Ghost River (Alberta)

Ghost River
Mount Aylmer with the North Ghost in the foreground
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Physical characteristics
Source	South slopes of Mount Oliver
• coordinates	51°24′38″N 115°29′20″W / 51.41056°N 115.48889°W / 51.41056; -115.48889
Mouth	Bow River at Ghost Lake
• coordinates	51°13′26″N 114°42′48″W / 51.22389°N 114.71333°W / 51.22389; -114.71333
Basin size	911 km2 (352 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	119 m3/s (4,200 cu ft/s)
• minimum	111 m3/s (3,900 cu ft/s)
• maximum	453 m3/s (16,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Leseur Creek, Waiparous Creek, Robinson Creek
• right	Spectral Creek, Baymar Creek

The Ghost River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the front ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, joining the Bow River at Ghost Lake. These waters flow through Cochrane, Calgary, and ultimately into Hudson Bay. The upper reaches of the Ghost are fully protected by the Ghost River Wilderness Area.

The origin of the name Ghost varies somewhat, but generally relates to local First Nations legends regarding a battle at the confluence of the Ghost and Bow between the Stoney and Blackfoot peoples. Spirits of those slain in the battle were said to haunt the area, leading to the name being adopted after it was initially coined Deadman's River by the Palliser Expedition in 1860.^[1]