Milk River is a town 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 that is named after the Milk River which flows immediately to its south. This location results in Milk River being one of the few Canadian communities within the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

drainage system. It is south of Lethbridge, and from the Canada-

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

border. It is primarily a service centre for the many farms and cattle ranches which surround it.

History

The Milk River area was first settled around the beginning of the 20th century. Milk River was incorporated as a village on July 31, 1916, and then a town on March 15, 1956. The town's motto, "Under Eight Flags", refers to the area having been under the flags of seven governments as well as the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. Including the Hudson's Bay Company's flag (1818–1869), the eight flags are

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

(1682–1760), the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

(1769–1801), the French Republic (1801–1803), the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(1803–1818), the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

(1869–1945), the

Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the ''de facto'' flag of Canada before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the Royal Un ...

(1945–1965), and the current Canadian Maple Leaf (1965–present).

Geography

Climate

The nearest weather station is in

Masinasin, Alberta Masinasin is a former community in Alberta, Canada within the County of Warner No. 5. It is located off Highway 501 on Range Road 133, approximately east of the Town of Milk River and north of the Canada–US border and Writing-on-Stone P ...

, which is approximately away. Milk River has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Dfb DFB may refer to: * Deerfield Beach, Florida, a city * Decafluorobutane, a fluorocarbon gas * Dem Franchize Boyz, former hip hop group, Atlanta, Georgia * Dfb, Köppen climate classification for Humid continental climate * Distributed-feedback ...

) and enjoys some of the warmest summers in Alberta, along with milder winters.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Milk River had a population of 824 living in 383 of its 436 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 827. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Milk River recorded a population of 827 living in 375 of its 420 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 811. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

Recreation venues in Milk River include a nine-hole golf course, curling rink, swimming pool and skateboard park. Rafting and canoeing the Milk River is possible in the spring months; in summer and fall river flow levels drop such that reliable canoeing and rafting cannot be had. River access can be found at Under 8 Flags Campground within the Town of Milk River, Goldsprings Park to the south of Milk River, and various bridges to the east of Milk River. Attractions within the surrounding region that are proximate to Milk River include the following. Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum The Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum features a Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) nest and embryo, ancient fossils, dinosaur models. Writing On Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, or east of the community of Milk River, and straddles the Milk River itself. It is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park sy ...

, is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, and serves as both a nature preserve and protection for the largest concentration of rock art, created by Plains People. There are over 50 rock art sites, with thousands of figures, as well as numerous archeological sites. The park is located approximately 40 km east of Milk River.

Government

The town is governed by a town council composed of a mayor and four councillors. Municipal elections are held every four years.

Infrastructure

The town is connected to two highways: Highway 4, which heads south to

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

and north to Lethbridge, and Highway 501, which heads west to

Cardston Cardston is a town in Alberta, Canada. It was first settled in 1887 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who travelled from Utah, via the Macleod-Benton Trail, to present-day Alberta in one of the century' ...

and east to

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. Air service is provided by

Milk River Airport Milk River Airport is located southeast of Milk River, Alberta, 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 ...

and rail service is offered through Canadian Pacific Railway.

Milk River Health Centre

Health services are provided by the Milk River and District Health Centre. The hospital offers 24/7 emergency department services with on call laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. Between 2005 and 2008, the emergency department averaged 1,351 visits per year. The tertiary referral centre for the hospital is Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.

Education

Milk River has two schools – Milk River Elementary School and Erle Rivers High School.

Media

The ''Milk River Review'' was a weekly newspaper that was published between November 11, 1948 and May 27, 1954. It continued as a weekly throughout its run as ''The Review'' from June 17, 1954 to August 21, 1958, and again under the title of ''County of Warner Review and Advertiser'' between September 1, 1958 and March 30, 1961. Finally, the weekly newspaper returned to its original name, running as the ''Milk River Review'' from June 1, 1961 through to November 16, 1961.

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, towns=yes 1916 establishments in Alberta County of Warner No. 5 Towns in Alberta