Assiniboine

Assiniboine, river in south-central Canada, 1,070 km (665 mi) long. The river begins in southeastern Saskatchewan and flows southeast into southern Manitoba, where it joins the Red River of the North, at Winnipeg. Its principal tributaries are the Qu'Appelle and Souris rivers. Located in a wide valley formed by a glacier, the Assiniboine flows through fertile grain- and livestock-producing regions. Formerly called the Stone Indian River, it is named for the Assiniboine, a Siouan-speaking tribe who occupied the valley in the 18th century. The river became an important fur-trading and transportation route during the late 1700s.