Milk River is a quaint town nestled in the heart of Alberta, Canada. Named after the Milk River that flows just south of it, this town is one of the few Canadian communities within the Mississippi River drainage system. Located 70 kilometres south of Lethbridge and a mere 16 kilometres from the Canada–United States border, Milk River serves as a primary service centre for the numerous farms and cattle ranches that surround it.
The Milk River area was first settled at the dawn of the 20th century. It was officially incorporated as a village on July 31, 1916, and later as a town on March 15, 1956. The town's intriguing motto, "Under Eight Flags", refers to the area's history of being under the jurisdiction of seven different governments and the Hudson's Bay Company. The eight flags include France (1682–1760), the Spanish Empire (1769–1801), the French Republic (1801–1803), the United States (1803–1818), the Hudson's Bay Company (1818–1869), the British Empire (1869–1945), the Canadian Red Ensign (1945–1965), and the current Canadian Maple Leaf (1965–present).
The nearest weather station to Milk River is in Masinasin, Alberta, approximately 36 km away. The town boasts a humid continental climate (Dfb) and is known for having some of the warmest summers in Alberta, along with milder winters.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Milk River had a population of 824 living in 383 of its 436 total private dwellings, a slight decrease of -0.4% from its 2016 population of 827. With a land area of 2.42 km2, it had a population density of 340.5/km2 in 2021.
Milk River offers a variety of recreational venues including a nine-hole golf course, curling rink, swimming pool, and skateboard park. During the spring months, rafting and canoeing the Milk River is a popular activity. However, during the summer and fall, river flow levels drop, making reliable canoeing and rafting less feasible.
The town also provides access to several regional attractions. The Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Heritage Museum, for instance, features a Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) nest and embryo, ancient fossils, and dinosaur models. Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, is located approximately 40 km east of Milk River. The park is home to the largest concentration of rock art created by Plains People, with over 50 rock art sites and numerous archaeological sites.
Milk River is conveniently connected to two highways: Highway 4, which leads south to Interstate 15 and north to Lethbridge, and Highway 501, which heads west to Cardston and east to Saskatchewan. The town is serviced by the Milk River Airport and offers rail service through Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
The Milk River and District Health Centre provides health services to the community. The hospital offers 24/7 emergency department services with on-call laboratory and diagnostic imaging services. Between 2005 and 2008, the emergency department averaged 1,351 visits per year. The tertiary referral centre for the hospital is Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.
