Red Lake (Minnesota)

The Red Lake is a freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. With an area of 1,106 km ², it is the seventh largest natural completely located on the territory of the United States and a total lake in 16th place

The Red Lake is a remnant of the glacial Agassiz. It is divided into two roughly oval-shaped pool, almost completely separated by the peninsula of Ponemah. The connection between the two, called " The Narrows " is at times less than a kilometer wide. The smaller Upper Red Lake in northern measures about 35 x 15 km, the larger basin to the south, the Lower Red Lake, about 40 x 20 km. Is drained by the Red Lake Red Lake River, a tributary of the Red River of the North. Especially in the north bordering extensive wetlands to the lake.

The area around the Red Lake is sparsely populated. The lake is located entirely within Beltrami County, the west bank of the Lower Red Lake forms the border with the Clearwater County. The largest town on the lake is Red Lake to the south. Almost the entire river belongs to the Indian Reservation Red Lake Indian Reservation, the only exception is the Waskish Township on the eastern shore of Upper Red Lake.

A 1931 set up by the U.S. Indian Service, and in 1951 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers renewed dam regulates the outflow of the lake and maintains the lake level at 358 m asl The dam is intended primarily to prevent flooding on the Red Lake River.