Milk River is a town in the province of Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, located on and named after the Milk River

Milk River (Montana-Alberta)

The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in the United States state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of , ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.-Geography:It is formed in...

, which flows immediately to its south. It is 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) south of Lethbridge

Lethbridge

Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...

, and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the Canada-U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 border. It is primarily a service centre for the many farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

s 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

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 on 1916 July, and on 1956 March, it was declared a town.

Its motto, "Under Eight Flags", refers to the area having been under the flags of seven governments and the Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

. Including HBC (1818–1869), the eight flags are France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (1682–1762), the Spanish Empire

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

 (1762–1800), the French Republic (1800–1803), the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (1803–1818), the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 (1869–1945), the Canadian Red Ensign

Red Ensign

The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is a flag that originated in the early 17th century as a British ensign flown by the Royal Navy and later specifically by British merchantmen. The precise date of its first appearance is not known, but surviving receipts indicate that the Navy was paying to have such...

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

Demographics

The population of the Town of Milk River according to its 2007 municipal census is 846.

In 2006, Milk River had a population of 816 living in 443 dwellings

House

A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...

, a 7.2% decrease from 2001. The town has a land area of 2.39 km² (0.922784159036159 sq mi) and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 341.7 /km2.

Government

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

Infrastructure

Milk River has five Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 churches and two schools, Milk River Elementary School and Erle Rivers High School. It also offers its residents a nine-hole golf course

Golf course

A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

, a curling

Curling

Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...

 rink, a swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

, and a skateboard

Skateboard

A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...

 park.

Health services are provided by the Milk River and District Health Centre.

The town is connected to two highways: Highway 4, which heads south to Interstate 15

Interstate 15

Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...

 and north to Lethbridge, and Highway 501

Alberta Highway 501

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 501 is a highway in the province of Alberta, Canada. It runs west-east from Highway 5 east of Mountain View as gravel to Cardston, then pavement through Del Bonita and Milk River to Highway 879, then gravel again to the Saskatchewan border.It is also known as 9 Avenue...

, which heads west to Cardston

Cardston, Alberta

-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...

 and east to Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

. Air service is provided by Milk River Airport

Milk River Airport

Milk River Airport, , is located southeast of Milk River, Alberta, Canada.-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory...

 and rail service is offered through CPR

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

.

Tourism

Regional attractions

Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum:
The Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum

Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum

Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum, located in Warner, Alberta, Canada, is a key historic site in southern Alberta. In 1997, ten fossilized dinosaur eggs, believed to have come from a Hadrosaur, specifically a Hypacrosaurus were found at Devil's Coulee site...

 features a Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) nest and embryo, ancient fossils, dinosaur models, located in the Warner

Warner, Alberta

Warner is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in County of Warner, approximately 65 km south of the city of Lethbridge. Warner is a farming community. Warner is situated at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 36, about 38 km north of the Montana border and...

.

Galt Historic Railway Park:
The Galt Historic Railway Park

Galt Historic Railway Park

The Galt Historic Railway Park, collects, preserves, restores, exhibits and interprets artifacts which represent the history and social impact of the "steam" era in southern Alberta and the coal era with emphasis on Galt Railway and the 1890 International Train Station Depot North West Territories...

located 1 km north of Stirling

Stirling, Alberta

Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5, Alberta, Canada. The village is located on Highway 4, approximately southeast of Lethbridge and northwest of the United States-Canada border....

 is another popular museum which displays of life and travel in the 1880s to 1920s are set up in the restored 1890 North West Territories International Train Station from Coutts, Alberta

Coutts, Alberta

Coutts is a village in Alberta and the location of one of the busiest Canada – US border crossings in western Canada. It connects Highway 4 to Interstate 15, an important trade route between Alberta, American states along I-15, and Mexico.In 2004, a joint border facility opened in Coutts-Sweet...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and Sweetgrass, Montana

Sweetgrass, Montana

Sweet Grass is an unincorporated community in Toole County, Montana, United States, on the Canada-US border. It is the northern terminus of Interstate 15, an important route connecting western Canada, the western United States, and Mexico.In 2004, a joint border facility opened at the Sweetgrass...

