The Vermillion River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed October 4, 2012 waterway that meanders through Scott County and

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

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 ...

, entering 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 fl ...

floodplain just south of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. of it are designated as a

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

stream, which is unusual for being so close to a metropolitan area. Trophy-sized trout may be found in the river.

Description

Vermillion, derived from the French for "red", was probably so named from deposits of ochre Indians used for body painting. The Vermillion is a state-designated trout stream, managed for catch-and-release fishing of brown trout. The portion of the river that supports trout is upstream, around the towns of

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

;

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, and the City of Lakeville. After the waterfall in the city of

, the water becomes too warm to support trout. Downstream from the falls on the south side of Hastings, the water becomes even warmer, supporting riverine species such as

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

and

freshwater drum The freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Aplodinotus'', and is a member of the family Sciaenidae. It is the only North American member of the group that ...

. The Minnesota state record black crappie of 5.0 pounds was caught in the Vermillion River in 1940. An old channel of the Vermillion River continues south from Hastings on the western edge of the Mississippi valley.

Activities on the river

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the river was used for water power, supplying power to

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

s. A park surrounding the falls preserves the remains of a mill operated by

Alexander Ramsey Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s. He was the first Minnesota Territorial Governor. Early years and fa ...

, one of the leading citizens of early Minnesota. The nonprofit conservation group Minnesota Trout Unlimited and its volunteers have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in physical restoration of the river and adjoining upland areas, funding four projects through grants from the state's Outdoor Heritage Fund. The Twin Cities chapter of

Trout Unlimited Trout Unlimited (TU) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. T ...

sponsors a local community volunteer group called the Vermillion Riverkeepers. Volunteers work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remove invasive non-native species such as buckthorn from several state DNR Aquatic Management Areas (AMAs), in addition to fisheries research and stream restoration projects . Another group, Friends of the Mississippi River, engages people in cleanups, restoration events and educational activities through its Vermillion Stewards Program.

Gallery of images

Image:vupperfalls.jpg, Vermillion River upper falls in Hastings Image:vvalley1.jpg, Vermillion River valley in Hastings Image:vvaley2.jpg, Vermillion River valley in Hastings Image:Ramsey Mill.jpg, Ruin of the 1857 Ramsey Mill

References

{{authority control Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Hastings, Minnesota Rivers of Minnesota Tributaries of the Mississippi River Rivers of Scott County, Minnesota Rivers of Dakota County, Minnesota Southern Minnesota trout streams

Description

Activities on the river

Gallery of images

See also

References