Long Prairie River

Long Prairie River in Moran Township, Todd County ( 2007)

The Long Prairie River is a 148 km long tributary of the Crow Wing River in the U.S. state of Minnesota. He belongs to the catchment area of the Mississippi River and drains an area of 2310 km ² in a rural area.

History

Before Europeans arrived in the region, the Dakotas and the Ojibwe lived in the vicinity of the river.

Henry Schoolcraft reported, however, that the area in 1832 was unsettled because she was the border area of the two warring tribes.

By Chippewaverträge of 1847 the west bank of the river, which actually belonged to the Mekamaadwewininiwag, the Menominee Indians and the Gichi - ziibiwininiwag belonging eastern shore was ceded to the Winnebago Indians as a settlement area. This was done in anticipation of the Indian Removal from Wisconsin, which was collected at the time the State. However, the Menominee opposed a move and did not come to Minnesota. That's why the country was ceded to the United States. The Winnebagos, however, settled for the most part, but were constantly because of ongoing skirmishes between the Pillager Chippewa and the Dakota Sioux in danger and demanded a relocation to the south of Minnesota, in the near Mankato. That's why they gave the country from 1855 to the United States. Settlers began on the prairies of the region with agriculture and cleared in the 1860s the forests.

The English name of the river is derived according to the Missionary Joseph Gilfillan from the language of Ojibwe; Gaa zhaagawashkodeyaa - ziibi means " long narrow prairie river ".

Geography

The headwaters of the Long Prairie River is located in an area with numerous lakes north of Alexandria. He springs from Lake Carlos in Carlos township in Douglas County, about 11 km north- west of Alexandria. Inflows to Lake Carlos, which drain several other lakes, make up about a quarter of its catchment area. These lakes include Lake Darling, Lake Ida, Lake Miltona and Lake Geneva.

The river initially flows through the Todd County. Ditches connect the river with the Lake Osakis which is the source of the Sauk River. Thus could connect the two basins at high water level.

In Long Prairie river changes direction and then turns north- northeast. In Browerville he crosses a wildlife refuge and reaches the north-west of Morrison County. The Motley Township, about two kilometers southeast of Motley he finally flows from the south to the Crow Wing River.

The largest part of its catchment area is iinerhalb an ecoregion that exist through hardwood forests with maple and American Linden, mixed with conifers. The soil consists of glacial incurred Grundmoränenebenen and Sandern.

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 41% of the catchment area of the Long Prairie River below Lake Carlos is agricultural land; Main crops are relatively potatoes, corn, soybeans and alfalfa. About a quarter of the catchment area are grassland and pasture, 21 % is forested, 10 % is water areas or wetlands, and 3% are colonized. Because the floodplain of the river is wide and flat, which reports directly to the river adjacent land is used either for agriculture or is floodplains. This does not apply along the upper eastern section of river that was historically covered by aspen and oak forests and consisted of wetlands and tall grass prairies. Below Browerville to farmland and secondary forest alternate. Among the fish species in the river include Northern Pike, Walleye, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass.

Runoff

At the level of the United States Geological Survey in the community of Long Prairie was 1972-2005 long-term average amount of water of the river 5 m³ / s The highest value was recorded with 93 m³ / s on 22 July 1972, the lowest value was on January 12, 1977 almost zero m³ / s