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Lake of the Woods
 
 
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Lake of the Woods is a lake
Lake

A lake is a terrain feature , a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin and moves slowly if it moves at all....
 occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Manitoba
Manitoba

Manitoba is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 647,797 square kilometres and a population of 1,207,959 , with more than half located within the Winnipeg Capital Region ....
 and the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The Northwest Angle
Northwest Angle

File:NORTHWEST Angle.pngThe Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coterminous with Angle Township, is a part of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota that is the only part of the United States outside Alaska that is north of the 49th parallel north....
 and the town of Angle Inlet can only be reached from the rest of Minnesota by crossing the lake or by traveling through Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. The Northwest Angle is the northernmost part of the continental United States.

Lake of the Woods is fed by the Rainy River
Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)

The Rainy River is a river, approximately 85 mi , that forms part of the United States-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
, Shoal Lake
Shoal Lake

Shoal Lake is a lake in extreme west of Ontario, Canada, northwest of Lake of the Woods. Depending on the water level of Lake of the Woods, Shoal Lake runs both into and out of Lake of the Woods and, for many practical purposes, is part of that lake....
, Kakagi Lake, and other smaller rivers.






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Encyclopedia


Lake of the Woods is a lake
Lake

A lake is a terrain feature , a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin and moves slowly if it moves at all....
 occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Manitoba
Manitoba

Manitoba is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 647,797 square kilometres and a population of 1,207,959 , with more than half located within the Winnipeg Capital Region ....
 and the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The Northwest Angle
Northwest Angle

File:NORTHWEST Angle.pngThe Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coterminous with Angle Township, is a part of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota that is the only part of the United States outside Alaska that is north of the 49th parallel north....
 and the town of Angle Inlet can only be reached from the rest of Minnesota by crossing the lake or by traveling through Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. The Northwest Angle is the northernmost part of the continental United States.

Lake of the Woods is fed by the Rainy River
Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)

The Rainy River is a river, approximately 85 mi , that forms part of the United States-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
, Shoal Lake
Shoal Lake

Shoal Lake is a lake in extreme west of Ontario, Canada, northwest of Lake of the Woods. Depending on the water level of Lake of the Woods, Shoal Lake runs both into and out of Lake of the Woods and, for many practical purposes, is part of that lake....
, Kakagi Lake, and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River
Winnipeg River

The Winnipeg River is a Canada river which flows from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba and eventually empties into Hudson Bay via the Nelson River....
 and then into Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg is a very large lake in central North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba....
. Ultimately, its outflow goes through the Nelson River
Nelson River

The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canada province of Manitoba. Its full length is 2575 km , it has mean discharge of 2370 m?/s , and has a drainage basin of 982900 km? , of which 180000 km? is in the United States....
 to Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay is a large , relatively shallow body of water in northeastern Canada. It is approximately 850 miles long and 650 miles wide. It drains a very large area that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana, and the southeastern area of Nunavut...
.

Lake of the Woods is over seventy miles long and wide, and contains over 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline, which would amount to the longest coastline of any Canadian lake, except that the lake is not entirely within Canada.

Lake of Da Woods
The lake's islands provide nesting habitat for the piping plover
Piping Plover

The Piping Plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized wader that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck during the breeding season....
 and large numbers of American white pelican
American White Pelican

The American White Pelican or Rough-billed Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, up to Central America, in winter....
s. There are also several hundred nesting pairs of bald eagle
Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the List of national birds and national symbol of the United States....
s in this area.

Governance


As it is an international body of water, the lake's water levels are regulated and controlled by the International Lake of the Woods Control Board, part of the International Joint Commission
International Joint Commission

The International Joint Commission is an independent U.S.-Canada relations organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909....
. As early as 1912 water levels were a matter of concern. The governments of Ontario and Canada formed a board of control in 1919.

A treaty between Canada and the United States, known as the Lake of the Woods Convention and Protocol, was signed in 1925 and established elevation and discharge requirements for regulating Lake of the Woods based on the IJC recommendations. The joint Canada-Ontario Board of Control continued to exist and retains responsibility for regulating normal water levels (maximum 1,061¼ ft or 323.5 m, minimum 1,056 ft or 321.9 m). Only when water levels exceed these levels are they referred to the international board which consists of two engineers, one Canadian and one American.

