Elm Point, Minnesota, is a small uninhabited[2] cape and a practicalexclave of theUnited States inLake Township,Roseau County,Minnesota,United States. It is surrounded on the west, south, and east byLake of the Woods, and on the north by theCanadian First Nation community ofBuffalo Point in southeasternManitoba. Part of Elm Point is privately owned and part of it is state land[3] managed by theDepartment of Natural Resources as part of the Border Wildlife Management Area.[4] It is located southwest of the much larger exclave known as theNorthwest Angle.[5] There is a line offelled trees marking the international border,[6] which runs nominally along the49th parallel, although in this area it runs slightly to the south[7] due to 19th-centurysurveying errors.
In addition to Elm Point, there are a few small parcels of land located west of Elm Point but east of the contiguous land mass of Minnesota that extend up to 300 feet (100 m) south of the border, making them U.S. territory. One such area is Buffalo Bay Point.[2]
There is some confusion as to whether Elm Point lies withinLake of the Woods County orRoseau County. TheUnited States Census Bureau's block maps place it inLake of the Woods County,[8] as do many maps published by theMinnesota Department of Transportation.[9] However, property taxes in the area are assessed byRoseau County,[3] while theLake of the Woods CountyGIS does not show any parcel data for the area.[10] A 1916 state plat book shows it as part ofRoseau County.[11]
The confusion appears to result from the wording of GovernorDavid Marston Clough's proclamation dated February 10, 1896, which annexed the area toRoseau County.[1] The boundary of the area to be annexed ran easterly along theCanadian border "to the Lake of the Woods; thence easterly, following the south meandered shore of said Lake of the Woods." From the point where theCanadian border intersectsLake of the Woods, the shoreline first runs west around Elm Point and then south before turning east, making the wording of the proclamation infelicitous. The proclamation, however, states that the territory annexed includes the area ofTownship 164 North, Range 36 West, and that its boundaries "followed and conformed to the United States Survey lines of townships,"[1] as was required by law at the time.[12] Elm Point is within T164N R36W (see image at right).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)48°59′45″N095°17′24″W / 48.99583°N 95.29000°W /48.99583; -95.29000