Part of Minnesota is a mistake

                               A Contentious Mistake in Minnesota

In my blogs for July in past years, I posted history on the Statue of Liberty, the American flag, and other patriotic themes.

Every state in our union has an exciting history, but I will focus on Minnesota this July.

If we look at a map of Minnesota, we see the northern border has an odd shape. There is a chimney at the top. It is named the Northwest Angle. This bizarre shape of land has caused many arguments and treaties.

The contentious aspect of the land began after the Revolutionary War and the treaty between the new United States and England.

Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams represented the U. S. at the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

The northern border was decided to follow the waters traveled by voyageurs from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods and then west to the Mississippi River. They thought the Lake of the Woods was the source of the Mississippi River. Which, we now know, is false. 

Then President Jefferson bought what is called the Louisiana Purchase. In 1818, the French and the U.S. agreed the northern border would go from the northwestern point of Lake of the Woods to the 49th parallel and follow the parallel to the west. So the Northwest Angle was born.

However, this caused another problem. Which country, the United States or Canada,  owned the little islands and lakes along the border. 

In 1842 the Secretary of State, Daniel Webster, had the land surveyed. Then, President Grant had it surveyed in 1876.

In 1732, the land we now call the Northwest Angle had a fort called Fort St. Charles, where the Native Americans came to trade their furs. The fort was built by La Verendrye, a French explorer.

In 1763 the regiment was controlled by the English, and it was closed. 

Then in the 1800s, the Angle got busy again. It became part of the Dawson Route, a series of corduroy roads (see information below) and waterways that carried people to the western parts of Canada. Steamships transported people and goods from Fort William on Lake Superior to the Angle then the travel was by wagon to Winnipeg. 

After the railroads made the trip more accessible and faster, the Dawson route ended.

 The Northwest Angle caused many arguments but is part of the state's rich history and is still enjoyed today by many vacationers. 

 The land is surrounded by water (part of the United States) and Canada. Today about 120 people live in the Angle. Visitors can get to it by a chartered plane, a boat, or by car. If traveling by car, the tourists need a passport to drive through part of Canada. The area has wildlife, fish, and birds. 

A corduroy road is a series of poles laid together over a marsh, swampy or soft soil. 

 Some of the information for this post is from The Story of Minnesota, published by the Minnesota Historical Society.