Communities near Lake of the Woods

  • Angle Inlet, Minnesota
  • Angle Inlet, Ontario (Northwest Angle 33 First Nation
    Northwest Angle 33 First Nation

    Northwest Angle 33 First Nation is an Ojibwa or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation located in Kenora District, Ontario near Sioux Narrows, Ontario of Lake of the Woods....
    , Northwest Angle 33B Indian Reserve)
  • Big Grassy, Ontario (Big Grassy First Nation, Big Grassy River 35G Indian Reserve)
  • Baudette, Minnesota
    Baudette, Minnesota

    Baudette is a city in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 United States Census. It is the county seat of Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota....
  • Buffalo Point, Manitoba (Buffalo Point First Nation
    Buffalo Point First Nation

    Buffalo Point First Nation is an Ojibwa or Saulteaux band government located in southeastern corner of Manitoba, along the shores of Lake of the Woods....
    , Buffalo Point 36 Indian Reserve)
  • Dog Paw, Ontario (Northwest Angle 33 First Nation, Whitefish Bay 33A Indian Reserve)
  • French Portage Narrows, Ontario
  • Keewatin, Ontario
  • Kenora, Ontario
    Kenora, Ontario

    Kenora , originally named Rat Portage, is a small city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Northwestern Ontario Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg, Manitoba....
  • Middlebro, Manitoba
  • Minaki, Ontario
    Minaki, Ontario

    Minaki is a small unincorporated community in Northern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the point where the Canadian National Railways mainline crosses the Winnipeg River, and was accessible only by rail until about 1960....
  • Morson, Ontario
  • Naongashiing, Ontario (Anishnaabeg of Naongashiing First Nation, Saug-a-gaw-sing 1 Indian Reserve)
  • Naotkamegwanning, Ontario (Naotkamegwanning First Nation
    Naotkamegwanning First Nation

    Naotkamegwanning First Nation, formerly known as Whitefish Bay First Nation, is an Ojibwa or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation located in Kenora District, Ontario near Sioux Narrows, Ontario of Lake of the Woods....
    , Whitefish Bay 32A Indian Reserve)
  • Nestor Falls, Ontario
  • Obashkaandagaang Bay, Ontario (Obashkaandagaang Bay First Nation, Rat Portage 38A Indian Reserve)
  • Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining, Ontario (Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation
    Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation

    Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation, formerly but still commonly?and incorrectly?known as the Dalles First Nation, is an Ojibwa or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation located in Kenora District, Ontario near Sioux Narrows, Ontario of Lake of the Woods....
    , The Dalles 38C Indian Reserve)
  • Onigaming, Ontario (Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation, Sabaskong Bay 35D Indian Reserve)
  • Rainy River, Ontario
    Rainy River, Ontario

    The Canadian town of Rainy River is situated on the Ontario-Minnesota border, along the Rainy River opposite Baudette, Minnesota, USA and southeast of the Lake of the Woods along Highway 11 ....
  • Regina Bay, Ontario (Northwest Angle 37 First Nation, Whitefish Bay 34A Indian Reserve)
  • Roseau, Minnesota
    Roseau, Minnesota

    Roseau is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States.The population was 2,756 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Roseau County, Minnesota....
  • Sioux Narrows, Ontario
  • Warroad, Minnesota
    Warroad, Minnesota

    Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods. The population was 1,722 at the United States Census, 2000....
  • Wauzhushk Oniguming, Ontario (Anishinabe of Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation, Kenora 38B Indian Reserve)
  • Windigo Island, Ontario (Northwest Angle 37 First Nation, Lake of the Woods 37 Indian Reserve)


Lands within Lake of the Woods


The Aulneau Peninsula


The largest land feature in Lake of the Woods is the Aulneau Peninsula. It is connected to the mainland with a tiny neck of land at its southeast corner, but a canal (Turtle Portage) was cut through at this point, effectively making the Aulneau an island. The canal has now been filled back in, but a manually run portage for small to medium sized boats is in its place. The Aulneau is approximately twenty miles long (32 km) and ten miles (16 km) wide, and contains within it over eighty lakes, the largest of which is Arrow Lake.

