Length 137 km Mouth Lake of the Woods | Source Rainy Lake | |
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Cities Baudette, International Falls, Rainy River, Fort Frances Bridges Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge, Baudette–Rainy River International Bridge | ||
The Rainy River (French: Rivière à la Pluie; Ojibwe: Gojiji-ziibi) is a river, approximately 137 kilometres (85 mi) long, which forms part of the Canada–United States border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario.
The river issues from the west side of Rainy Lake (French: lac à la Pluie; Ojibwe: Gojiji-zaaga'igan) and flows generally west-northwest, between International Falls, Minnesota, and Fort Frances, Ontario, and between Baudette, Minnesota, and Rainy River, Ontario. It enters the southern end of Lake of the Woods approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Baudette and Rainy River. It is used for hydroelectricity at International Falls. The river shares its name with the town of Rainy River, Ontario, and Rainy Lake. In addition, it shares its Ojibwe name with the Couchiching First Nation and Koochiching County, Minnesota. The drainage basin of the river stretches east to the height of land about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Lake Superior, where it was the southeast corner of the huge tract of land granted to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670. It ultimately drains through the Winnipeg River, Lake Winnipeg and the Nelson River into Hudson Bay.
The Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge and the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge both cross the Rainy River.
The Ontario and Rainy River Railway, opened in 1901 and now part of Canadian National, follows the river on the Canadian side.
The river was the site of the short story "On the Rainy River" in Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried.