The Knife River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed October 5, 2012 tributary of the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...
in east-central
Minnesota in the
United States. It is one of three streams in Minnesota with this name. Its name is a translation from the
Dakota ''Isaanti''. Knife Lake and Santee
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
are named after this river. In turn
Isanti County is named after the Santee Sioux.
Course
The Knife River with its tributaries drains a area of
Mille Lacs and
Kanabec counties. After initially flowing southeastward for from Ernest Pool near
Wahkon, it flows to Knife Lake, then continues to flow southeastward for another to the Snake River, just north of
Mora
Mora may refer to:
People
* Mora (surname)
Places Sweden
* Mora, Säter, Sweden
* Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality
* Mora Municipality, Sweden
United States
* Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Mora, Minnesota, a city
* M ...
. At
Mora, MN, the river has a mean annual discharge of 63 cubic feet per second.
Associated lakes and tributaries
Only one lake is associated with the Knife River: Knife Lake. No major tributaries are associated with the Knife River. However, the river served as an important trade route for the
Dakota, the
Ojibwe, and the
Voyageurs, connecting the
Mississippi River (via
Mille Lacs Lake) to the
St. Croix River.
See also
*
List of rivers of Minnesota
References
* Waters, Thomas F. (1977). ''The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. .
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Rivers of Minnesota
Rivers of Mille Lacs County, Minnesota
Rivers of Kanabec County, Minnesota
Tributaries of the Mississippi River