| Official Name: | Knife River, Minnesota |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Minnesota#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Knife River |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Minnesota |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lake |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.79 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1.73 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.06 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.69 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.67 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.02 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 212 |
| Population Density Km2: | 122.83 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 318.32 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 600 |
| Coordinates: | 46.9494°N -91.7792°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 55609 |
| Area Code: | 218 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 646206 |
Knife River is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Minnesota, United States; located on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
The community is located between Duluth and Two Harbors on the North Shore Scenic Drive (County 61), at the mouth of the Knife River, from which it gets its name.
Knife River is located 8 miles southwest of the city of Two Harbors. The boundary line between Lake and Saint Louis counties is nearby.
Knife River is located within Lake No. 2 Unorganized Territory of Lake County.
The community of Knife River was originally established in 1856 as Buchanan, located on the west side of the Knife River.[2] A separate community of Mellie, located on the east side of the river was platted in 1899 following the building of the Alger–Smith Lumber Company's railroad in 1898; Mellie changed its name to Knife River in 1903. The two communities incorporated themselves as the village of Knife River on October 2, 1909; but since have returned to being an unincorporated community.
The SS Benjamin Noble foundered off Knife River in April 1914, with the loss of all hands.[3] [4]