| Lake Traverse | |
|---|---|
 The continental divide of Lake Traverse | |
  Lake Traverse  Lake Traverse  Lake Traverse | |
| Location | Traverse County, Minnesota /Roberts County, South Dakota,United States |
| Coordinates | 45°46′09″N96°38′20″W / 45.76917°N 96.63889°W /45.76917; -96.63889 |
| Primary inflows | Mustinka River |
| Primary outflows | Bois de Sioux River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface elevation | 976 ft (297 m) |
Lake Traverse is an 11,200-acre (4,500 ha) lake along theborder between the U.S. states ofMinnesota andSouth Dakota, and is the southernmostbody of water in theHudson Baywatershed of North America. Lake Traverse is drained at its north end by the northward-flowingBois de Sioux River, atributary of theRed River of the North. AU.S. Army Corps of Engineersdam at the outflow regulates the lake's level. TheMustinka River flows into the lake just above the dam.
Lake Traverse Indian Reservation of theDakota Sioux lies on the west shore of the lake.
TheTraverse Gap, a lowcontinental divide and part of theLaurentian Divide, separates the south end of Lake Traverse fromBig Stone Lake. Big Stone Lake is the headwaters of the south-flowingMinnesota River, part of theMississippi River System. Prehistorically, the south end of Lake Traverse was the southern outlet of glacialLake Agassiz across the Traverse Gap intoGlacial River Warren; that river carved the valley now occupied by the present-dayMinnesota River. The town ofBrowns Valley, Minnesota lies within the gap between the two lakes.
The Browns Valley Dike was constructed in 1941 at the south end of Lake Traverse to prevent flooding south into Big Stone Lake and the Mississippi watershed. However, theLittle Minnesota River, which flows into Big Stone Lake, passes within 2,000 feet (610 m) of Lake Traverse. In case of flooding of the Little Minnesota River, its waters can pass through culverts within the dike, and across the divide into Lake Traverse. This prevents flooding of homes in the Browns Valley area.[1]
Lake Traverse is an Anglicization ofLac Traverse, a French name meaning "across the lake".[2]
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