GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



Boundaries.] 



that the continuation of the boundary from the "northwest angle" should 

 be by a line either north or south, as the case might be, to the forty-ninth 

 parallel of north latitude, and thence westerly on said parallel. Subsequently 

 it was found that the "northwest angle" was north of the forty-ninth par- 

 allel, and it was so agreed upon and defined by the Webster-Ashburton 

 treaty of 1842. 



The southern boundary of the state is the parallel of north latitude 

 43 30', and was established by the act of Congress which defined the pres- 

 ent boundaries of the state of Iowa.* It was continued by congress as the 

 southern boundary of the territory of Minnesota, from the main channel of 

 the Mississippi river as far west as the northwest corner of the state of 

 Iowa, by the act of March 3d, 1849, and was finally declared the southern 

 boundary of the state of Minnesota as far west as to the intersection of the 

 north and south line constituting its western boundary south of Big Stone 

 lake. 



The eastern boundary of the state was defined by congress in the 

 "enabling act" of Wisconsin, approved August 6th, 1846, in substance as 

 follows: from the waters of lake Superior "to the mouth of the St. Louis 

 river; thence up the main channel of said river to the first rapids in the 

 same above the Indian village, according to Nicollet's map; thence due 

 south to the main branch of the river St. Croix; thence down the main 

 channel of said river to the Mississippi; thence down the centre of the main 

 channel of that river to the northwest corner of the state of Illinois." 



The boundary separating Minnesota from Dakota territory is defined as 

 follows by the "enabling act" of Minnesota of 1857: " beginning at the point 

 in the centre of the main channel of the Red river of the North where the 

 boundary line between the United States and the British possessions crosses 

 the same; thence up the main channel of said river to that of the Bois des 

 Sioux river; thence up the main channel of said river to lake Traverse; 

 thence up the center of said lake to the southern extremity thereof; thence 

 in a direct line to the head of Big Stone lake; thence through its center to 

 its outlet; thence by a due south line to the north line of the state of Iowa." 



*Iowa when first admitted embraced that part of Minnesota lying south of the parallel of latitude passing through 

 the confluence of the Blue Earth and Minnesota rivers and east of the meridian 17 30' Subsequently this portion of the 

 present state of Minnesota was added to the territory of Minnesota, and the state of Iowa was extended westward to the 

 Big Sioux and Missouri rivers. 



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