Northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods
Encyclopedia
The northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods
was a critical landmark for the boundary between U.S. territory and the British possessions to the north. This point was used in the Treaty of Paris
in 1783 and in later treaties including the Treaty of 1818. This point lies at the corner of the Northwest Angle
of Minnesota
and is thus the northernmost point in the lower 48 United States. After Canadian Confederation
, the point became the basis for the border between Manitoba
and Ontario
.
The northwestern point of the lake was initially difficult to determine because of the lake's numerous islands, bays and peninsulas. In 1824, British explorer David Thompson
was hired to find this point. Thompson identified four possibilities but did not identify the point.
In 1825, British astronomer Dr. Johann Tiarks surveyed the lake. Tiarks identified two possibilities for this northwestern point on the lake based on Thompson's maps: the Angle Inlet and Rat Portage. From each point he drew a line in the southwest-northeast direction. If the line intersected the lake at any point, it was not the most northwestern point. This is shown in the example diagram to the right. The only southwest-northeast line that does not intersect the lake runs through the most northwestern point. Tiarks determined the northwestern point to be at the edge of a pond on the Angle Inlet.
In accordance with the 1818 Treaty, the international border ran south from the point as determined by Tiarks to the 49th parallel
, and from there west to the Rocky Mountains
(and later, the Pacific
coast).
Lake of the Woods
Lake 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...
was a critical landmark for the boundary between U.S. territory and the British possessions to the north. This point was used in the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
in 1783 and in later treaties including the Treaty of 1818. This point lies at the corner of the Northwest Angle
Northwest Angle
The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a part of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, and is the only place in the United States outside Alaska that is north of the 49th parallel...
of 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...
and is thus the northernmost point in the lower 48 United States. After Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, the point became the basis for the border between Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and 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....
.
The northwestern point of the lake was initially difficult to determine because of the lake's numerous islands, bays and peninsulas. In 1824, British explorer David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
was hired to find this point. Thompson identified four possibilities but did not identify the point.
In 1825, British astronomer Dr. Johann Tiarks surveyed the lake. Tiarks identified two possibilities for this northwestern point on the lake based on Thompson's maps: the Angle Inlet and Rat Portage. From each point he drew a line in the southwest-northeast direction. If the line intersected the lake at any point, it was not the most northwestern point. This is shown in the example diagram to the right. The only southwest-northeast line that does not intersect the lake runs through the most northwestern point. Tiarks determined the northwestern point to be at the edge of a pond on the Angle Inlet.
In accordance with the 1818 Treaty, the international border ran south from the point as determined by Tiarks to the 49th parallel
49th parallel north
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
, and from there west to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
(and later, the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast).