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FACT BRIEF

Was Minnesota's 'Northwest Angle' formed due to a 1783 survey error?

By Alberto Gomez
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YES

Minnesota’s Northwest Angle is separated by water from the rest of the state, but a surveying error led to it becoming part of Minnesota rather than Canada, according to research compiled by the Minnesota Historical Society.

Using outdated mappings of what is now northern Minnesota, the 1783 Treaty of Paris determined a U.S.-Canada border from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River. The Northwest Angle and Lake of the Woods were believed to be adjacent to the Mississippi headwaters.

In 1798, British explorers found the headwaters to be farther south. By the time the region was officially surveyed by a joint British-American commission in 1824 and 1825, the scale of the Louisiana Purchase had already determined that the Northwest Angle and Minnesota belonged to the United States.

In the 1980s, residents of the Angle threatened to secede from the United States, citing fishing disputes and neglect from the government.

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Sources
Minnesota Historical Society Northwest Angle
Explore Minnesota Explore the Northwest Angle, the Northernmost Point in the Lower 48
Los Angeles Times A Community Angles to Leave U.S.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.