Mikkwa

The Mikkwa, or Little Red River, rises in the Birch Mountains and winds through forested lowlands to join the Peace River. Its Cree name refers to the red colour of its waters. Near the Peace, the river meanders across flat ground, leaving oxbow lakes. Moose and caribou inhabit the surrounding country, and the river is associated with the hunting lands of the Little Red River Cree.

In 1798 or 1799, John Thomson of the North West Company built a fort on the Peace opposite the mouth of the Mikkwa. By 1805 it had been abandoned and lay in ruins. It belonged to a period when fur traders were establishing posts along the Peace River and seeking to draw northern hunters into their trade.