Frenchman River
Encyclopedia
Frenchman River, or Frenchman Creek, is a river in Saskatchewan
, Canada
and Montana
, United States
. It is a tributary of the Milk River, itself a tributary of the Missouri
.
The river is approximately 341 kilometres (211.9 mi) long.
The name origin is uncertain, although both metis
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.
It flows east towards Eastend
, then turns south-east. Various reservoirs are built on its course (Eastend Reservoir, Huff Lake, Newton Lake) and the river is used extensively for irrigation. The river becomes meander
ed as it flows through the Grasslands National Park
, then turns south into Montana
, where it flows into the Milk River, in Phillips County, Montana
, north of Saco
.
species include walleye
, yellow perch
, northern pike
, burbot
, common carp
, white sucker
and shorthead redhorse
.
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....
, 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 Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a tributary of the Milk River, itself a tributary of the Missouri
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
.
The river is approximately 341 kilometres (211.9 mi) long.
The name origin is uncertain, although both metis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and francophone settlers inhabited its banks at the turn of the 20th century.
The Frenchman Formation
Frenchman Formation
The Frenchman Formation is a division of Upper Cretaceous rocks found in Saskatchewan, Canada. More accurately described as Late Maastrichtian, these rocks contain the youngest of dinosaur genera, much like the Hell Creek Formation in the United States....
, a stratigraphical unit of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin is a vast sedimentary basin underlying of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. It consists of a massive wedge of sedimentary rock...
was named for the river.
Course
The headwaters are found in Cypress Lake, in the Cypress Hills, at an elevation of 975 metres (3,198.8 ft).It flows east towards Eastend
Eastend, Saskatchewan
-Infrastructure:The Saskatchewan Transportation Company provides intercity passenger and parcel express service to Eastend.-Attractions:Local Attractions:...
, then turns south-east. Various reservoirs are built on its course (Eastend Reservoir, Huff Lake, Newton Lake) and the river is used extensively for irrigation. The river becomes meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
ed as it flows through the Grasslands National Park
Grasslands National Park
Grasslands National Park is one of Canada's newer national parks, located in southern Saskatchewan, and one of 43 parks and park reserves in Canada's national park system...
, then turns south into Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, where it flows into the Milk River, in Phillips County, Montana
Phillips County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge* Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge * Hewitt Lake National Wildlife Refuge* UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge* Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument -Demographics:...
, north of Saco
Saco, Montana
Saco is a town in Phillips County, Montana, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Saco is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
.
Fish species
The fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
species include walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, burbot
Burbot
The burbot is the only gadiform fish inhabiting freshwaters. It is also known as mariah, the lawyer, and eelpout. It is closely related to the marine common ling and the cusk...
, common carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...
, white sucker
White Sucker
The White Sucker is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabiting North America from Labrador in the north to Georgia and New Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12...
and shorthead redhorse
Shorthead redhorse
-Introduction:The Shorthead Redhorse is a wide-ranging species in North America that needs to be monitored throughout its range. The Shorthead Redhorse is native to central and eastern North America. However, its range has expanded to include areas like the Hudson estuary and Grayson County, Texas...
.