The Wing River is a tributary

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 Leaf River

Leaf River (Minnesota)

The Leaf River is a tributary of the Crow Wing River, about 50 mi long, in west-central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Crow Wing, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.-Course:...

 in west-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 Leaf 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 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...

 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...

. Wing River Township

Wing River Township, Minnesota

Wing River Township is a township in Wadena County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 430 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Wing River, which joins the Leaf River in the township.-Geography:...

 is named for the river.

Course

The Wing River rises in Wing River Lake in Elmo Township

Elmo Township, Minnesota

Elmo Township is a township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...

 of southeastern 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 generally northeastwardly through northwestern Todd

Todd County, Minnesota

-External links:*...

 and southern Wadena

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...

 Counties, past the town of Hewitt

Hewitt, Minnesota

Hewitt is a city in Todd County, Minnesota, United States, along the Wing River. The population was 266 at the 2010 census. It was named in honor of Henry Hewitt, one of the first settlers to the area-Geography:...

. It joins the Leaf River from the south in Wing River Township of Wadena County.

Cultural Information

Leaf River was the principal river-route serving west-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...

. The Dakota and Ojibwe

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

 used its course and the Otter-tail Portage — connecting West Leaf Lake with Otter Tail Lake — to access the waterways associated with 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 1847, lands south of the Leaf River were ceded by the Ojibwe

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

 to allow the United States to establish a homeland for the Menomini. However, due to on-going and relentless skirmishes between the Ojibwe

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

 and the Dakota, the Menomini peoples declined the offers made by the Unied States and remained in Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

.