Knife River (Lake Superior)
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Knife River (Lake Superior)
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| image = Knife River Minnesota.JPG
| image_size =
| image_caption = Knife River
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| pushpin_map = Minnesota
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| pushpin_map_caption= Mouth of the Knife River
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| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = United States
| subdivision_type2 = State
| subdivision_name2 = Minnesota
| subdivision_type3 = County
| subdivision_name3 = St. Louis, Lake County
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| length = {{convert|23.9|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}
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| discharge1_avg = {{convert|90.3|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
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| source1 =
| source1_location = King Lake
| source1_coordinates= {{Coord|47.1532623|-91.7546197|region:US-MN_type:river_source:gnis|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation =
| mouth =
| mouth_location = Knife River, Minnesota, Lake Superior
| mouth_coordinates = {{Coord|46.9496578|-91.7787897|region:US-MN_type:river_source:gnis|display=it}}
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The Knife River is a {{convert|23.9|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}}U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. [http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ The National Map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329155652/http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/ |date=2012-03-29 }}, accessed May 7, 2012 river of northern Minnesota which drains a portion of Lake and Saint Louis counties into Lake Superior between Duluth and Two Harbors.{{Gnis|661653|Knife River}}
Name
The Knife River's name is an accurate preservation of its native Ojibwe name, {{Lang|oj-latn|Mookomani-Ziibi}}.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.{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n509 492]}} Its original name was probably given on account of the long, sharp stones near the mouth of the river.The WPA Guide to the Minnesota Arrowhead Country, p. 162. Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 1988.
Geography
The main branch of the Knife River flows {{convert|23.9|mi}} from source to mouth, flowing parallel to the shoreline from the direction of Two Harbors.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. It has four or five major tributaries. Its watershed is {{convert|84.3|sqmi|km2}}, and contains {{convert|181.1|mi|km}} of streams.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. Since data began being collected in 1974, its mean annual daily water discharge has been calculated as {{convert|90.3|cuft/s|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.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. 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.
The Knife River's watershed is undeveloped, with 72% forest, 16% wetland, and 6% grassland. 5% is used for agricultural purposes, and the remaining 1% is the unincorporated community of Knife River, Minnesota, located at the river's mouth.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{North Shore MN streams}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Tributaries of Lake Superior
Category:Rivers of Lake County, Minnesota