River, northern U.S. and southern Canada.
It flows north, forming the Minnesota–North Dakota boundary, before entering Manitoba and emptying into Lake Winnipeg after a course of 545 mi (877 km). It was explored in 1732–33 by the French voyageur Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye. The river, named after the reddish brown silt it carries, was a transportation link between Lake Winnipeg and the Mississippi River system. The Red River Settlement, an agricultural colony, was founded in 1811 near Winnipeg. Its fertile valley produces cereals, potatoes, and sugar beets and supports cattle raising.