The Kettle is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed October 5, 2012

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 eastern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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 ...

. Via the St. Croix River, 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 ...

. The river's English name is due to the large number of large rounded holes (kettles) in the

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

in and around the river, carved out by the swirling waters of the river. The river's

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

name entered into English via the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...

people's , both meaning "Kettle River".

River character

Throughout the course of the river, the waters of the Kettle have an amber tint. This tint comes from

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widely applied to any large po ...

(leaf colorings) from wetlands which drain into the river, rather than manmade causes. The Kettle's flow changes fairly quickly with rainfall in the area of drainage, which is about . It is not uncommon for the river to be reduced to a trickle during dry summer spells, and rise to a whitewater torrent after a few days of rain. Normal water flows vary seasonally from 200 to over 6000 ft³/sec (0.09 to 2.8 m³/s). Check th
USGS Water Gauge
for current flows before you go. At this station, the river flow averages around 724 cubic feet per second. Very deep sections of the river exist, with some pools reaching over in depth. The astounding depth of the river and general good water quality support a population of the ancient

sturgeon Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

. Up until May 2018, the record largest fish ever caught in the state of Minnesota was a , 94 pound 4 oz (42.8 kg) sturgeon caught in the Kettle River in 1994. This record was bested by a 73 inch sturgeon weighing roughly 105 lbs. caught in the Rainy River.

Sections of river

The upper section of the river (above

Banning State Park Banning State Park is a state park in Pine County, Minnesota, Pine County, Minnesota, United States, stretched along of the Kettle River (St. Croix River), Kettle River near the town of Sandstone, Minnesota, Sandstone. The centerpiece of the p ...

) is generally quick moving with frequent riffles and a few class I rapids. This section of the river is runnable when water levels are moderate to high (900 ft³/sec). As the river flows to Banning State Park, its character quickly changes as the river drops through a series of rapids ranging from class I to class IV. These rapids are easily runnable in an open canoe when water levels are low to moderate (600 to 900 ft³/sec), but can become dangerous to even experienced whitewater kayakers and rafters during very high water (4,500 ft³/sec). The steep rocky sides to the river, and undercut banks and kettles, can make a rescue very difficult in these conditions. Shortly after exiting the park, the river quiets significantly before Big Spring Falls. The falls was recreated in 1995 when a dam built in 1908 was removed to help restore the river. The removal of the dam has allowed the sturgeon a greater range on the river. There is a small picnic area next to the falls, and a bit of a rough portage down to the water. Kettle River confluence of St Croix

From the falls to the confluence of the St. Croix, the Kettle continues to drop at a moderate rate with frequent riffles and occasional class I rapids. The rapids increase in frequency, but not intensity as the river approaches the St. Croix. This last section of the river is some of the best canoeing available in the state with manageable rapids, good fishing, frequent wildlife sightings (including bears) and absence of other people.

White water recreation on the Kettle River

The Kettle River hosts class III-IV white water rapids that are frequently paddled by kayakers, canoeist, and rafters.

Tributaries

The Kettle flows into the St. Croix River east-northeast of Pine City. Near its headwaters the river collects the West Branch Kettle River, which flows southeastwardly from its source near

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

. Other tributaries include the Dead Moose and Split Rock rivers, which join the Kettle in Carlton County, and the Moose Horn,

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and

Grindstone A grindstone, also known as grinding stone, is a sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools, used since ancient times. Tools are sharpened by the stone's abrasive qualities that remove material from the tool through friction ...

rivers, which join it in Pine County. Wolf Creek, in

, drops over a waterfall just before it enters the Kettle River.

History

Artists Clara Mairs and

Clement Haupers Clement Bernard Haupers (1900–1982) was an American painter, printmaker, arts administrator, and arts educator active from the 1920s to the 1980s. He is best known for his directorship of the Minnesota Works Progress Administration Federal Art P ...

frequented the Kettle River, and created paintings of the people and landscape.

References

*Breinin, Greg (2005). ''Paddling Minnesota''.
Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
*Waters, Thomas F. (1977). ''The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. .

External links

Kettle River Rafting AdventuresAmerican Whitewater - Minnesota RiversUSGS Kettle River Current Water FlowKettle River Paddle Festival
{{authority control Rivers of Minnesota Rivers of Carlton County, Minnesota Rivers of Pine County, Minnesota Tributaries of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)