Snake Indian River

Snake Indian River
The Snake Indian River in Jasper National Park
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Snake Indian Pass
• coordinates	53°19′03″N 118°57′06″W / 53.31750°N 118.95167°W / 53.31750; -118.95167
• elevation	2,128 m (6,982 ft)
Mouth
• location	Athabasca River
• coordinates	53°11′04″N 117°59′12″W / 53.18444°N 117.98667°W / 53.18444; -117.98667Coordinates: 53°11′04″N 117°59′12″W / 53.18444°N 117.98667°W / 53.18444; -117.98667
• elevation	1,039 m (3,409 ft)
Length	115 km (71 mi)

The Snake Indian River is a large tributary of the Athabasca River, exiting entirely within Jasper National Park. The Snake Indian forms at , south of and , north of . The river travels in a general northwest direction before turning sharply south. The river plummets over the massive before joining the Athabasca River downstream of Jasper Lake, near the east gate of Jasper National Park.^[1]

The Snake Indian River, along with Snake Indian Mountain and Snake Indian Pass, were named after a small tribe of Indians, the Snakes, which resided around Jasper House in the 19th century. In Indigenous cultures, the term snake is a generic pejorative used to describe other tribes, regardless of their actual ancestry, hence the many locations in Alberta where a number of different tribes lived, all of whom, although unrelated, were called 'Snakes'. The Snakes who lived just north of Jasper were massacred by a band of Assiniboines at a peace feast between the two tribes.^[2]

Tributaries[]

• Blue Creek
• Deer Creek
• Willow Creek

See also[]

• List of Alberta rivers

References[]