Johnson's "legend of the Qu'Appelle Valley". The name of the river in the Cree language is . In June 2021, hundreds of unmarked graves were found at the Qu'Appelle Valley's former Marieval Indian residential school on the Cowessess 73 reserve in Marieval, part of the Canadian Indian residential school system, the most found in Canada to date. Communities While there are no large population centres along the course of the river, only small towns, Indian reserves, villages, and resort villages, within the river's watershed is the province's second largest city and capital, Regina. St. Lazare is the only community on the river in Manitoba and it sits at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle Rivers. Reserve lands The Qu'Appelle Valley is located in Treaty 4 territory and is home to the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, and Nakota peoples who have inhabited the last 11,000 years. However, due to acts such as the Indian Act of 1876, Indigenous peoples were forced to live on reserves. The Indian reserves located within the Qu'Appelle Valley include Piapot, Pasqua, Muscowpetung, Standing Buffalo, Cowessess, Kahkewistahaw, Sakimay, and Ochapowace. Towns and villages There are two towns and two villages in the valley along the course of the river. The first town within the valley is Lumsden with a total population of 1,824. The second town located in the Qu'Appelle Valley is Fort Qu'Appelle with a total population of 2,027. Located approximately north-east of Regina, the town of Fort Qu'Appelle is located between Echo Lake and Mission Lake. This town is of historical significance as it acted as a confluence between major trails that were positioned across the North-West Territories and as it was the place of signing for Treaty 4. The first village within the Qu'Appelle Valley is Craven which is located north-east of Regina at the junction of Highways 20 and 99. This village is home to the Country Thunder Music Festival—previously known as the Craven Country Jamboree. Although the population of Craven year-round is 214, when the Craven Country Jamboree is on, it becomes as populated as the biggest cities in Saskatchewan. The second village within the Qu'Appelle Valley is Tantallon, which has a total population of 91. This village is located off of Highway 8, and is known for its large statue of a whitetail deer. Buffalo Pound Lake The residential areas of Buffalo Pound Lake consist of multiple communities made up of