Lesser Slave River

The Lesser Slave River (Cree Iyaghchi Eennu Sepe, translation: "River of the Strange People"[1]) is a river in central Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the Athabasca River.

For the municipal district, see Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124.

Lesser Slave River in Alberta

The Lesser Slave River

The Lesser Slave Lake and the river were the main links to the Peace River district until the beginning of the 20th century, when the construction of the Northern Alberta Railway facilitated transportation in the area.[2]

Course

View of the Lesser Slave River, 1911

The river originates from the Lesser Slave Lake at the town of Slave Lake. The average discharge at the mouth of the lake is 20 m³/s.[3] It flows eastwards for 61 km, and merges with the Athabasca River at the village of Smith. From its headwaters of South Heart River, it has a total length of more than 280 km.

The weir on the Lesser Slave River

Tributaries

Through Lesser Slave Lake

• Assineau River
• Driftpile River
  • Little Driftpile River
• South Heart River
  • East Prairie River, West Prairie River, North Heart River
• Marten River
• Swan River
  • Inverness River, Moosehorn River

Downstream of Lesser Slave Lake

• Sawridge Creek
• Eating Creek
• Mitsue Creek
  • Mitsue Lake, Florida Creek
• Muskeg Creek
• Otauwau River
• Salteux River
• Driftwood River
  • Fawcett River

See also

• Geography of Alberta
• List of Alberta rivers

References

1. Alberta Source – Lesser Slave River and Lesser Slave Lake
2. Britannica – Lesser Slave Lake
3. Alberta Environment Archived January 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine – River Basins – Lesser Slave Lake discharge graph Archived May 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine