The Portage River is an
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed October 5, 2012 tributary of the
Moose Horn River in eastern
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. It flows west to the Moose Horn River, joining it at Moosehead Lake next to the city of
Moose Lake. By the Moose Horn River, its waters flow to the
Kettle River,
St. Croix River, and ultimately the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Just to the east of the Portage River, Nemadji Creek flows east to the
Nemadji River
The Nemadji River is a river rising in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, which flows through Carlton County, Minnesota, and Douglas County, Wisconsin, to Lake Superior. The river is long measured from its source in Maheu Lake in Pine Count ...
, a tributary of
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
and part of the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
basin.
The Portage River was on an old
portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
route, hence the name.
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 crosses the Iowa border downstream. It is joined by the Minnesota River at Fort Snellin ...
References
External links
Minnesota Watersheds*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Minnesota (1974)
Rivers of Minnesota
Rivers of Carlton County, Minnesota
{{Minnesota-river-stub