Scottish-New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. He went on to have a lengthy career as a government employe ...
, who documented the geology of the Ghost watershed during several expeditions from 1858-60.
The first permanent settlement in the area was established with the Morleyville mission in 1873, founded by missionary
George McDougall. Further development and ranching was spurred by the completion of CPR tracks through the area in the 1880s.
The two permanent communities along the Ghost, the hamlet of
Benchlands
Benchlands is a hamlet in Alberta within the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8. The Ghost River is located on the hamlet's south side, while Highway 40 borders the north side.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by ...
and summer village of
Waiparous were incorporated in 1978 and 1986, respectively.
Several ranger stations and fire lookouts were constructed through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as the one atop
Black Rock Mountain
Black Rock Mountain State Park is a Georgia, United States, state park west of Mountain City in Rabun County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is named after its sheer cliffs of dark-colored biotite gneiss. Astride the Eastern Continental D ...
. The Aura Ranger Station served the area from 1917 until it was abandoned and burned down in the 1960s. Though the last fully-staffed ranger station remaining in the Ghost watershed closed in 1996, a small firebase still exists near the old Aura Station on
Highway 40.
Since September 4, 2020, a large wildfire has been burning in the North Ghost watershed between Devil's Head and Black Rock Mountain. Investigations by Alberta Wildfire concluded that the blaze was started by an abandoned campfire in the region. Despite growing out of control in early October and prompting evacuation alerts at Waiparous and Benchlands, the fire is now considered under control.
Conservation
The uppermost reaches of the North Ghost are protected by the
Ghost River Wilderness Area, established in 1967. Alberta Wilderness Areas prohibit development of any kind and allow only foot traffic, banning equestrian and vehicular travel. Below the GRWA, the river passes through the Ghost Public Land Use Zone. Established in 2006, the PLUZ is meant to address the growing demand for recreation and the potential conflicts with other resource values and stakeholders in the Ghost-Waiparous area. An area of special concern that lead to the establishment of the PLUZ was the popularity of off highway vehicles in the region, and lack of rules around their use.
Ongoing concerns regarding OHV use in the Ghost PLUZ remain.
In 2011, significant sedimentation and decreased water quality was found in the watershed that was directly attributable to OHV use in the area. However, most indicators of environmental health in the region (such as air quality, surface run-off, groundwater quality, riparian health) remain in good health.
Recreation
The Ghost River, through the Ghost Public Land Use Zone, provides ample opportunity for recreation through hiking, scrambling, climbing, ice climbing, camping, and hunting. The rock and ice climbing along the North Ghost in particular is well-regarded as one of the premier destinations for such activities in the country. In addition, random camping is allowed within the PLUZ, unlike provincial and national parks in Alberta.
Popular hikes and scrambles in the area include Leseur Ridge, Black Rock Mountain, Bastion Ridge, and Orient Point, while more challenging alpine climbs include Devil's Head and Phantom Crag. Much of the premier hiking and climbing located at the headwaters of the Ghost is accessed by a rough utility road significantly damaged in 2013, necessitating a high clearance and four-wheel drive vehicle.
See also
*
List of rivers of Alberta
Alberta's rivers flow towards three different bodies of water, the Arctic Ocean, the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Alberta is located immediately east of the continental divide, so no rivers from Alberta reach the Pacific Ocean.
List of riv ...
*
TransAlta
TransAlta Corporation (formerly Calgary Power Company, Ltd.) is an electricity power generator and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a privately owned corporation and its shares are traded publicly. It o ...
References
{{Authority control
Bow River
Rivers of Alberta
Rivers of the Canadian Rockies
Tributaries of Hudson Bay