Red Lake River

Red Lake River
Rivière du Lac Rouge
The Red Lake River on its crooked path through Crookston, Minnesota
Northwest Minnesota with the Red Lake River highlighted
Red Lake River is located in Minnesota
Red Lake River
Mouth of the Red Lake River
Native nameMiskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganiiwi-ziibi (Ojibwe)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyPolk County, Red Lake County, Pennington County, Clearwater County, Beltrami County
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLower Red Lake
 • coordinates47°57′35″N 95°16′28″W / 47.9596794°N 95.2744491°W / 47.9596794; -95.2744491
MouthRed River of the North
 • location
East Grand Forks
 • coordinates
47°55′21″N 97°01′17″W / 47.9225°N 97.0214°W / 47.9225; -97.0214
Length193 miles (311 km)
Basin features
River systemRed River of the North

The Red Lake River (French: Rivière du Lac Rouge; Ojibwe: Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganiiwi-ziibi) is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing through Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, and Crookston, the river merges with the Red River of the North in East Grand Forks. The total length of the river is 193 miles (311 km)[1] The term "Forks" in Grand Forks comes from this forking (confluence) of the Red and Red Lake rivers near downtown Grand Forks.[2]

As a tributary of the Red River, the Red Lake River contributed to the heavy flooding of Greater Grand Forks in 1997. The river also caused damage in its own right, albeit less severe, in Crookston.

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed June 8, 2011
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Red Lake River