October 20, 1818

The treaty between England and the United States further established the international boundary along the forty-ninth parallel from the northwestern point of Lake of the Woods to the “Stony” (Rocky) Mountains. The 1818 treaty also directed how to tie in this new boundary from the northwestern point of Lake of the Woods to the forty-ninth parallel if the point was not on the forty-ninth parallel. The boundary line between Lake of the Woods and the forty-ninth parallel was determined by a survey in 1872, with the northwestern point of the lake being found in a marsh under several feet of water.

Thanks to Mr. Gunderson’s 6th grade class at Virginia-Roosevelt Elementary School for the research on October’s Day in History.

Thanks also to Minnesota’s Learn and Serve America Service Learning Program for their help.

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