The New International Encyclopædia/Minnesota River

MINNESOTA RIVER. An affluent of the Upper Mississippi (Map: Minnesota, D 6). It rises in the northeastern corner of South Dakota and flows through Big Stone Lake on the boundary between South Dakota and Minnesota, after which it traverses the latter State, first in a southeast direction to Mankato, where it makes a sharp bend, after which it flows northeast, entering the Mississippi opposite Saint Paul and just south of Minneapolis. Its valley is the dividing line between the Big Woods to the north and the prairie regions to the south. It is navigable for steamers 45 miles, and at high water small vessels can ascend it 295 miles, beyond which it is obstructed by falls and rapids. Its total length is 470 miles.