Bow River, river in southern Alberta, Canada,
the main headstream of the South Saskatchewan River. It rises in the
Canadian Rocky Mountains of Banff National Park at the foot
of Mount Gordon and flows from glacial Bow Lake southeastward through the park
in a lush montane ecoregion that runs past the communities of Lake
Louise and Banff. Exiting the park, the Bow turns generally eastward
and flows through Calgary, the largest settlement on the river. Near
Bassano the river again bends southward and, after a course of 365 miles (587
km), joins the Oldman River 37 miles (60 km) west of Medicine
Hat to form the South Saskatchewan River.
The river was so named because the Cree Indians
made bows from Douglas firs that grew along its banks. French explorers traversed the
Bow valley in 1752, followed by fur traders in the early part of the 19th
century. Several dams have been built on the Bow and its tributaries; they are
used for hydroelectric power, irrigation, and flood control, as well as
for providing Calgary with its water supply. Bow Valley Provincial Park
lies just outside Banff National Park at the junction of the Bow and Kananaskis
rivers, 50 miles (80 km) west of Calgary.
