LAKE OF THE WOODS, a boundary lake, partly in the province of Ontario, Can ada, and partly within the State of Minnesota and with a small part in Manitoba, 190 miles west-northwest of Lake Superior and 377 feet above its level. It is broken by one long prom ontory and several smaller ones into distinct portions, of which only the southern, contain ing Big Island, is properly designated the Lake of the Woods, while the eastern bears the name of White Fish Bay, the northern, which is studded with islands, being called Water Lake, and the northwestern, Shoal Lake. The whole expanse of water forms a single lake of very irregular shape about 65 miles in length and from 10 to 60 in breadth, the water area being about 1,851 square miles. It is navigable for vessels, drawing not more than nine feet of water, from Kenosa to the mouth of Rainy River, and there is steamer service between Rat Portage, Norman and Keewatin. Rainy
River, the principal feeder of the lake, enters it at its southeastern extremity, just below Fort Louise; its discharge is at the north by the Winnipeg. It abounds with sturgeon. The boundary between Canada and the United States follows the Rainy River to its mouth in the lake, and then proceeds across the lake in such a way as to leave Big Island to Canada, whilst giving most of the Lake of the Woods proper to Minnesota. A little west of the me ridian of 95° the boundary strikes due south to meet the parallel of 49°, which is then fol lowed, the result being that the United States owns an isolated portion of the land on the northwest shore. There are gold mines in the neighborhood. Lake of the Woods was dis covered by Jacques de Noyon in 1688, and on one of its islands Jean La Verendrye was mur dered by the Sioux in 1736. See BOUNDARIES OF THE UNITED STATES.