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Lake of the Woods (french: Lac des Bois, oj, Pikwedina Sagainan) is a
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
and the U.S. state of
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by the Rainy River, Shoal Lake, Kakagi Lake and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River and then into
Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of ...
. Ultimately, its outflow goes north through the Nelson River to
Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
. Lake of the Woods is also the sixth largest
freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...
lake located (at least partially) in the United States, after the five
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
, and the 36th largest lake in the world by area. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. The
Northwest Angle The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. Except for surveying errors, it is the only place in the contiguous United Sta ...
and the town of Angle Township can be reached from the rest of Minnesota only by crossing the lake or by traveling through
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. The Northwest Angle is the northernmost part of the contiguous United States. Its " northwesternmost point" served as a problematic landmark in treaties defining the international border. The lake's islands provide nesting habitats for the piping plover and large numbers of American white pelicans and as recently as the early 20th century also provided calving habitat to boreal woodland caribou. There are also several hundred nesting pairs of
bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s in this area. Lake of the Woods, a translation of the original French name , was so named from its wooded setting. However, it may have been a mistranslation of the
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
name. "The earliest name we find the lake known by is that given by Verendrye in his journey in 1731. He says it was called Lake Minitic (
Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...
: ;
Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
: ) or Des Bois. (1) The former of these names, Minitic, seems to be Ojibwe, and to mean "Islands in a River", probably referring to the many islands found in the northern half of the lake. The other name (2) Lac des Bois, or Lake of the Woods, seems to have been a mistranslation of the Indian icname (Ojibwe) by which the Lake was known." One of the names currently used in Ojibwe for this lake is meaning "Lake with Uneven Sand" referring to the lake's sand dunes.


Governance

The construction of dams at the Lake of the Woods outlets in present-day Kenora in the late 19th century led to concerns over high and low water levels on the lake early in the 20th century. The federal governments of Canada and the United States referred the matter to the International Joint Commission (IJC) in 1912. In 1917 the IJC recommended the creation of control boards and the operating conditions they would apply to lake level management. The first of these boards, the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB), was established by Canadian Order-in-Council in 1919. Two additional acts provided statutory establishment of the LWCB, defined its jurisdiction and powers, and provided for board members appointed by Canada and Ontario: the Lake of the Woods Control Board Act, Canada, 1921, the Lake of the Woods Control Board Act, Ontario, 1922. In 1922 the Canada-Ontario-Manitoba Tripartite Agreement was signed by the respective governments. Initially, only Canada and Ontario appointed members to the board as, at that time, natural resources in Manitoba were administered by Canada. In 1958, having gained control over its natural resources, Manitoba passed its own Lake of the Woods Control Board Act. That same year, Canada and Ontario amended their original versions of the acts. As a result of these legislative changes, the LWCB now has one member appointed by Canada, two appointed by Ontario, and one appointed by Manitoba. Following the IJC recommendations of 1917, discussions between the federal governments of Canada and the United States resulted in the 1925 Canada/USA Convention and Protocol regarding Lake of the Woods. This treaty established the water level operating range on Lake of the Woods, defined the purpose and general mode of operation, and provided for two boards to control regulation. The previously established Canadian LWCB was to regulate the lake on an ongoing basis, but its decisions were to be subject to approval by an International Lake of the Woods Control Board (ILWCB) whenever lake levels rose above or fell below certain limits. In cases where agreement could not be reached between Canadian and American members of the international board, the disputed matter would be referred to the IJC for the final decision. The International Lake of the Woods Control Board, however, is not a board created by the IJC. The board's members (one American and one Canadian) are appointed by the respective federal governments. Notably, at no point in this process were local Ojibwe populations consulted, despite the environmental impacts of the dams on nearby communities on the Winnipeg River, such as the Dalles 38C reserve. Shoal Lake is adjacent to the Lake of the Woods and is the source for the City of
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
drinking water via the
Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct The Greater Winnipeg Water District Aqueduct supplies the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba with water from Shoal Lake in the Kenora District of Ontario. It was put in service in 1919 and cost nearly CDN $16 million. It has a capacity of 85 m ...
, so the administration of the lake is a continuing interest of the governments of Winnipeg and Manitoba.


