Knife River (Lake Superior) Explained
| Knife River (Lake Superior) |
| Pushpin Map: | Minnesota |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Mouth of the Knife River |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Minnesota |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | St. Louis, Lake County |
| Length: | 23.9adj=midNaNadj=mid |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 90.3cuft/s |
| Source1 Location: | King Lake |
| Mouth Location: | Knife River, Minnesota, Lake Superior |
The Knife River is a 23.9adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] river of northern Minnesota which drains a portion of Lake and Saint Louis counties into Lake Superior between Duluth and Two Harbors.
Name
The Knife River's name is an accurate preservation of its native Ojibwe name, .[2] [3] Its original name was probably given on account of the long, sharp stones near the mouth of the river.[4]
Geography
The main branch of the Knife River flows from source to mouth,[1] flowing parallel to the shoreline from the direction of Two Harbors.[5] It has four or five major tributaries.[5] Its watershed is 84.3sqmi, and contains 181.1miles of streams.[6] Since data began being collected in 1974, its mean annual daily water discharge has been calculated as 90.3cuft/s.[5] There is concern over the river's water quality due to suspended sediment, and it was placed on the state's impaired waters list in 1998.[7] A 2008 study found that about sixty percent of the sediment came from erosion of the streambanks, and about thirty from erosion of the river's bluffs.[5]
The Knife River's watershed is undeveloped, with 72% forest, 16% wetland, and 6% grassland.[6] 5% is used for agricultural purposes, and the remaining 1% is the unincorporated community of Knife River, Minnesota, located at the river's mouth.[6]
See also
Notes and References
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 7, 2012
- Gilfillan, J. A. Minnesota Geographical Names Derived from the Chippewa Language. p. 454. The Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota. Fifteenth Annual Report, 1886. Pioneer Press Company, St. Paul.
- Book: Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. 1920. Minnesota Historical Society. 492.
- The WPA Guide to the Minnesota Arrowhead Country, p. 162. Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 1988.
- Nieber, John L., et al. Assessment of Streambank and Bluff Erosion in the Knife River Watershed. p. 6. Final Report Submitted to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota. 2008. http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/archives/knife/Assessment%20of%20Streambank%20and%20Bluff%20Erosion%20in%20the%20Knife%20River%20Watershed.pdf Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- LakeSuperiorStreams: Community Partnerships For Understanding Water Quality and Stormwater Impacts at the Head of the Great Lakes. University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812. Knife River Watershed http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/northshore/knifewshed.html Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- Nieber, John L., et al. Assessment of Streambank and Bluff Erosion in the Knife River Watershed. p. 5. Final Report Submitted to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota. 2008. http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/archives/knife/Assessment%20of%20Streambank%20and%20Bluff%20Erosion%20in%20the%20Knife%20River%20Watershed.pdf Retrieved July 21, 2010.
