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Minnesota River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the state of Minnesota in the United States. It drains a watershed of nearly 17,000 sq mi (44,000 km²) -- 14,751 sq mi (38,205 km²) in Minnesota and about 2,000 sq mi (5180 km²) in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern Minnesota, in Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota-South Dakota border. It flows southeast to Mankato, then turns northeast. It joins the Mississippi south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, near the historic Fort Snelling. The valley is one of several distinct regions of Minnesota.
Its name comes from the Dakota language mini meaning "water" and sota which is alternately translated "smoky-white" or "like the cloudy sky". Minnesota Territory, and later the state, were named for the river.
The Minnesota River was formed after the last ice age in North America.
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- Waters, Thomas F. (1977). The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8.
- Place Names: the Minnesota River
