Knife River

The Knife River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 120 mi (193 km) long, in North Dakota in the United States.

Knife is an English translation of the Native American name.

It rises in west central North Dakota, in the Killdeer Mountains in Billings County. It flows east, and is joined by Spring Creek near Beulah. It joins the Missouri north of Stanton, at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.

Much of the terrain surrounding the river valley still remains in native grasslands, supporting many species of wildlife, including Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Coyote, Fox, Native Grouse, Pheasant, etc. Many of the small tributaries such as the Little Knife support local farms and ranches; some have been family owned for over 100 years. Some of the larger ranches include the Circle Five Ranch, Dressler Ranch, Perhus Bros. Ranch, and Greenshield Ranch.

The river consistently floods after spring melting (frequently as high as 10,000 cfs) but is two to three magnitudes lower during the summer months. The confluence of the river (near Stanton, ND) was largely blocked by sand after the Missouri River flood of 2011 but had cut a new channel by the summer of 2012.

Knife River (Lake Superior)

The Knife River is a 23.9-mile-long (38.5 km) 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, Mokomani Zibi. Its original name was probably given on account of the long, sharp stones near the mouth of the river.

Geography

The main branch of the Knife River flows 23.9 miles (38.5 km) from source to mouth, flowing parallel to the shoreline from the direction of Two Harbors. It has four or five major tributaries. Its watershed is 84.3 square miles (218 km²), and contains 181.1 miles (291.5 km) of streams. Since data began being collected in 1974, its mean annual daily discharge of water has been calculated as 90.3 cubic feet per second (2.56 m³/s). 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. A 2008 study found that about sixty percent of the sediment was coming from erosion of the streambanks, and about thirty from erosion of the river's bluffs.

Knife River (Snake River)

The Knife River is a 27.4-mile-long (44.1 km)tributary of the Snake River in east-central Minnesota in the United States. It is one of three streams in Minnesota with this name. Its name is a translation from the Dakota Isaanti. Knife Lake and Santee Sioux are named after this river. In turn Isanti County is named after the Santee Sioux.

Course

The Knife River with its tributaries drains a 102-square-mile (260 km²) area of Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties. After initially flowing southeastward for 19 miles (31 km) from Ernest Pool near Wahkon, it flows to Knife Lake, then continues to flow southeastward for another 5 miles (8 km) to the Snake River, just north of Mora.

Associated lakes and tributaries

Only one lake is associated with the Knife River: Knife Lake. No major tributaries are associated with the Knife River. However, the river served as an important trade route for the Dakota, the Ojibwe, and the Voyageurs, connecting the Mississippi River (via Mille Lacs Lake) to the St. Croix River.

Knife River (disambiguation)

Knife River may refer to:

Rivers

Places

Other

See also

Knife River (Minnesota-Ontario)

The Knife River (Minnesota-Ontario) is a river of Minnesota.

See also

Coordinates: 48°04′12″N 91°20′00″W / 48.0698928°N 91.3334470°W / 48.0698928; -91.3334470

References