Frenchman River

This article is about the river also known locally as the Whitemud. For the river in Manitoba, see Whitemud River.

The Frenchman River, (Gros Ventre: níhʔɔɔtóóúníícááh, lit. 'white person river'^[1]), also known locally as the Whitemud River, is a river in Saskatchewan, Canada and Montana, United States.^[2] It is a tributary of the Milk River, itself a tributary of the Missouri and, in turn, part of the Mississippi River watershed, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico.^[2]

Frenchman River
Frenchman River Valley
The Milk River highlighted
Location of the mouth in Montana Show map of Montana Frenchman River (North America) Show map of North America
Location
Countries	Canada United States
Physical characteristics
Source	Cypress Lake
• location	Cypress Hills
• coordinates	49.47641°N 109.39518°W / 49.47641; -109.39518 (Frenchman River headwaters)
• elevation	975 meters (3,199 ft)
Mouth	Milk River
• location	Saco, Montana
• coordinates	48.517351°N 107.251295°W / 48.517351; -107.251295 (Frenchman River mouth)
• elevation	665 meters (2,182 ft)
Length	341 kilometers (212 mi)
Basin features
River system	Missouri River

The river is approximately 341 kilometers (212 mi) long.^[2]

The name's origin is uncertain although both Métis and francophone settlers inhabited its banks at the turn of the 20th century. The Frenchman Formation, a stratigraphical unit of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, was named for the river.

Course

The headwaters are found in Cypress Lake,^[3] in the Cypress Hills, at an elevation of 975 meters (3,199 ft). It flows east towards the community of Eastend, then turns south-east. Various reservoirs are built on its course (Eastend Reservoir, Huff Lake, and Newton Lake) and the river is used extensively for irrigation. The river becomes meandered as it flows through the Grasslands National Park. Several creeks, such as Breed Creek, Little Breed Creek, and Otter Creek, flow into the Frenchman River from the Wood Mountain Hills. After the national park and the hills, the river turns south into Montana, where it flows into the Milk River, in Phillips County, Montana, north of Saco.^[4]

Fish species

Fish species found in the Frenchman River include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, burbot, common carp, white sucker, and shorthead redhorse.^[5]

See also

• Montana portal

• List of rivers of Montana
• List of rivers of Saskatchewan
• List of tributaries of the Missouri River

References

1. Cowell, A.; Taylor, A.; Brockie, T. "Gros Ventre ethnogeography and place names: A diachronic perspective". Anthropological Linguistics. 58 (2): 132–170. doi:10.1353/anl.2016.0025.
2. "The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details". esask.uregina.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
3. "Adams and Cypress Lake Reservoirs". Consul Museum. Consul Museum. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
4. "Frenchman River". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Government of Canada. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
5. "Frenchman River". Angler's Atlas. Angler's Atlas. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

48°31′10″N 107°15′04″W