[1] The fur trader Alexander Henry referred to it in 1799 as Riviere Terre Blanche, translated as "White Earth River" or "White Mud River", likely deriving its name from the colour of the clay and soil along its banks.

[5] The river's depth ranges from a few centimeters in the summer to several meters in flood events.

Fish species known to inhabit the river include northern pike, white suckers, flathead minnows, emerald shiners, common carp and walleye.

This clay, also found on alkaline flats or the mud on the lower river, would become greyish-white when used for plastering the chinks of log houses.

[4] In the early 19th century, traders of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) would spend their winters at the mouth of the Whitemud River, along the shore of Lake Manitoba.