The Apple River is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the St. Croix River in northwestern

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
(), accessed October 5, 2012 Via the St. Croix, it is part of the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Etymology

In the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous la ...

, the Apple River is called ''Waabiziipiniikaan-ziibi'', meaning "River Abundant with Swan Potatoes". This name was translated into French, but only ''pomme'' (apple) of the French word for "potato" (''pomme de terre''—"apple from the earth") was translated into English.

Geography

It issues from Staples Lake in Barron County and flows generally southwestwardly through

Polk DNA polymerase kappa is a DNA polymerase that in humans is encoded by the ''POLK'' gene. It is involved in translesion synthesis DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell (biology), cell identifies and corrects damage to the ...

and St. Croix counties. In northern Polk County, it gathers the Fox Creek near White Ash Lake and traverses several lakes throughout its course. The river flows through the city of Amery and the villages of Star Prairie and

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. It joins the St. Croix River northeast of

Stillwater, Minnesota Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), S ...

History

The Apple River was once an important route of trade for the logging industry; timber was floated downstream from logging camps in the north to a sawmill in

Amery, Wisconsin Amery ( ) is a city in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Apple River. It is a part of Wisconsin's 7th congressional district. The population was 2,962 at the 2020 census. The city was named in honor of William Amery, a carpenter ...

where it was cut, loaded onto trains and transported throughout the region. Today, the river generates tourism revenue through recreation and resorts, attracting 500,000 visitors a year. Its relatively gentle

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep stream gradient, gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Flow, gradient, constriction, and obstacles are four factors that are needed for a rapid t ...

make it very popular for

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

ing, tubing, camping, concerts, and is a popular fishing spot through all seasons.

Stabbing

On July 30, 2022, 52-year-old

Romanian-American Romanian Americans () are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, 425,738 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which a ...

Nicolae Miu, attacked a group of teenagers with a pocketknife near Sunrise Bridge in the town of Somerset after they taunted him repeatedly. He fatally injured 17-year-old Isaac Schuman by stabbing him in the chest and injured four others. On July 31, 2024, Miu was found guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and of four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 6 years of probation.

References

WI DNR 24K Hydrography

* ''Wisconsin Atlas & Gazetteer''. Freeport, Maine: DeLorme Publishing Company (1992). . * * https://www.fox9.com/news/apple-river-stabbing-man-charged-with-fatally-stabbing-teen-hurting-4-others * https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/nicolae-miu-apple-river-sentencing/ * https://www.fox9.com/news/apple-river-stabbing-timeline-of-what-happened-nicolae-miu {{coord, 45.14774, N, 92.74798, W, source:GNIStemplate_region:US-WI_type:river, display=title Rivers of Barron County, Wisconsin Rivers of Polk County, Wisconsin Rivers of St. Croix County, Wisconsin Rivers of Wisconsin Tributaries of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)

Etymology

Geography

History

Stabbing

See also

References