The Frenchman River, also known locally as the Whitemud River, flows through Saskatchewan, Canada, and Montana, United States. Its Gros Ventre name, *níhʔɔɔtóóúníícááh*, translates to "white person river." The river is a tributary of the Milk River, which feeds into the Missouri River system and ultimately the Mississippi River, flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. Spanning approximately 341 kilometers (212 miles), the river's exact naming origin is uncertain, but it has historical ties to both Métis and francophone settlers from the early 20th century. The Frenchman Formation, a geological unit within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, is named after the river. The river originates in Cypress Lake, located in the Cypress Hills at an elevation of 975 meters (3,199 feet). It flows east toward Eastend before turning southeast. Along its course, the Frenchman River is dammed by several reservoirs, including Eastend Reservoir, Huff Lake, and Newton Lake, and it is widely used for irrigation. The river meanders through Grasslands National Park, receiving inflow from creeks such as Breed Creek, Little Breed Creek, and Otter Creek from the Wood Mountain Hills. After passing through the national park and the hills, the river continues south into Montana, where it merges with the Milk River in Phillips County, north of Saco.

Frenchman River - Wikipedia