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The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 164 mi (264 km) long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower 125 mi (201 km) of the river forms the state line between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A hydroelectric plant at St. Croix Falls supplies power to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.
Course
Known as Manoominikeshinh-ziibi (Ricing-Rail River) in the Ojibwe language, the St. Croix River rises in the northwestern corner of Wisconsin, out of Upper St. Croix Lake in Douglas County, near Solon Springs, approximately 20 mi (32 km) south of Lake Superior. It flows south to Gordon, then southwest. It is joined by the Namekagon River in northern Burnett County, becoming significantly wider, which the Ojibwe renames the river as Gichi-ziibi (big river), then encounters and forms the boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin, flowing generally south, past St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin and Stillwater, Minnesota, the oldest settlement in Minnesota. It joins the Mississippi River at Prescott, Wisconsin, approximately 20 mi (32 km) southeast of St. Paul, Minnesota.
The upper reaches of the river in Wisconsin below the St. Croix Flowage, 15 mi (24 km) downstream from its source, as well as the Namekagon River, are protected as the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.
The lower 27 mi (43 km) of both sides of the river along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, from St. Croix Falls / Taylors Falls to Prescott, are protected as part of the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The protected area includes the Dalles of the St. Croix River, a scenic gorge, located near Interstate Park, south of St. Croix Falls.
History
The river valley and the surrounding area was originally occupied by the semi-nomadic Ojibwe, Dakota and nine other American Indian tribes. The Indians mainly lived on wild rice, fish, and game. At the time of European settlement of the valley, the tribes were engaged in a long and deadly war with each other. Consequently, the portion of the river below the confluence with Trade River is called Jiibayaatig-ziibi (Grave-marker River) in the Ojibwe language, which in turn was translated into French as "Rivière Tombeaux", which in turn was translated into English under its current name.
The first Europeans arrived in the area in 1804, around the same time as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. These first arrivals were mostly fur traders seeking to purchase beaver pelts from the Indians.
In 1837 a treaty with the Ojibwe was signed at Fort Snelling which ceded all lands in the triangle between the St. Croix and the Mississippi River up to the 46th Parallel to the United States government. This opened the region to logging and the river was important to the transportation of lumber dowstream. In the peak year of 1890, the St. Croix River Valley produced 450 million board feet of lumber and logs (source). The lumber industry continued until the last major log drive in 1912 marked the end of the rich forests of the area.
It was along the banks of the St. Croix, in the milltown of Stillwater, Minnesota, that the state of Minnesota was first proposed in 1848.
The River Today
The St. Croix is a popular recreational river. Common uses include boating, fishing, camping and canoeing. Highways along both sides of the river offer scenic drives punctuated by small towns offering restaurants, shopping (especially antiques, books and gifts), bed and breakfasts, historical tours and other common tourist activities.
Popular Sites
In addition to parks and public lands, other sites of interest include:
- The Stillwater Bridge - a working lift bridge built in 1931, in Stillwater
Photos
Cities and towns along the St. Croix River
Parks and public lands along the St. Croix River
- Governor Knowles State Forest (Wisconsin)
- St. Croix State Forest (Minnesota)
- Saint Croix State Park (Minnesota)
- Wild River State Park (Minnesota)
- Interstate Park (Minnesota and Wisconsin)
- William O'Brien State Park (Minnesota)
- Afton State Park (Minnesota)
- St. Croix Boom Site (Minnesota)
External links
- Saint Croix National Scenic River (National Park Service)
- Detailed River Maps (National Park Service)
Rivers of Minnesota | Rivers of Wisconsin | Tributaries of the Mississippi River | Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States
"St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)"