The Trade River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
St. Croix River in northwestern
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
In its history, it has been known by the names "Atanwa" or "Ottoway" River, both of which are Anglicized versions of an
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian lan ...
word meaning "trade" (see
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
). Beneath the mouth of the Trade River, the
St. Croix River was once known as the Grave-marker River.
The Trade River begins in the
Straight Lake Tunnel Channel Woods in northern
Polk County, Wisconsin
Polk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,977. Its county seat is Balsam Lake. The county was created in 1853.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an ar ...
,
and flows northward before bending westward to meet the South Fork a few miles south of
Frederic. The South Fork of the Trade River begins in wetlands north of
Luck
Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...
and flows northward, roughly parallel to State Highway 35, until it meets the main branch. The Trade River then winds its way westward through farmland and a series of lakes in northern Polk and southern
Burnett counties. West of State Highway 87, it is joined by the North Fork Trade River, which flows south-southwest from Isaac Lake via Canute Creek Flowage. Shortly thereafter, the river enters
Governor Knowles State Forest and flows through
pine barrens
Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...
in the town of
Sterling before joining the St. Croix River.
Cities and towns
*
Trade River, Wisconsin
*
Trade Lake, Wisconsin
See also
*
List of rivers of Wisconsin
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Great Lakes Drainage
Lake Michigan
*Menominee River
* ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Wisconsin
Rivers of Burnett County, Wisconsin
Rivers of Polk County, Wisconsin
Tributaries of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)