Prairie River (Mississippi River tributary)

The Prairie River is a river in Itasca County, Minnesota. The river is located in northern Minnesota, near the communities of Taconite, Bovey, Grand Rapids, and La Prairie. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River.

Prairie River
Prairie River (Mississippi River tributary) is located in Minnesota
Prairie River (Mississippi River tributary)
Mouth of the Prairie River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyItasca
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • coordinates47°35′39″N 93°10′52″W / 47.5940994°N 93.181022°W / 47.5940994; -93.181022[1]
Mouth 
 • coordinates
47°12′54″N 93°28′57″W / 47.2149433°N 93.4824358°W / 47.2149433; -93.4824358[1]
Length50 mi (80 km)
Discharge 
 • locationUSGS gauge near Taconite
 • average211.6 cu ft/s (5.99 m3/s), USGS water years 1967-2019[2]
Discharge 
 • locationmouth
 • average298.1 cu ft/s (8.44 m3/s) (estimate)[3]

In 1991 Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline ruptured near Grand Rapids, spilling 1.7 million of gallons of oil into the area, including the river, in the largest inland oil spill in US history.[4][5]

On May 4, 1988, the world record shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum), which weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces (2.4 kg), was caught on the Prairie River by angler Greg Clusiau.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System entry for Prairie River". Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Water-Year Summary for Site 05212700". waterdata.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Prairie River". watersgeo.epa.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Siple, Julie; Wareham, Bill; Kraker, Dan; Nelson, Cody (June 20, 2018). "Rivers of Oil, Episode 2: The largest inland spill". MPR News. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  5. ^ Laduke, Winona (March 3, 2017). "Happy Anniversary: The largest inland oil spill in U.S. history happened in Minnesota". Grand Rapids Herald-Review. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Redhorse, shorthead (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)". igfa.org. International Game Fish Association. Retrieved November 29, 2022.