High River

High River is a town in southwestern Alberta, Canada with a population of 10,716. It is 23 mi or 37 kilometres south of Calgary City, at the intersection of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. Even if reasonably far from Calgary, the town of High River is nonetheless considered to be part of the Calgary Area.

The community gets its name from the Highwood River, which runs through the town, and usually floods in springtime.

Joe Clark, former Canadian Prime Minister was born within the town of High River. Various famous former citizens consist of W.O. Mitchell, author of such books as Roses Are Difficult Here and Who Has Seen the Wind, and NHL and WHA hockey player John "Pie" McKenzie.

The town of High River was the location for Smallville in Superman III and was the location used for Montana in Caitlin's Way, that is a series on Nickelodeon. Recently, Heartland, a CBC television series has found the town of High River its main filming location. Additionally, the movie Carolina Moon based on the book by Nora Roberts was filmed within the town of High River.

As part of High River's heritage and tourism endeavours, a number of murals were painted all over town in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The town of High River hosted the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Dodge Pro Tour Championships in 2006 and 2010.

There was a tree that stood near the existing town location of High River which was referred to as the Medicine Tree. It was created through a natural grafting that happened between two cottonwood trees, when the branch of one grew into the trunk of the other.

The indigenous peoples, specifically the Blackfoot and Stony, considered this to be a sign from the Spirits that the site was favoured. It was also near the Medicine Tree that traders determined to build a fort, and soon after settlers arrived to claim the land that is presently High River.

The High River Culture Centre was designed to become a great venue that was able to meet the needs of the local community, providing variety of activities, programs, and special events for the residents. Programs are for different ages and are intended to expose the local community to various opportunities.

The Culture Centre contains a large studio which is utilized for various activities such as classes in dance, music and the arts, and general interest and wellness and health courses.