Prairie River (Mississippi River tributary)

The Prairie River is a river in Itasca County, Minnesota. The river is located in northern Minnesota, near the communities of Taconite, Bovey, Grand Rapids, and La Prairie. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River.

Prairie River
Mouth of the Prairie River
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Itasca
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	47.5940994°N 93.181022°W / 47.5940994; -93.181022[1]
Mouth
• coordinates	47.2149433°N 93.4824358°W / 47.2149433; -93.4824358[1]
Length	50 mi (80 km)
Discharge
• location	USGS gauge near Taconite
• average	211.6 cu ft/s (5.99 m3/s), USGS water years 1967-2019[2]
Discharge
• location	mouth
• average	298.1 cu ft/s (8.44 m3/s) (estimate)[3]

In 1991 Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline ruptured near Grand Rapids, spilling 1.7 million of gallons of oil into the area, including the river, in the largest inland oil spill in US history.^[4][5]

On May 4, 1988, the world record shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum), which weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces (2.4 kg), was caught on the Prairie River by angler Greg Clusiau.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of Minnesota
• List of longest streams of Minnesota

References

1. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Prairie River". Retrieved December 26, 2020.
2. "Water-Year Summary for Site 05212700". waterdata.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Prairie River". watersgeo.epa.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
4. Siple, Julie; Wareham, Bill; Kraker, Dan; Nelson, Cody (June 20, 2018). "Rivers of Oil, Episode 2: The largest inland spill". MPR News. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
5. Laduke, Winona (March 3, 2017). "Happy Anniversary: The largest inland oil spill in U.S. history happened in Minnesota". Grand Rapids Herald-Review. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
6. "Redhorse, shorthead (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)". igfa.org. International Game Fish Association. Retrieved November 29, 2022.