Vermillion River (Minnesota)

Vermillion River
Vermillion River
	Vermillion Falls in Hastings
	Mouth of the Vermillion River
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Goohue County, Dakota County, Scott County
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	New Market, Minnesota
• coordinates	44°35′10″N 93°20′10″W / 44.5860751°N 93.3360562°W
Mouth
• location	Welch, Minnesota
• coordinates	44°37′14″N 92°40′01″W / 44.6205230°N 92.6668629°W
Length	59.6 mi (95.9 km)
Basin size	335 sq mi (870 km2)
Basin features
River system	Mississippi River
Tributaries
• right	South Branch Vermillion River
Waterfalls	Vermillion Falls

The Vermillion River is a 59.6-mile (95.9 km)^[1] waterway that meanders through Scott County and Dakota County in Minnesota, entering the Mississippi River floodplain just south of Hastings. 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of it are designated as a trout stream, which is unusual for being so close to a metropolitan area. Trophy-sized trout used to be found in the river often but not much anymore.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Description

Vermillion, derived from the French for "red", was probably so named from deposits of ochre Indians used for body painting.^[5]

The Vermillion is a state-designated trout stream, managed for catch-and-release fishing of brown trout. The portion of the river that supports trout is upstream, around the towns of Farmington; Empire, and the City of Lakeville.^[4] After the waterfall in the city of Hastings, the water becomes too warm to support trout. Downstream from the falls on the south side of Hastings, the water becomes even warmer, supporting riverine species such as northern pike and freshwater drum. The Minnesota state record black crappie of 5.0 pounds was caught in the Vermillion River in 1940.^[6] An old channel of the Vermillion River continues south from Hastings on the western edge of the Mississippi valley.

Activities on the river

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the river was used for water power, supplying power to gristmills. A park surrounding the falls preserves the remains of a mill operated by Alexander Ramsey, one of the leading citizens of early Minnesota.

The nonprofit conservation group Minnesota Trout Unlimited and its volunteers have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in physical restoration of the river and adjoining upland areas, funding four projects through grants from the state's Outdoor Heritage Fund. The Twin Cities chapter of Trout Unlimited sponsors a local community volunteer group called the Vermillion Riverkeepers. Volunteers work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remove invasive non-native species such as buckthorn from several state DNR Aquatic Management Areas (AMAs), in addition to fisheries research and stream restoration projects .^[7]

Another group, Friends of the Mississippi River, engages people in cleanups, restoration events and educational activities through its Vermillion Stewards Program and accesses state grant funding to enable upland restoration across hundreds of acres in the Vermillion watershed.

Gallery of images

Vermillion River upper falls in Hastings
Vermillion River valley in Hastings
Vermillion River valley in Hastings
Ruin of the 1857 Ramsey Mill

References

^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 4, 2012
^ ^a ^b Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization. "The Vermillion River Watershed". Dakota County. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vermillion River
^ ^a ^b "Vermillion River". Minnesota DNR. Retrieved April 3, 2021. Brown Trout: average abundance, a wide variety of sizes are present, including some trophy size fish.
^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 169.
^ "State record fish". Minnesota DNR. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
^ "Twin Cities Trout Unlimited". Retrieved 2015-12-12.

[NHD-1] U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 4, 2012

[JPO-2] Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization. "The Vermillion River Watershed". Dakota County. Retrieved 2006-11-11.

[GNIS-3] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vermillion River

[DNR-4] "Vermillion River". Minnesota DNR. Retrieved April 3, 2021. Brown Trout: average abundance, a wide variety of sizes are present, including some trophy size fish.

[5] Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 169.

[6] "State record fish". Minnesota DNR. Retrieved 2007-03-31.

[7] "Twin Cities Trout Unlimited". Retrieved 2015-12-12.

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v t e Minnesota tributaries of the Upper Mississippi River below St Anthony Falls
Minnesota River	Little Minnesota River Pomme de Terre River Lac qui Parle River Chippewa River Yellow Medicine River Redwood River Cottonwood River Blue Earth River
St. Croix River	Kettle River Snake River
Cannon River	North Cannon River Little Cannon River Straight River Little Cannon River (Sabre Lake) Belle Creek
Zumbro River	North Fork Zumbro River Middle Fork Zumbro River North Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Fork Zumbro River
Whitewater River	North Fork Whitewater River Middle Fork Whitewater River South Fork Whitewater River
Root River	South Fork Root River Badger Creek South Branch Root River Camp Creek North Branch Root River Middle Branch Root River Rush Creek Pine Creek Coolridge Creek Hemingway Creek
Upper Iowa River (Iowa, Minnesota)	Pine Creek Little Iowa River North Branch Upper Iowa River
Iowa River (Iowa)	Cedar River Shell Rock River Winnebago River (Iowa) Lime Creek Little Cedar River (Iowa and Minnesota) Little Cedar River (Dodge County, Minnesota)
Des Moines River (Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri)	East Fork Des Moines River Heron Lake Outlet Jack Creek Diversion Creek Okabena Creek Lime Creek Beaver Creek
Missouri River (Missouri, Iowa)	Little Sioux River Ocheyedan River West Fork Little Sioux River Big Sioux River (Iowa) Rock River Little Rock River East Branch Rock River Split Rock Creek Pipestone Creek Flandreau Creek
Other rivers and streams	Crooked Creek North Fork Crooked Creek South Fork Crooked Creek Hay Creek Pine Creek Vermillion River South Branch Vermillion River Wapsipinicon River Wells Creek Winnebago Creek
Streams by region	Driftless Area Counties Dakota Dodge Fillmore Goodhue Houston Mower Olmsted Rice Wabasha Winona
See also: List of rivers of Minnesota, North Shore Streams, Wisconsin rivers, Iowa rivers, North Dakota rivers

v t e Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
National	Coldwater Spring Lock and Dam No. 1 Lock and Dam No. 2 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge St. Anthony Falls St. Croix National Scenic Riverway
State	Fort Snelling State Park Historic Fort Pike Island Mill City Museum Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (Trail) Sibley Historic Site
Local	Banfill Tavern Bohemian Flats Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Crosby Farm Fort Snelling unorganized territory Gold Medal Park Grand Rounds Harriet Island Hidden Falls Indian Mounds Park John H. Stevens House Longfellow House Meeker Island Lock and Dam Mill Ruins Park Minnehaha Park (Lower Glen Trail) Minnehaha Trail Mississippi Gorge Regional Park North Mississippi Regional Park Raspberry Island Boathouse Stone Arch Bridge Vermillion River Watergate Marina Winchell Trail Windego Park
Other	Kaposia Mississippi River Trail River Warren Falls Science Museum of Minnesota

Vermillion River (Minnesota)

Description

Activities on the river

Gallery of images

See also

References