Pigeon River (Minnesota–Ontario)

Pigeon River
Falls of the Pigeon River
Countries	Canada and United States
Region	Minnesota and Ontario
Basin features
Main source	Mountain Lake 614 feet (187 m)
River mouth	Lake Superior
Physical characteristics
Length	31.2 miles (50.2 km)

The Pigeon River forms part of the Canada–United States border between the state of Minnesota and the province of Ontario, west of Lake Superior. In pre-industrial times the river was a waterway of great importance for transportation and the fur trade.

The Pigeon River flows in an easterly direction out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for 31.2 miles (50.2 km) until it drains into Lake Superior. The Pigeon is one of the larger rivers on Superior's North Shore.

The Pigeon River originates from a chain of lakes along the US-Canada border, the highest of which, and furthest west, is Mountain Lake. Among the Pigeon's tributaries is the Arrow River of Ontario which rises in South Lake, west of and at a lower elevation than Mountain Lake. South Lake is separated only by a narrow isthmus from North Lake in the Rainy River watershed. This isthmus is a part of the Northern (or Laurentian) Continental divide, and is crossed by the Height of Land Portage. The fur-trading Voyageurs and coureurs des bois would cross this divide and travel downstream on the Rainy River and Winnipeg River to Lake Winnipeg, from which routes branched out into fur-producing areas of the Canadian northwest.

Below South Fowl Lake, the Pigeon River alternates between navigable waters and cascades or waterfalls. As the river nears Lake Superior, the gradient increases, culminating in a spectacular gorge including two notable waterfalls: High Falls, at 120 feet (37 m) the highest waterfall in Minnesota, and Middle Falls. This gorge is included within both Grand Portage State Park in Cook County, Minnesota, and Pigeon River Provincial Park (9.49 km²) across the border in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Its lower course also forms the northern boundary of the Grand Portage Indian Reservation.