The Warroad–Sprague Border Crossing connects the city of Warroad, Minnesota, and the community of

Sprague, Manitoba Sprague is a community within the Rural Municipality of Piney in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is named after D.E. Sprague, a prominent Winnipeg lumber merchant. The community is located in the extreme southeast corner of the province near ...

, on the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

. Minnesota State Highway 313 on the American side joins

Manitoba Highway 12 Provincial Trunk Highway 12 (PTH 12) is a provincial primary highway located in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Lying entirely in the Eastman Region, it runs from the Canada–United States border, U.S. bor ...

on the Canadian side. The crossing is: *on '' MOM's Way'' between

Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

and Ste. Anne, Manitoba. *the easternmost along the part of the international border that follows the

49th parallel north The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49degree (angle), ° true north, north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Paris is about south of the 49t ...

between the

Salish Sea The Salish Sea ( ) is a List of seas on Earth #Terminology, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia and the States of the United States , U.S. state of Washingto ...

on the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

and the

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

. *used for travel between

Northwest Angle The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. Excluding surveying errors, it is the only place in the contiguous United States ...

and Minnesota proper. A school bus makes this journey twice daily. The adjacent

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

track across the border, which links eastward to Rainy River, Ontario, is isolated from other US trackage.

Canadian side

In 1901, the customs office opened under the administrative oversight of the Port of Winnipeg. In 1925, a new building was erected at Sprague. The customs building was replaced in 1973.

US side

The Border Patrol Station was established around 1924, closed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and reopened in 1955. While on patrol near

Roseau Roseau (Dominican Creole French, Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George Parish, Dominica, Saint George Pa ...

in 1928, Robert H. Lobdell, a Warroad officer, was fatally shot by an individual who had illegally entered the US. The Warroad border station, which was built in 1962, was replaced by a new facility in 2010. About south of the previous station, the new complex employs advanced technologies and includes two high low booths, two commercial truck docks and two enclosed passenger vehicle bays for detailed inspections. During the 2020/21 and 2021/22 winters, an ice road was built over the frozen lake to connect Northwest Angle with the rest of Minnesota. In 2022, the highway south to Roseau was designated the Richard K. Magnuson Deputy Memorial Highway in memory of the deputy sheriff who intercepted border runner Gregory McMaster in 1978. McMaster fatally shot Magnuson, the final victim of the serial killer.

Traffic volumes

During earlier decades, passenger trains created much of the customs work. To expedite inspections, Canadian and US customs officers processed passengers while the trains were en route. In 1930, US officers Laurence E. Doten and Lawrence C. Jones were fatally shot in the line of the duty on a westbound passenger train. The significant rail freight includes seasonal grain harvests. In later decades, highway traffic became the primary customs activity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warroad-Sprague Border Crossing Canada–United States border crossings 1901 establishments in Manitoba 1924 establishments in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Roseau County, Minnesota Transportation in Roseau County, Minnesota

Canadian side

US side

Traffic volumes

See also

References