Communities near Lake of the Woods


Ontario

*
Northwest Angle 33 First Nation Northwest Angle 33 First Nation ( oj, Gii-zaagitoowaigamaag)Grand Council Treaty #3. “Pazaga'owin Reclaiming Our Wings: Transition to Nationhood.” Christian Aboriginal Infrastructure Developments, Pg 13https://caid.ca/RecWing010308.pdf is an Oji ...
*
Big Grassy First Nation Big Grassy First Nation (Mishkosiminiziibiing Anishinaabeg in the Ojibwe language) is an Ojibwe or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation band government located in Rainy River District, Ontario near Morson, Ontario. Together with the Ojibways of Onigam ...
* French Portage Narrows * Kenora *
Minaki Minaki ( or ) is an unincorporated area and community in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the point where the Canadian National Railways transcontinental main line crosses the Winnipeg River, betwee ...
* Lake of the Woods *
Anishnaabeg of Naongashiing The Anishnaabeg of Naongashiing (Big Island) is a First Nation band government in Ontario. They are a member of the Anishinabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council, which is a part of the Grand Council of Treaty 3. Their reserves include: * Agen ...
First Nation *
Naotkamegwanning First Nation Naotkamegwanning First Nation, formerly known as Whitefish Bay First Nation and known in the Ojibwe language as ''Ne-adikamegwaning'' (Of the Whitefish Point), is an Ojibwe Nation from the Treaty Three Territory a 45min drive from Kenora, Ontario a ...
* Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls * Obashkaandagaang Bay First Nation *
Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation, formerly but still commonly—and incorrectly—known as the Dalles First Nation and Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation, is an Ojibway or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation band government in Kenora District, Ontar ...
*
Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation is an Ojibwe or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation located in Kenora District, Ontario near Nestor Falls, Ontario. Together with the Big Grassy First Nation, Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation is a successor appare ...
* Rainy River *
Northwest Angle 37 First Nation Animakee Wa Zhing 37 First Nation (formerly Northwest Angle 37 First Nation, Ojibwe language: Animikii-wajiing, meaning ''Sacred place of the Thunderbirds'') is an Anishinaabe First Nation in northwestern Ontario. It is a part of the Anishinabeg o ...
* Anishinabe of Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation


Manitoba

* Middlebro *
Buffalo Point First Nation Buffalo Point First Nation is an Ojibwa or Saulteaux First Nations located in the southeastern corner of Manitoba, along the shores of Lake of the Woods. It is bordered largely by the unorganized portion of Division No. 1, Manitoba, and also has ...


Minnesota

* Angle Township * Hackett *
Baudette Baudette is a city in, and the county seat of, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,106, and in 2018 the population was estimated at 1,003. Baudette is known as the Walleye Capital of th ...
* Warroad * Wheeler's Point


Lands within Lake of the Woods


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. A manually run portage for small- to medium-sized boats is in its place. The Aulneau is approximately twenty miles long (32 km) and wide. It contains within it over eighty lakes, the largest of which is Arrow Lake, with thirteen islands in it. The Aulneau Peninsula was named after the
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
Father
Jean-Pierre Aulneau Jean-Pierre Aulneau de la Touche (21 April 1705 – 8 June 1736) was a Jesuit missionary priest who was briefly active in New France and killed before he could take part in his first major assignment which was to be an expedition to the Mandan. ...
, a
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned (" ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers onl ...
, who was killed by natives on 8 June 1736 on Lake of the Woods. The Catholic Church in Warroad, Minnesota, is named Father Aulneau Memorial Church in his honour.


Other islands

* Big Island * Bigsby Island * Brush Island, Minnesota * Chapel Island An island about 15  km out from Kenora, where a chapel once stood. When the natives would canoe from end to end for purposes of trading, Chapel Island was a rest stop where the white settlers would try to convert the Native population, and offered a refuge in bad weather. The chapel has since burnt down, and little remains. * Copeland Island, otherwise known as Camp Stephens. A
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
YM-YWCA summer camp. * Flag Island, Minnesota * Garden Island, Minnesota * Little Oak Island, Minnesota * Magnuson's Island, site of the restored Fort St. Charles *
Massacre Island, Ontario Massacre Island, Ontario is a small island in Lake of the Woods, a large lake between the United States and Canada. It is believed that this island was the site where, on June 6, 1736, a mixed group of Teton-Lakota, Dakota, and Ojibwa killed 21 F ...
a small island in the middle of the lake, the possible site where twenty French men, as well as a group of Cree traders, were beheaded in the mid 18th century by Sioux. The site is marked by a large wooden cross in the middle 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 * Penasse Island, site of American Point, formerly the most northern post office in the contiguous United States * Sultana Mine, a mine located on an island in the northern area of the lake in the late 1800s, before an accident shut down the mine. Stories about it being haunted by miners exist to this day.


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 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 examine the site in person. There is abundant wildlife even on the small islands on the lake. Numerous marinas and resorts on the lake provide accommodation and dining, houseboat rentals, nautical charts, camping and fishing advice, and knowledge on how to most enjoy the lake.


Fishing

Lake of the Woods is home to walleye,
northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish water, brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are kno ...
,
perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...
, sauger, crappie, panfish, smallmouth bass,
largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, ...
, lake trout, lake sturgeon, and muskellunge.


Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club

Lake of the Woods is also home to the
Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club is a yacht club in Ontario, Canada. It is located on Yacht Club Island approximately 2 miles from Kenora, Ontario, on Lake of the Woods. The yacht club was founded in 1903. History The first record of sail ...
.


See also

* List of lakes in Minnesota * List of lakes in Ontario *
Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...
* Boundary Commission Trail * Northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods * List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States *
Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was a large glacial lake in central North America. Fed by glacial meltwater at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined. First postulated in 1823 by William H. Keating, i ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Of The Woods Canada–United States border Lakes of Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota International lakes of North America Lakes of Kenora District Lakes of Manitoba Lakes of Minnesota Lakes of Rainy River District Borders of Manitoba Borders of Ontario Borders of Minnesota