Northwest Angle

Last updated

The Northwest Angle in Minnesota, bordering Manitoba, Ontario, and Lake of the Woods NORTHWEST Angle.png
The Northwest Angle in Minnesota, bordering Manitoba, Ontario, and Lake of the Woods
Northwest Angle from Landsat 8, 2015 Northwest angle Landsat.jpg
Northwest Angle from Landsat 8, 2015

The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. [1] Except for surveying errors, [2] it is the only place in the contiguous United States north of the 49th parallel, which forms the border between the U.S. and Canada from the Northwest Angle westward to the Strait of Georgia (between the U.S. state of Washington and the province of British Columbia). The land area of the Angle is separated from the rest of Minnesota by Lake of the Woods, but shares a land border with Canada. [1] It is one of six non-island locations in the 48 contiguous states that are practical exclaves of the U.S. It is the northernmost township in Minnesota and contains the northernmost point in the contiguous 48 states. The unincorporated community of Angle Inlet is in the Northwest Angle.

Contents

Seventy percent of the land of the Angle is held in trust by the Red Lake Indian Reservation (Ojibwa). [3]

Although the Angle is listed as one of several distinct regions of Minnesota, its total population was 119 at the 2010 census. [4] The area is mostly water and the land is mostly forest.

Origin

The northwest quarter of the Mitchell Map, showing the Lake of the Woods as roughly oval, and indicating that the head of the Mississippi River is not yet known Mitchell Map 1 quarter north west.jpg
The northwest quarter of the Mitchell Map, showing the Lake of the Woods as roughly oval, and indicating that the head of the Mississippi River is not yet known

Angle Township was designated as territory of the United States because negotiators of the initial Canada–U.S. border misunderstood the geography of the area. Benjamin Franklin and British representatives relied on the Mitchell Map of colonial American geographer John Mitchell, which did not indicate the source of the Mississippi River—thought to lie some distance to the northwest—or the true shape of Lake of the Woods, which was instead shown as roughly oval. The 1783 Treaty of Paris thus stated that the boundary between U.S. territory and the British possessions to the north would run "...through the Lake of the Woods to the northwesternmost point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to the river Mississippi..."

But the source of the Mississippi River, Lake Itasca (then unknown to European explorers), lies almost due south of Lake of the Woods, rather than north and west of it. Additionally, the irregular actual shape of the lake made the identification of its northwest corner difficult. By the time of the Jay Treaty of 1794, there was concern that the Mississippi did not go far enough north, and so as part of that treaty it was decided that a joint survey of the river would be conducted, and if it did not extend far enough north that new, "amicable negotiations" would be undertaken to set the boundary in accordance with the intent of the Treaty of Paris. In 1797, it was confirmed when David Thompson, an explorer, located the most northerly source of the Mississippi a few miles north of Bemidji, which is south of Lake of the Woods. [5]

When the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1814, it again tried to settle the boundary, this time by creating a commission that would settle on the northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods. The British had suggested setting the boundary to run west from Lake Superior to Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi, but the Americans were unwilling to cede any land at that point. As part of the negotiations over that treaty, both parties agreed to revisit the boundary west from the Lake of the Woods. [5]

By the time Richard Rush became US Secretary of State in 1817, settlers were beginning to move to the lands west of the Lake of the Woods and both sides saw a need to settle the boundary west of the 1783 line. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, the error regarding the Mississippi River was corrected by having the boundary continue due north or south (“as the case may be”) from the northwest point of the lake (which had still not been determined) to the 49th parallel and then due west along the parallel.

To determine the northwesternmost point of the lake a survey team was sent in 1822, but they failed to come to an answer. Another survey team, led by David Thompson in 1824, mapped the lake and found four possibilities for the northwesternmost point, but did not conclusively declare one location. [6] In 1825, a German astronomer in British service, Johann Ludwig Tiarks, surveyed the lake. Tiarks identified two possibilities for the northwesternmost point on the lake, based on Thompson's maps: the Angle Inlet and Rat Portage. To determine which point was the most northwestern, he drew a line from each point in the southwest–northeast direction. If the line intersected the lake at any point, it was not the most northwestern point. Tiarks determined that the only such line that did not intersect the lake was at the edge of a pond on the Angle Inlet. [6] A 1940 academic study documents this point as being in the vicinity of 49°23′24″N95°09′11″W / 49.39°N 95.153°W / 49.39; -95.153 (NAD83). [7]

The Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 reaffirmed this border and established the exact location of the northwesternmost point of the lake. The placement of the northwestern corner and shape of the lake meant that this north–south line cut off a section of U.S. territory to its east, now known as the Northwest Angle.

