Watab River
The Watab River, also known as Watab Creek, is a tributary of the Mississippi River in Stearns County in central Minnesota in the United States. It rises north of St. Joseph at the confluence of its North and South Forks, and flows northeast through Watab Lake, then east into the Mississippi River at Sartell. The North Fork Watab River, long, rises in Island Lake, a small creek feeds Pflueger Lake, flows northeasterly to Stumpf Lake, then southeasterly near Collegeville, merging with the South Fork near St. Joseph. The South Fork Watab River, long, flows southeast from Big Watab Lake to Little Watab Lake, and through a pond before flowing northeast and into North Fork Watab River. History The word watab comes from the Ojibwe language wadab-ziibi (Lit. "Spruce-Root River") due to the many spruce trees whose exposed roots were once commonly found along its banks. The name Watab comes from the word watap, as the cordage used for sewing together the birch-bark panels on the Ojibwe canoes was often made from spruce tree roots. In 1825 the Watab River formed the first part of the border on the west side of the Mississippi between the Ojibwe people migrating from the