, USA. The station was moved to the current location near Stirling in 2000 and is added onto every year. Future plans to move the 1925 Oglvie grain elevator from Wrentham

Wrentham, Alberta

Wrentham is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the County of Warner No. 5. It is located southeast of the intersection of the Veteran Memorial Highway and the historic Red Coat Trail , approximately east of the Village of Stirling, south of the Town of Taber and west of the Village of...

 for display along the station in the 36 acres (145,687 m²) park is still in the planning stages.

Stirling Agricultural Village:

Stirling Agricultural Village

Stirling Agricultural Village

Stirling Agricultural Village is a National Historic Site of Canada, and was listed as one of only three communities in Canada designated as a National Historic Site because of the community’s well preserved settlement pattern that follows the Plat of Zion model...

 is a National Historic Site of Canada, and was listed as one of only three communities in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 designated as a National Historic Site because of the community’s well preserved settlement pattern that follows the Plat of Zion model. Located within the village are two museums the Michelsen Farmstead

Michelsen Farmstead

The Andreas Michelsen Farmstead, originally built in 1902 by Andreas himself as a two room house. In 1912 the house was added onto, to make 7 rooms in total, little has changed since...

a totally restored 1900s home showcasing rual life in Alberta in the 1930s. Listed as a Provincial Historic Site in 2001., and the Galt Historic Railway Park.

Warner elevator row:
The Warner elevator row

Warner elevator row

Warner elevator row is a row of historic wood-cribbed grain elevators with six elevators all standing in a row from south to north, alongside the Canadian Pacific Railway, that travels from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta, on the east entrance of the village of Warner, Alberta, Canada...

 is a row of historic wood-cribed grain elevators. A total of six elevators still stand in a row from south to north alongside the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 on the east entrance of the village of Warner

Warner, Alberta

Warner is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in County of Warner, approximately 65 km south of the city of Lethbridge. Warner is a farming community. Warner is situated at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 36, about 38 km north of the Montana border and...

. Due to the loss of a vast amount of Alberta's many grain elevators, the elevator row in Warner remains the very last row of elevators in Alberta. Only two elevator rows remain in Canada, Warner's row and the elevators in Inglis, Manitoba

Inglis elevator row

Inglis elevator row is a row of five grain elevators standing in a row from south to north alongside the former Canadian Pacific Railway track bed, on the southeast edge of the village of Inglis, Manitoba, Canada. Because so many grain elevators have been demolished throughout Western Canada, only...

.

Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist...

 is a National Park located in the extreme southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, 40 km west of Cardston

Cardston, Alberta

-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...

, and borders Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park (Canada)

Glacier National Park is one of seven national parks in British Columbia, and is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada. It protects a portion of the Columbia Mountains. It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site, designated for its importance in the construction...

 in Montana, USA. Waterton Lake

Waterton Lake

Waterton Lake is a mountain lake in southern Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, USA. The lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosphorus. The two parts are referred to as Lower Wateron Lake, and Upper Waterton Lake, the latter of which is...

s was Canada's fourth National Park formed in 1895. The Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 rise suddenly out of the rolling prairies in the park. Amid the peaks are the three Waterton Lake

Waterton Lake

Waterton Lake is a mountain lake in southern Alberta, Canada and northern Montana, USA. The lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosphorus. The two parts are referred to as Lower Wateron Lake, and Upper Waterton Lake, the latter of which is...

s, carved out of the rock by ancient glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

s.

Writing On Stone Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about 100 kilometres southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada or 44 kilometres 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 system, and serves as both a...

, 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

Rock art

Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...

, created by Plains People. There are over 50 rock art sites, with thousands of figures, as well as numerous archeological sites.

Historical Newspapers

• Milk River Review -- The Milk River Review was a published weekly newspaper 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.

The Milk River Review (1948-1958 & 1961) has been digitized from microfilm and is available through the University of Lethbridge

University of Lethbridge

The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...

 Library digitized collections.

External links

• Town of Milk River
• Milk River Review (1948-1958 & 1961) -- Newspaper