| Trade River Atanwa | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| Cities | Atlas, WI, Trade Lake, WI, Trade River, WI |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - location | Tunnel Channel Woods near Straight Lake State Park, Polk County, WI |
| Mouth | St. Croix River |
- location | near Wolf Creek, WI, Polk County, Pine County, WI |
| Length | 50.8 mi (81.8 km) |
The Trade River is a 50.8-mile-long (81.8 km) tributary of the St. Croix River in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States. [1] In its history, it has been known by the names "Atanwa" or "Ottoway" River, both of which are Anglicized versions of an Ojibwe language word meaning "trade" (see Ottawa). Beneath the mouth of the Trade River, the St. Croix River was once known as the Grave-marker River.
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States, in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. 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 is the 23rd largest state by total area and the 20th most populous. The state capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The state is divided into 72 counties.
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
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The Trade River begins in the Straight Lake Tunnel Channel Woods in northern Polk County, Wisconsin, [2] and flows northward before bending westward to meet the South Fork a few miles south of Frederic. The South Fork of the Trade River begins in wetlands north of Luck and flows northward, roughly parallel to State Highway 35, until it meets the main branch. The Trade River then winds its way westward through farmland and a series of lakes in northern Polk and southern Burnett counties. West of State Highway 87, it is joined by the North Fork Trade River, which flows south-southwest from Isaac Lake via Canute Creek Flowage. Shortly thereafter, the river enters Governor Knowles State Forest and flows through pine barrens in the town of Sterling before joining the St. Croix River.
Straight Lake State Park is a 2,780-acre (1,130 ha) Wisconsin state park north of the village of Luck, Wisconsin. Straight Lake State Park was established in 2002, making it Wisconsin's newest state park. The park is traversed by the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which runs along the northern shore of Straight Lake before following the course of the Straight River through the Straight River Tunnel Channel. The Clam Falls Trail, an abandoned road that served as an important thoroughfare during the logging era, also traverses the park roughly parallel to the Ice Age Trail.
Polk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 44,205. Its county seat is Balsam Lake. The county was created in 1853.
Frederic is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,137 at the 2010 census.
