Governor Tim Walz shares video from the Northwest Angle explaining how a 1783 Treaty of Paris mapping error gave Minnesota its unique northern land on Lake of the Woods. He encourages residents to visit the area.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted a video on X Sunday afternoon from the Northwest Angle. In the post, Walz stood near a large sign and map of the area at the north end of Lake of the Woods. He described how a mapping error connected to the Treaty of Paris in 1783 resulted in Minnesota receiving a piece of land there.
Walz said the land is one of the most beautiful in the world and that every Minnesotan should make the trip to see it. The video shows him speaking outdoors in casual clothing, gesturing toward the map and later pointing out features near a small border related structure in the area.
The Northwest Angle sits as the northernmost point in the lower 48 states. It is part of Minnesota but is mostly surrounded by Canadian territory from Manitoba and Ontario. Access by land requires travel through Canada. The feature stems from the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War and set the U.S.-British boundary. Negotiators used the 1755 Mitchell Map, which inaccurately showed the shape and position of Lake of the Woods and related the northwestern point of the lake to the Mississippi River in a way that did not match the actual geography.
Later surveys and agreements, including work in the 1820s, confirmed the boundary at the northwesternmost point of the lake. This left the Angle as U.S. territory. Walz’s post follows similar recent messages from him about activities in the same region, including fishing on Lake of the Woods, described as the Walleye Capital of the world, and golf in the Northwest Angle.
The Northwest Angle remains a known geographic feature of the state, with residents and visitors using it for recreation including fishing and other outdoor activities. Walz’s message centered on the historical origin and the recommendation for Minnesotans to experience the location.
