Rainy Lake
Encyclopedia
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater
lake (345 square miles (893.5 km²)) that straddles the border between the United States
and Canada
. The Rainy River
issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity
for US and Canadian locations. The U.S. city of International Falls, Minnesota
, and its Canadian sister city of Fort Frances, Ontario
, are situated on either side of the outflow of the river from the lake. Shown as "Lake Tecamaniouen" on the 1757 Mitchell Map
and as "Lake Tekamamigovouen" on the Thomas Jefferys
' 1762 Map of Canada, the river is the boundary between the two countries.
Voyageurs National Park
is located on the southeastern corner of the lake, where it connects with Kabetogama and Namakan lakes. Rainy Lake is part of an extremely large system of lakes that stretch north to the Arctic Ocean
from just west of Lake Superior.
The level of Rainy Lake is controlled at the hydro-electric
power house
s of the international dam that spans the Rainy River between International Falls and Fort Frances. The companies that own the powerhouses (Boise Power on the U.S. side and Abitibi Consolidated Hydro on the Canadian side) are responsible for flow changes from the dams within normal ranges, subject to regulatory oversight by the International Rainy Lake Board of Control (IRLBC). The IRLBC is a board of the International Joint Commission
(IJC), which is a bi-national organization created out of the International Boundary Waters Treaty
of 1909 for the purposes of handling boundary water issues between the United States and Canada.
The lake is popular for sport and recreational fishing for species such as Walleye
, Northern pike
, Muskellunge
, Largemouth
and Smallmouth bass
, which are all considered excellent freshwater sportfish. Rainy Lake is home to the annual Canadian Bass Championship, which has occurred every summer since 1996. The lake is dotted with many small islands on both the Canadian and American sides; they are the sites of numerous fishing cabins, small fishing resorts, and vacation homes. Tourism
is an important part of the local economy.
and retains features associated with it, such as a large, ancient caldera
and a fault line
that can be clearly seen in satellite images of the lake. The rock under the lake and exposed on many of its islands is an exposed part of the North American craton composed of ancient Precambrian
rock. This rock has been significantly affected by glaciation, which dominates much of the recent geologic history of the area.
's The Things They Carried
.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
lake (345 square miles (893.5 km²)) that straddles the border between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Rainy River
Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)
The Rainy River is a river, approximately long, which forms part of the U.S.-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
for US and Canadian locations. The U.S. city of International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
, and its Canadian sister city of Fort Frances, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, are situated on either side of the outflow of the river from the lake. Shown as "Lake Tecamaniouen" on the 1757 Mitchell Map
Mitchell Map
The Mitchell Map is a map made by John Mitchell , which was reprinted several times during the second half of the 18th century. The Mitchell Map was used as a primary map source during the Treaty of Paris for defining the boundaries of the newly independent United States...
and as "Lake Tekamamigovouen" on the Thomas Jefferys
Thomas Jefferys
Thomas Jefferys , "Geographer to King George III", was an English cartographer who was the leading map supplier of his day. He engraved and printed maps for government and other official bodies and produced a wide range of commercial maps and atlases, especially of North America.-Early work:As...
' 1762 Map of Canada, the river is the boundary between the two countries.
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park is a United States National Park in northern Minnesota near the town of International Falls. It was established in 1975. The park's name commemorates the voyageurs, French-Canadian fur traders who were the first European settlers to frequently travel through the area...
is located on the southeastern corner of the lake, where it connects with Kabetogama and Namakan lakes. Rainy Lake is part of an extremely large system of lakes that stretch north to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
from just west of Lake Superior.
The level of Rainy Lake is controlled at the hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power house
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s of the international dam that spans the Rainy River between International Falls and Fort Frances. The companies that own the powerhouses (Boise Power on the U.S. side and Abitibi Consolidated Hydro on the Canadian side) are responsible for flow changes from the dams within normal ranges, subject to regulatory oversight by the International Rainy Lake Board of Control (IRLBC). The IRLBC is a board of the International Joint Commission
International Joint Commission
The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.The Commission has responsibilities related to the following treaties and agreements:...
(IJC), which is a bi-national organization created out of the International Boundary Waters Treaty
International Boundary Waters Treaty
The Boundary Waters Treaty is the 1909 treaty between the United States and Canada providing mechanisms for resolving any dispute over any waters bordering the two countries...
of 1909 for the purposes of handling boundary water issues between the United States and Canada.
The lake is popular for sport and recreational fishing for species such as Walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, Northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, Muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
, Largemouth
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and Smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, which are all considered excellent freshwater sportfish. Rainy Lake is home to the annual Canadian Bass Championship, which has occurred every summer since 1996. The lake is dotted with many small islands on both the Canadian and American sides; they are the sites of numerous fishing cabins, small fishing resorts, and vacation homes. Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is an important part of the local economy.
Geology
Geologically Rainy Lake is part of the Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
and retains features associated with it, such as a large, ancient caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
and a fault line
Geologic fault
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement along the fractures as a result of earth movement. Large faults within the Earth's crust result from the action of tectonic forces...
that can be clearly seen in satellite images of the lake. The rock under the lake and exposed on many of its islands is an exposed part of the North American craton composed of ancient Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
rock. This rock has been significantly affected by glaciation, which dominates much of the recent geologic history of the area.
Popular culture
Rainy Lake (Rainy River) plays a pivotal role in Tim O'BrienTim O'Brien (author)
Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who often writes about his experiences in the Vietnam War and the impact the war had on the American servicemen who fought there...
's The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried is a collection of related stories by Tim O'Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, originally published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin, 1990...
.
See also
- Boundary WatersBoundary WatersThe Boundary Waters — also called the Quetico-Superior country — is a region of wilderness straddling the Canada–United States border between Ontario and Minnesota, in the region just west of Lake Superior. This region is part of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, and in Canada...
- Rainy RiverRainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)The Rainy River is a river, approximately long, which forms part of the U.S.-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
- Koochiching County, MN
- Rainy River District, OntarioRainy River District, OntarioRainy River District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1885. It is the only division in Ontario that lies completely in the Central time zone. Its seat is Fort Frances...
- Lake of the WoodsLake of the WoodsLake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...