Geography

Reporting booth at Jim's Corner. Upon entering the Northwest Angle by road, the traveler must enter the booth and report to U.S. Customs via videophone. Before leaving the Northwest Angle by road, one must report to Canadian customs from the same booth. 022 NW Angle reporting booth at Jims Corner.jpg
Reporting booth at Jim's Corner. Upon entering the Northwest Angle by road, the traveler must enter the booth and report to U.S. Customs via videophone. Before leaving the Northwest Angle by road, one must report to Canadian customs from the same booth.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Angle Township has a total area of 596.3 square miles (1,544 km2), of which 123.09 square miles (318.8 km2) is land and 473.2 square miles (1,226 km2) (79.36%) is water. The land includes several islands, including Oak Island, and two small capes that are below (south of) the 49th parallel north in the extreme southwest part of the township, one of which is known as Elm Point, south of the southeast corner of Manitoba, and not far from the northeast corner of Roseau County. Of the 2000 census population of 152, there were 118 living on the mainland, and 34 persons on the islands in Lake of the Woods. All of the populated islands are north of the 49th parallel.

The mainland portion of the township north of the 49th parallel has an area of 116.632 square miles (302.08 km2). The total land area of all islands is 6.303 square miles (16.32 km2), and the two capes total 100 acres (0.16 sq mi; 40.47 ha). The township has the last one-room public school in the state.

Elm Point, in Lake of the Woods County, is a small cape southwest of the Northwest Angle. It borders Canada and is, together with a similar smaller cape to the west, separated by land from the continental United States.

Access

Border crossing at the Angle Welcome to the United States - You are entering the Northwest Angle, Minnesota (35505460693).jpg
Border crossing at the Angle

The Angle is accessible from the rest of Minnesota by one of two ways:

Political issues

Because of laws restricting fishing, some residents of the Northwest Angle suggested leaving the United States and joining Canada in 1997. [1] The following year, then-U.S. representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota proposed legislation to allow the residents of the Northwest Angle, which was part of his district, to vote on seceding from the United States and joining Canada. This angered the leaders of Red Lake Indian Reservation, which holds most of the Northwest Angle's land. [11] [12] The incident resulted in fishing regulations being better synchronized across these waters. [13]

Demographics

As of the census [14] of 2010, there were 119 people, 66 households, and 37 families residing in the Angle. There were 404 housing units. The racial makeup of the township was 99.2% White (118 out of 119). Native American or Alaska Native of any race were 0.8% of the population (that is, 1 person).

Out of the 66 households, 10.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.80, and the average family size was 2.32.

In the Angle the population is spread out, with 10.1% under the age of 18, 0.8% from 18 to 24, 10.1% from 25 to 44, 51.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $28,500, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $28,500 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $13,932. About 13.3% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of 18 or 65 and older.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, the Northwest Angle has a Warm-summer, Humid continental climate (Dfb). Dfb climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature < 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid in the Northwest Angle, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 90 °F (32 °C). The Northwest Angle weather station is one of the newer ones, as it only began keeping records in 1981, in contrast with nearby International Falls which has been keeping records for over a century. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 96.8 °F (36.0 °C) on July 5, 1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 73.1 °F (22.8 °C) on August 4, 2001. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 4.11 inches (104 mm) on June 9, 2002. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is −38.0 °F (−38.9 °C), [15] putting it in hardiness zone 3a. Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −47.3 °F (−44.1 °C) on February 2, 2002. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values under −55 °F (−48 °C). The average annual snowfall total (Sep–May) is between 48 inches (122 cm) and 54 inches (137 cm).

Climate data for Northwest Angle, Elevation 1,096 ft (334 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2018
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)46.7
(8.2)		51.5
(10.8)		74.0
(23.3)		84.9
(29.4)		90.4
(32.4)		95.0
(35.0)		96.8
(36.0)		96.1
(35.6)		93.4
(34.1)		82.9
(28.3)		69.3
(20.7)		48.9
(9.4)		96.8
(36.0)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)13.4
(−10.3)		20.4
(−6.4)		32.5
(0.3)		48.5
(9.2)		62.5
(16.9)		70.9
(21.6)		76.3
(24.6)		74.5
(23.6)		64.4
(18.0)		49.8
(9.9)		32.6
(0.3)		18.0
(−7.8)		47.1
(8.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)3.4
(−15.9)		9.5
(−12.5)		22.0
(−5.6)		38.2
(3.4)		51.8
(11.0)		61.3
(16.3)		65.9
(18.8)		64.4
(18.0)		54.7
(12.6)		41.5
(5.3)		25.5
(−3.6)		9.6
(−12.4)		37.4
(3.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)−6.5
(−21.4)		−1.4
(−18.6)		11.4
(−11.4)		27.8
(−2.3)		41.1
(5.1)		51.6
(10.9)		55.4
(13.0)		54.3
(12.4)		44.9
(7.2)		33.2
(0.7)		18.4
(−7.6)		1.1
(−17.2)		27.7
(−2.4)
Record low °F (°C)−45.2
(−42.9)		−47.3
(−44.1)		−29.4
(−34.1)		−2.7
(−19.3)		20.4
(−6.4)		32.1
(0.1)		36.7
(2.6)		32.8
(0.4)		24.5
(−4.2)		4.8
(−15.1)		−28.0
(−33.3)		−35.9
(−37.7)		−47.3
(−44.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm)0.91
(23)		0.65
(17)		0.91
(23)		1.27
(32)		2.97
(75)		4.35
(110)		3.68
(93)		3.27
(83)		2.76
(70)		2.07
(53)		1.32
(34)		0.98
(25)		25.14
(639)
Average relative humidity (%)83.080.573.161.462.070.474.675.377.276.985.387.775.6
Average dew point °F (°C)−0.6
(−18.1)		4.7
(−15.2)		14.7
(−9.6)		26.1
(−3.3)		39.2
(4.0)		51.6
(10.9)		57.6
(14.2)		56.4
(13.6)		47.7
(8.7)		34.8
(1.6)		21.7
(−5.7)		6.7
(−14.1)		30.2
(−1.0)
Source: PRISM [16]

