Milk River is a town in

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, 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 main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

drainage system. It is south of

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, and from the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

. 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), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

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

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(1682–1760), the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

(1769–1801), the

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(1801–1803), the

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(1803–1818), the

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(1869–1945), the

Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign () 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 Union Flag in the canton (flag), canto ...

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

Geography

Climate

The nearest weather station is in Masinasin, Alberta, 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 cold ...

(

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) 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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, 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, and swimming pool. 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 s ...

, 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, Ca ...

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 Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific O ...

and rail service is offered through

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, Trade name, doing business as CPKC (known as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited until 2023), is a Canadian railway holding company. Through its primary operating railroad subsidiaries, Canadian Pacific Railw ...

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 Chinook Regional Hospital is the district general hospital for the City of Lethbridge and Southern Alberta, and offers many of the health care services for Alberta Health Services. The hospital services a population of over 150,000 and is supporte ...

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