Oldman River

Etymology

The river is named after Napi, a figure in Blackfoot mythology, who is also referred to as the "Old Man."

History

The Oldman River was, at one time, known as the Belly River. 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 activist Milton Born With A Tooth had attempted to divert the Oldman River away from the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District canal intake. This led to an armed standoff and his eventual imprisonment. The dam was constructed where the Oldman, Crowsnest, and Castle river systems converge.

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.

Tributaries

From headwaters to mouth, Oldman River receives:

• Livingstone River
• Crowsnest River
• Castle River
• Pincher Creek
• Beaver Creek
• Willow Creek
• Belly River
  • Waterton River
• St. Mary River
  • Lee Creek
• Little Bow River

Nature

Oldman River originates in the Beehive Natural Area, an area of alpine tundra and old-growth spruce and fir forests. Downstream it flows through Bob Creek Wildland Provincial Park and Black Creek Heritage Rangeland. 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.

References

References

1. Atlas of Canada. "Rivers in Canada".
2. Clark Wissler and D. C. Duvall, ''[[Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians]]'', (Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, vol. 2, pt. 2, 1908), 7.
3. (July 2025). "McCord Museum - Keys to History".
4. University of Lethbridge. "Oldman River Dam".
5. Kaufmann, Bill. (June 21, 2013). "Thousands flee rising waters from Red Deer to Crowsnest". Calgary Sun.
6. Alberta Community Development. "Beehive Natural Area".
7. Alberta Community Development. "Bob Creek Wildland Park".
8. Alberta Community Development. "Black Creek Heritage Rangeland".
9. "AlbertaFishingGuide.com: The Dependable Online Resource For Fishing In Alberta".