The Aulneau Peninsula was named after the Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre Aulneau
Jean-Pierre Aulneau

Father Jean-Pierre Aulneau de la Touche, S.J. was a Jesuit missionary priest active in Canada and the American Upper Midwest. He is referred to as "Minnesota's Forgotten Martyr."...
, a French Catholic priest, who was killed 6 June 1736 on Lake of the Woods. The Catholic Church in Warroad, Minnesota
Warroad, Minnesota

Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods. The population was 1,722 at the United States Census, 2000....
, is named Father Aulneau Memorial Church after him.

Other islands

  • Big Island
  • Bigsby Island
  • Brush Island, Minnesota
  • Copeland Island, otherwise known as Camp Stephens. A Winnipeg
    Winnipeg

    Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitude centre of North America, at the confluence of the historic Red River of the North and Assiniboine River Rivers, a point now commonly known as The Forks, Winnipeg....
     YM-YWCA summer camp
    Summer camp

    Summer camp is a supervised program for children and/or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
    .
  • Flag Island, Minnesota
  • Garden Island, Minnesota
  • Little Oak Island, Minnesota
  • Magnuson's Island, site of the restored Fort St. Charles
    Fort St. Charles

    Fort St. Charles was a secure trading post constructed in 1732 by La V?rendrye's nephew, Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye and his eldest son Jean Baptiste de La V?rendrye....
  • Massacre Island, a small island in the middle of the lake where 20 French men as well as a group of Cree traders were beheaded in the mid 1700s by Sioux. The site is marked by a large wooden cross at the shore of the island. This incident sparked decades of war between the Sioux and the Ojibway, allies of both the French and the Cree.
  • Oak Island, Minnesota
    Oak Island, Minnesota

    Oak Island, Minnesota is the name of an island and a post office on that island in Lake of the Woods, in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, on the Minnesota/Ontario border....
  • Penasse Island, site of American Point, formerly the most northern post office in the United States


Recreation on Lake of the Woods


Tourism is a large part of the local economy of Lake of the Woods, and there are many recreational opportunities available on the lake and in the surrounding countryside. Much of the lake is fairly remote, but resorts and equipment outfitters offer options for those who do not have access to their own boats and equipment.

Camping


Minnesota's Zippel Bay State Park
Zippel Bay State Park

Zippel Bay State Park is a List of Minnesota state parks on the white sand beach shoreline of the Lake of the Woods, near the northern boundary of Minnesota....
 offers a wide variety of services including campsites, toilet facilities, a marina with access to the Zippel River, and a beach. Minnesota and Ontario both offer state sanctioned parks and campsites, which can be located through the respective governments. Backcountry campers can locate a prospective campsite on Lake of the Woods by boat, landing and examining the site in person. There is abundant wildlife even on the small islands on the lake, so it is a good idea to take precautions against bear and cervids.

Numerous marinas and resorts on the lake provide accommodation and dining, houseboat rentals, nautical charts, camping and fishing advice, and expert knowledge on how to most enjoy the lake.

Fishing


The vast size and terrain of Lake of the Woods provides many fishing environments and opportunities. The lake is best known for its walleye
Walleye

Walleye or yellow pickerel or pickerel is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European Zander....
 population, but pike and lake perch
Perch

Perca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae....
 can also be caught, as can bass
Bass (fish)

Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both fresh water and sea water species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch." These are some of the best known species of bass:...
, and muskellunge
Muskellunge

A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon Fresh water fish of North America....
.

See also

  • List of lakes in Minnesota
    List of lakes in Minnesota

    This is a list of lakes in Minnesota. Minnesota is known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes, but the official count of lakes more than ten acres in size is actually more than ten thousand at approximately 11,842....
  • List of lakes in Ontario
  • Canada–United States border
  • List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States
    List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States

    Although Canada and the United States share the longest non-militarized United States-Canadian Border between two countries, there is a long history of disputes about the border's demarcation....