The Continental Divide

April 13, 2004

Divide1

Provided by: Mike Barondeau, Edmunds Central School
Summary author: Mike Barondeau

One location of the north-south continental divide for North America is on the border between South Dakota and Minnesota. The picture above was taken just west of Browns Valley, Minnesota where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Browns Valley Dike and a small park on the site of the divide, which separates Lake Traverse on the north and Big Stone Lake on the south. Water in Lake Traverse flows north into the Red River and then to Hudson Bay. Water in Big Stone Lake flows south into the Minnesota River and then to the Gulf of Mexico. This photo was taken on March 20, 2004, the first day of spring. Notice that the winter snow cover has already melted and is on its way to both the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay.

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