Mille Lacs Lake

Mille Lacs Lake (mĭl lăks) [key], 207 sq mi (536 sq km), E central Minn., N of Minneapolis. It drains into the Rum River. Sieur Duluth, a French explorer, visited (1679) the Ojibwas who lived on the lakeshore. In 1680, Louis Hennepin, a French friar and explorer of North America, and his companions were held captive near the lake by the Ojibwas for several weeks. The region is a center for tourists and sportsmen. A Native American reservation is on the southwest shore.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.