Ecology

Most of the land area of the region is wooded, including the Northwest Angle State Forest. NWAngleStateForestMN.jpg
Most of the land area of the region is wooded, including the Northwest Angle State Forest.

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, the Northwest Angle would have a dominant vegetation type of Great Lakes Spruce/Fir (93) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern Conifer Forest (22). [17] The plant hardiness zone is 3a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −38.0 °F (−38.9 °C). [15] The spring bloom typically peaks in mid-May and fall color usually peaks in late September.

Representation in other media

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roseau County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Roseau County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, along the Canada–US border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,331. Its county seat is Roseau. Roseau County borders the Canadian province of Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Lake of the Woods County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,763, making it the second-least populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Baudette.

Badger Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Grand Forks-ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Under the United States Public Land Survey System it is a survey township identified as Township 149 North, Range 42 West, Fifth Principal Meridian. The population was 166 at the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warroad, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south of Canada. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. Warroad had its own newspaper before it was incorporated in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angle Township, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota</span> Township in Minnesota, United States

Angle Township is a township in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 119 at the 2010 census. At 49.22° north latitude, it is the northernmost township in Minnesota and the Contiguous United States. The unincorporated communities of Oak Island, Angle Inlet and Penasse are located in the township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webster–Ashburton Treaty</span> 1842 border resolution treaty between British Canada and the United States

The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies. Signed under John Tyler's presidency, it resolved the so-called Aroostook War. The provisions of the treaty included:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Roberts, Washington</span> Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Point Roberts is a pene-exclave of Washington on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen peninsula, south of Vancouver, British Columbia. The area, which had a population of 1.2 million at the 2020 census, is reached from the rest of the United States by traveling 25 mi (40 km) through Canada, or by boat or private airplane. It is a census-designated place in Whatcom County, Washington, with a post office, and a ZIP Code of 98281. Direct sea and air connections with the rest of the U.S. are available across Boundary Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake of the Woods</span> Lake on the United States–Canada border

Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles (110 km) long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline. It is fed by the Rainy River, Shoal Lake, Kakagi Lake and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River and then into Lake Winnipeg. Ultimately, its outflow goes north through the Nelson River to Hudson Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Treaty</span> 1846 treaty which ended the Oregon boundary dispute between the US and UK

The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country; the area had been jointly occupied by both Britain and the U.S. since the Treaty of 1818.

The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49° north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Angle Inlet is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Angle Township, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 54 as of the 2020 census. The community is part of the Northwest Angle, the only place in the contiguous United States north of the 49th parallel; it is the northernmost census-designated place in the contiguous United States. The French built Fort Saint Charles nearby in 1732.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada–United States border</span> International border

The Canada–United States border is the longest international border in the world. The boundary is 8,891 km (5,525 mi) long. The land border has two sections: Canada's border with the contiguous United States to its south, and with the U.S. state of Alaska to its west. The bi-national International Boundary Commission deals with matters relating to marking and maintaining the boundary, and the International Joint Commission deals with issues concerning boundary waters. The agencies responsible for facilitating legal passage through the international boundary are the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of 1818</span> 1818 treaty which established the 49th parallel as the western US-Canada border

The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, is an international treaty signed in 1818 between the United States and the United Kingdom. This treaty resolved standing boundary issues between the two nations. The treaty allowed for joint occupation and settlement of the Oregon Country, known to the British and in Canadian history as the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company, and including the southern portion of its sister district New Caledonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red River Valley</span> Region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North

