Buffalo River (Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
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 Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
in western 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 Red River, Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
and the Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
, 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 Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. The river drains an area of 1189 square miles (3,079.5 km²).
Course
The Buffalo River flows from Tamarack Lake in the Tamarac National Wildlife RefugeTamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge covers and lies in the glacial lake country of northwestern Minnesota in Becker County, northeast of Detroit Lakes. It was established in 1938 as a refuge breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife....
in central 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 westwardly into Clay County
Clay County, Minnesota
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 58,999. Its name is in honor of American statesman Henry Clay, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Its county seat is Moorhead...
, past the towns of Hawley
Hawley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,882 people, 744 households, and 514 families residing in the city. The population density was 764.8 people per square mile . There were 787 housing units at an average density of 319.8 per square mile...
and Georgetown
Georgetown, Minnesota
Georgetown is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, along the Buffalo River near its confluence with the Red River of the North. The population was 129 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and through Buffalo River State Park. It flows into the Red River about 1 miles (2 km) west of Georgetown.
The river's largest tributary is the 71.8 miles (115.6 km) South Branch Buffalo River, which rises in western Otter Tail County
Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 57,303. Its county seat is Fergus Falls.-History:...
and flows initially westward into northern Wilkin County
Wilkin County, Minnesota
-External links:*...
, then northward into Clay County, where it joins the main stem of the river.