Split Rock River (Superior)
Encyclopedia
The Split Rock River is a river of Minnesota
, USA. It drains a small watershed
of about 40 square miles (103.6 km²) on the North Shore
of Lake Superior
. The name was used as early as 1825 and is believed to refer either to the steep-walled gorge carved by the river or to two cliffs east of the river mouth that appear split apart. An indigenous name for the river was Gininwabiho-zibi, meaning War Eagle Iron River. The river's lower course flows through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
, and the Superior Hiking Trail
ascends and descends both banks. There is a separate stream called Split Rock Creek nearby.
The East and West Split Rock River branches arise in wetlands near Legler Lake. The branches join 4 miles (6 km) upstream from its mouth. Over the next 2 miles (3 km) the river drops 110 feet in elevation, then drops 350 feet over the next mile. Only in its last mile does the river level out and slow before emptying into Lake Superior.
From 1899 to 1906 the river basin was logged
of its red
and white pines
. The logging operation included the town of Splitrock, Minnesota
at the river mouth and a 10-mile long rail line to carry lumber down to the lakeshore. During the Mataafa Storm
of November 28, 1905 seven ships were wrecked within a dozen miles of the Split Rock River, including the steel steamboat
William Edenborn right at its mouth. This prompted the construction of the Split Rock Lighthouse on a nearby cliff.
There are ten waterfalls on the river, although because they can only be reached by a moderate hike on the Superior Hiking Trail they are lightly visited.
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...
, USA. It drains a small 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 about 40 square miles (103.6 km²) on the North Shore
North Shore (Lake Superior)
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota, United States, at the southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east...
of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The name was used as early as 1825 and is believed to refer either to the steep-walled gorge carved by the river or to two cliffs east of the river mouth that appear split apart. An indigenous name for the river was Gininwabiho-zibi, meaning War Eagle Iron River. The river's lower course flows through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It is best known for the picturesque Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States...
, and the Superior Hiking Trail
Superior Hiking Trail
The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as The “SHT,” is a 275-mile long footpath in Northeastern Minnesota, which for most of its length follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. The path is 18-inches wide and is set in the middle of a 4 foot clearing. The footpath travels through forests of...
ascends and descends both banks. There is a separate stream called Split Rock Creek nearby.
The East and West Split Rock River branches arise in wetlands near Legler Lake. The branches join 4 miles (6 km) upstream from its mouth. Over the next 2 miles (3 km) the river drops 110 feet in elevation, then drops 350 feet over the next mile. Only in its last mile does the river level out and slow before emptying into Lake Superior.
From 1899 to 1906 the river basin was logged
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
of its red
Red Pine
Pinus resinosa, commonly known as the red pine or Norway pine, is pine native to North America. The Red Pine occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well...
and white pines
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
. The logging operation included the town of Splitrock, Minnesota
Splitrock, Minnesota
Splitrock is an abandoned townsite in Beaver Bay Township, Lake County, Minnesota, United States at the mouth of the Split Rock River. It was inhabited from 1899 to 1906 as a company town to house workers for a logging operation...
at the river mouth and a 10-mile long rail line to carry lumber down to the lakeshore. During the Mataafa Storm
Mataafa Storm
The Mataafa Storm of 1905 is the name of a storm that occurred on the Great Lakes on November 28, 1905. The storm, named after the Mataafa wreck, ended up destroying or damaging about 29 vessels, killing 36 seamen and causing property losses of approximately $1.75 million on Lake...
of November 28, 1905 seven ships were wrecked within a dozen miles of the Split Rock River, including the steel steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
William Edenborn right at its mouth. This prompted the construction of the Split Rock Lighthouse on a nearby cliff.
There are ten waterfalls on the river, although because they can only be reached by a moderate hike on the Superior Hiking Trail they are lightly visited.