Bois de Sioux River

Bois de Sioux River
File:Bois de Sioux.jpg The Bois de Sioux River below the dam of Lake Traverse. Roberts County, South Dakota is at left, and Traverse County, Minnesota is at right.
File:Boisdesiouxrivermap.png The Red River drainage basin, with the Bois de Sioux River highlighted
Origin	Dam at the foot of Lake Traverse, South Dakota
Mouth	Confluence with the Otter Tail River to form the Red River
Progression	Bois de Sioux River → Red River → Lake Winnipeg → Nelson River → Hudson Bay → Atlantic Ocean
Length	41 mi (66 km)
Mouth elevation	951 ft (290 m)
GNIS ID	640348

The Bois de Sioux River drains Lake Traverse, the southernmost body of water in the Hudson Bay watershed of North America. It is a tributary of the Red River of the North and defines part of the western border of the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the eastern borders of North Dakota and South Dakota. It is about 41 miles (66 km) in length.

Bois de Sioux is a name derived from French meaning "Woods of the Sioux".

Course

The river flows northward from a Corps of Engineers dam at the north end of Lake Traverse and shortly enters Mud Lake. Downstream of Mud Lake it is a small stream, and its flow has been channelized and straightened in some places so that the watercourse diverges slightly from the historic state boundary. It passes the town of White Rock before joining the Otter Tail River to form the Red River of the North at Wahpeton, North Dakota, and Breckenridge, Minnesota.

Tributaries

The two largest tributaries of the Bois de Sioux are the Mustinka River, which flows into Lake Traverse, and the Rabbit River south of Breckenridge; both of these enter from Minnesota.

See also

• List of Minnesota rivers
• List of North Dakota rivers
• List of South Dakota rivers
• River borders of U.S. states

References

• Waters, Thomas F. (1977). The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8.

File:Bois de Sioux 2.jpg

The Bois de Sioux River below the dam of Mud Lake, in Traverse County, Minnesota. This section of the river has been re-routed to flow in a straight line slightly east of the Minnesota-South Dakota border.