Namekagon River
| Namekagon River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 101 mi (163 km) |
| Part of | Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway |
The Namekagon River[1][2][3][4][5] (pronounced NAM-uh-KAH-gun) is a tributary of the St. Croix River. It is 101 miles (163 km) long[6] and is located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Its course is protected as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.[5]
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the river's name has also been spelled Namakagon, Namekagan, and Namekagun; the United States Board on Geographic Names issued a decision setting "Namekagon" as the river's spelling in 1933.[1] Its name is derived from the Ojibwe language Namekaagong-ziibi, meaning "river at the place abundant with sturgeons."
Course
The Namekagon River issues from Lake Namakagon in southeastern Bayfield County and flows southwestwardly through Sawyer and Washburn counties, past Hayward, and northwestwardly into Burnett County, where it joins the St. Croix, 45 miles (72 km) south of the city of Superior. Near its mouth it collects the Totagatic River.[7]
History
The Namekagon River was an integral part in the transportation of lumber during the timber boom of the 1800's. Before the lumber boom, the river was used as a primary form of transportation by fur-traders, explorers and missionaries. In Trego, a sign stands which says, ""Here on the Great South Bend of the Namekagon was a natural camp-site, home of a band of Chippewa Indians and long used by explorers, missionaries, and fur-traders traveling the Namekagon route between the St. Croix and Chippewa rivers.
In 1767 Jonathan Carver passed this way, downstream on his way from Prairie du Chien to Lake Superior via the Namekagon, St. Croix and Brule rivers. Henry Schoolcraft passed here in 1831 en route from Lake Superior to the St. Croix.
During the 1870's, ox teams hauled logging supplies on the tote road from Stillwater to Veazie Settlement, located two miles up river where the great Veazie Dam impounded water for log drives down the Namekagon to Stillwater. " [8]
See also
References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Namekagon River
- ^ "Namekagon River". Columbia Gazetteer of North America. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "Watershed - Upper Namekagon River". Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "Watershed - Lower Namekagon River". Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ^ a b "St. Croix River, Minnesota, Wisconsin". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
the Namekagon River from Lake Namekagon downstream to its confluence with the St. Croix River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed October 5, 2012
- ^ The National Map viewer, accessed August 11, 2015.
- ^ "History of the River – Namekagon River". Retrieved 2020-07-28.
46°05′16″N 92°10′51″W / 46.08772°N 92.18075°W
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