Minnesota River

The Minnesota River

The Minnesota River is a big, important river in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is about 332 miles long and flows into the Mississippi River at a place called Mendota, close to the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The river starts at Big Stone Lake near the border with South Dakota. It flows southeast before turning northeast to meet the Mississippi River. The land around the Minnesota River is wide and deep. Thousands of years ago, a huge glacier shaped the land during the last ice age.

The name "Minnesota" comes from the Dakota language. It means "land where the waters reflect the sky," because of the many lakes in the area. For a long time, explorers called the river St. Pierre or St. Peter. But in 1852, the United States Congress chose the name Minnesota River for the river officially.

The Minnesota River flows through many towns and cities, such as Mankato, New Ulm, and St. Peter. It is very important for the history and nature of Minnesota. People use the river to carry farm grains in big boats called barges to ports in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.