Bowstring is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Bowstring Township,

Itasca County Itasca County (pronounced eye-ta-ska) is located in the State of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,014. Its county seat is Grand Rapids. The county is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version of the L ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The community is located 15 miles north of Deer River on

Minnesota State Highway 6 Minnesota State Highway 6 (MN 6) is a highway in east-central and north-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 18 in Bay Lake Township near Garrison and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersectio ...

. The unincorporated community of Bowstring also extends into Bowstring Lake Unorganized Territory of Itasca County.

Geography

The center of Bowstring is generally considered at the intersection of State Highway 6 ( MN 6) and Itasca County Road 133 (CR 133). Nearby places include Talmoon, Marcell, Spring Lake, and

Inger Inger may refer to: People * Inger (given name), a list of people * Inger, the main character of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale ''The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf'' * Robert F. Inger (1920–2019), American herpetologist * Stella Inger, America ...

. Bowstring is located within the

Bowstring State Forest The Bowstring State Forest is a state forest located in Itasca and Cass Counties in Minnesota. It is located entirely within the boundaries of the federally managed Chippewa National Forest, and is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural ...

of Itasca County. Lake Jessie Township and

Leech Lake Indian Reservation The Leech Lake Reservation (''Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag'' in the Ojibwe language) is an Indian reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. The reservation forms the land base for the federally ...

are both in the vicinity. The

Bowstring River The Bowstring River is a river of Minnesota, USA. See also *List of rivers of Minnesota Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that cumulatively flow for . The Mississippi River begins its journey from its headwaters at Lake Itasca and ...

flows through the area.

Community

The U.S. Postal Service accepts mail addressed to Bowstring, which is held for pickup at a contract post office located at the Bowstring Store. The community is named after nearby Bowstring Lake. Its population is about 121 people. Buildings include a church, the Bowstring Store, the USDA fire warden's office, a community center, and several houses. It also features a

telephone booth A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...

, which was an important feature up until the arrival of cellular phone service in the area in the 1980s. The community has served travelers, tourists, and the area's few permanent residents since being settled in the 1920s.

References

* Rand McNally Road Atlas – 2007 edition – Minnesota entry * Official State of Minnesota Highway Map – 2011/2012 edition * Mn/DOT map of Itasca County – Sheet 2 – 2011 edition {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Minnesota Unincorporated communities in Itasca County, Minnesota