The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted as states in the United States, this fertile valley has been important to the economies of these states and to Manitoba, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembina Region</span>

The Pembina Region, also referred to as the Pembina District and Pembina Department, is the historic name of an unorganized territory of land that was ceded to the United States in 1818. The area included the portions of what became the States of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota lying within the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The area included settlements in the Pembina River area. The region was formerly part of British Rupert's Land, granted by British royal charter to the Hudson's Bay Company. After the Selkirk Concession and establishment of the agricultural Red River Colony in 1812, the area was governed as the District of Assiniboia. The Treaty of 1818 de jure transferred the region south of the 49th parallel to the United States from the British. Settlements south of the boundary continued to be de facto administered as part of Assiniboia until at least 1823.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial evolution of Canada</span>

The history of post-confederation Canada began on July 1, 1867, when the British North American colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were united to form a single Dominion within the British Empire. Upon Confederation, the United Province of Canada was immediately split into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The colonies of Prince Edward Island and British Columbia joined shortly after, and Canada acquired the vast expanse of the continent controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company, which was eventually divided into new territories and provinces. Canada evolved into a fully sovereign state by 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Point, Minnesota</span> Uninhabited cape and exclave of the United States

Elm Point, Minnesota, is a small uninhabited cape and a practical exclave of the United States in Lake Township, Roseau County, Minnesota, United States. It is surrounded on the west, south, and east by Lake of the Woods, and on the north by the Canadian First Nation community of Buffalo Point in southeastern Manitoba. Part of Elm Point is privately owned and part of it is state land managed by the Department of Natural Resources as part of the Border Wildlife Management Area. It is located southwest of the much larger exclave known as the Northwest Angle. There is a line of felled trees marking the international border, which runs nominally along the 49th parallel, although in this area it runs slightly to the south due to 19th-century surveying errors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Minnesota</span> Overview of the geography of Minnesota

The U.S. State of Minnesota is the northernmost state outside Alaska; its isolated Northwest Angle in Lake of the Woods is the only part of the 48 contiguous states lying north of the 49th parallel north. Minnesota is in the U.S. region known as the Upper Midwest in interior North America. The state shares a Lake Superior water border with Michigan and Wisconsin on the northeast; the remainder of the eastern border is with Wisconsin. Iowa is to the south, South Dakota and North Dakota are to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario are to the north. With 87,014 square miles (225,370 km2), or approximately 2.26% of the United States, Minnesota is the 12th largest state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods</span> Landmark for the boundary between United States and Canada

The northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods was a critical landmark for the boundary between United States territory and the British possessions to the north. This point, on the shore of the Lake of the Woods, was referred to in the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and in later treaties including the Treaty of 1818. The point lies at the corner of the Northwest Angle in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and is thus the northernmost point of the contiguous United States. After Canadian Confederation, the point became the basis for the border between the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warroad–Sprague Border Crossing</span> Port of entry on the Canada-United States border

The Warroad–Sprague Border Crossing connects the city of Warroad, Minnesota and community of Sprague, Manitoba on the Canada–United States border. Minnesota State Highway 313 on the American side joins Manitoba Highway 12 on the Canadian side. The crossing is:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vuković, Kristin (August 29, 2017). "The US land lost in Canada". BBC Travel. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ Jacobs, Frank (November 28, 2011). "A Not-So-Straight Story". Opinionator. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ "About the Red Lake Indian Reservation". Red Lake Net News. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File - County Subdivision". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 1, 2011.[ dead link ]
  5. 1 2 "DRAWING THE LINE… THE CANADA-U.S. BORDER". Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. 1 2 Lass, William (1980). Minnesota's Boundary with Canada: Its Evolution Since 1783. Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 47, 48. ISBN   0873511530.
  7. ↑ Boggs, Samuel Whittemore (1940). International boundaries: A study of boundary functions and problems. New York: Columbia University Press. pp.  48, 49. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ice highway connecting Warroad with Northwest Angle is back for second year". Star Tribune .
  9. ↑ "Chapter 5: The 49th Parallel". United Divide: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border. The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Winter 2015.
  10. ↑ "JIM'S CORNER, MINNESOTA". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Winter 2020.
  11. ↑ Radil, Amy (August 17, 1998). "The Northwest Angle". Minnesota Public Radio.
  12. ↑ "Campaign 2006: U.S. Congress: 7th District: Collin Peterson". Minnesota Public Radio.
  13. ↑ Stoddard, Grant (January–February 2011). "The Lost Canadians". The Walrus. pp. 24–31. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  14. ↑ "U.S. Census website" . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  15. 1 2 "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  16. ↑ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University" . Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  17. ↑ "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)" . Retrieved October 7, 2019.

Further reading

49°16′N95°3′W / 49.267°N 95.050°W / 49.267; -95.050

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.