Minnesota River

river in Minnesota, United States

The Minnesota River is a river in the United States. It is in the northern United States, in the state of Minnesota. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is about 534 km long.

Minnesota River
Watpá Mnísota
The Mendota Bridge crossing the Minnesota River, just above its mouth
Map of the Minnesota River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CitiesBloomington, MN, Eden Prairie, MN, Mankato, MN, Shakopee, MN, Burnsville, MN, Eagan, MN, Le Sueur, MN
Physical characteristics
SourceBig Stone Lake
 - locationBig Stone Lake, Big Stone County, MN
 - elevation964 ft (294 m)
MouthMississippi River
 - locationNear Fort Snelling in Minnesota, Hennepin County, MN
 - elevation690 ft (210 m)
Length370 mi (600 km)
Basin size17,000 sq mi (44,000 km2)
Discharge 
 - average4,414 cu ft/s (125.0 m3/s)

The source of the river is a lake in western Minnesota. The lake is called Big Stone Lake. The lake is on the border between the state of Minnesota and the state of South Dakota. From its source, the Minnesota flows southeast. At Mankato, it turns northeast. It joins the Mississippi just south of the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The Minnesota River was formed after the last ice age in North America.