Thief River Falls

History

Thief River Falls takes its name from a geographic feature, the falls of the Red Lake River at its confluence with the Thief River. The name of the river is a loose translation of the Ojibwe phrase Gimood-akiwi ziibi, literally, the "Stolen-land river" or "Thieving-land river", which originated when a band of Dakota Indians occupied a secret encampment along the river, hence "stealing" the land, before being discovered and routed by the neighboring Ojibwe. In the Treaty of Old Crossing of 1863, the Moose Dung's Indian Reservation was established on the west bank of the Thief River, at its confluence with Red Lake River. This Indian Reservation was dissolved in 1904 and their population incorporated as part of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. Thief River Falls marked the limit of navigation on the Red Lake River. The eponymous town site was established in 1887 and later incorporated as a city in 1896.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Thief River Falls is located at the confluence of the Red Lake and Thief rivers. U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota State Highways 1 and 32 are the three main routes in the community. Thief River Falls is located approximately south of the Canada–United States border and northeast of Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the northwest region of Minnesota. Thief River Falls has a humid continental climate (Dwb) with warm to hot summers and cold to severely cold winters.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• CHALLENGER ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · THIEF RIVER FALLS · 783 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• LINCOLN SENIOR HIGH
  High · THIEF RIVER FALLS · 570 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• FRANKLIN MIDDLE
  Middle · THIEF RIVER FALLS · 421 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• NORTHWEST AREA LEARNING CENTER
  High · THIEF RIVER FALLS · 32 students · 32:1 ratio
• Summer NW Area Learning Center
  High · THIEF RIVER FALLS