How a Mapping Error Gave Minnesota the Awkward Bump Into Canada

Way up in northern Minnesota, there's an awkward little bump that goes into Canada. It's called the Northwest Angle, and you may have noticed before that they're totally separated from the rest of the US. It's almost like it should just be a part of Canada. And really, I think it was supposed to be.

Turns out, a mapping error is what caused this small piece of land to be part of Minnesota.

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Treaty of Paris Mapping Error Gave Minnesota the Northwest Angle

Back in 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was being drafted, borders were being worked out. But, as NASA writes, "existing surveys of the area were rudimentary" back then.

So when the borders were drawn this tiny chunk of what I'm sure was supposed to be Canada became part of Minnesota and now we have the Northwest Angle.

Today, the population is 54, as of the 2020 census, and the only way to get into the rest of the US is by crossing by boat or going over two international borders. That sounds like a pain!

What Life is Like in the Northwest Angle

The town in the Northwest Angle is called Angle Inlet.

In town, there are no traffic lights, there's no hospital (the closest one is in Canada about 2 hours away), and there's no grocery store. There's a convenience store with the basics like milk and butter. Everything else, you'll need to make sure you plan out your trip to Canada. Even then, the closest true grocery store I could find is about an hour from Angle Inlet.

Most of the population makes their money from things like hunting, fishing, or lodging for tourists coming to hunt and fish. Makes sense, they're right on Lake of the Woods, which is an amazing place for all of the above.

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Students grades kindergarten through 6th grade attend school in a one-room schoolhouse in town. A blog called On Lake of the Woods says that in the 2024-2025 school year the total enrollment was just 5 students.

After 6th grade, parents either have to home school their kids or send their kids to school in Warroad, MN. That involves an hour and 20 minute commute one way over two international borders. Yikes.

It looks like a really cool and unique place to visit but, boy, who would have thought this mapping error from 243 years ago would cause all of this.