Blueberry River (Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
The Blueberry River is a tributary
of the Shell River
, approximately twenty miles (30 km) long, in north-central Minnesota
in the United States
. Via the Shell and Crow Wing
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
of the Mississippi River
, draining a rural area.
The river's name is a translation from its name in the Ojibwe language.
in southeastern Becker County
and flows generally southeastwardly. It flows for a short distance in southwestern Hubbard County
and enters northwestern Wadena County
, collecting the Kettle River
and passing through the city of Menahga
. It flows into Blueberry Lake on the Shell River in Blueberry Township
in Wadena County, approximately two miles (3 km) north of Menahga. The Blueberry River flows in the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion
, which is characterized by conifer and hardwood
forests on flat and rolling till plain
s and outwash plain
s.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Shell River
Shell River (Minnesota)
The Shell River is a tributary of the Crow Wing River, 45 miles long, in north-central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Crow Wing River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining a rural region....
, approximately twenty miles (30 km) long, in north-central Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Shell and Crow Wing
Crow Wing River
The Crow Wing River is a tributary of the Mississippi River approximately in length. The river arises in a chain of 11 lakes in southern Hubbard County, Minnesota and flows generally southeast, entering the Mississippi at Crow Wing State Park, northwest of Little Falls, Minnesota. Its name is a...
Rivers, it is part of the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, draining a rural area.
The river's name is a translation from its name in the Ojibwe language.
Geography
The Blueberry River rises in Green Valley TownshipGreen Valley Township, Minnesota
Green Valley Township is a township in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 346 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and is water...
in southeastern Becker County
Becker County, Minnesota
Becker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 32,504. Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. A portion of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into the county.-History:...
and flows generally southeastwardly. It flows for a short distance in southwestern Hubbard County
Hubbard County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,376 people, 7,435 households, and 5,345 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 12,229 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
and enters northwestern Wadena County
Wadena County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,713 people, 5,426 households, and 3,608 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 6,334 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, collecting the Kettle River
Kettle River (central Minnesota)
The Kettle River, also known as Kettle Creek, is a tributary of the Blueberry River, 17 miles long, in north-central Minnesota in the United States...
and passing through the city of Menahga
Menahga, Minnesota
Menahga is a city in Wadena County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,306 at the 2010 census.Menahga means "blueberry bush" in the Chippewa language.-Geography:...
. It flows into Blueberry Lake on the Shell River in Blueberry Township
Blueberry Township, Minnesota
Blueberry Township is a township in Wadena County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 732 at the time of the 2000 census.-Geography:...
in Wadena County, approximately two miles (3 km) north of Menahga. The Blueberry River flows in the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
, which is characterized by conifer and hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
forests on flat and rolling till plain
Till plain
A till plain is an extensive flat plain of glacial till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place depositing the sediments it carried. A till plain with irregular topography is referred to as a ground moraine.-See also:*Glacial till plains...
s and outwash plain
Sandur
A sandur is a glacial outwash plain formed of sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a glacier.- Formation :Sandar are found in glaciated areas, such as Svalbard, Kerguelen Islands, and Iceland...
s.