Pomme de Terre River

The Pomme de Terre River is a 125-mile tributary of the Minnesota River in western Minnesota, draining 875 square miles of mostly agricultural land. It issues from Stalker Lake in Tordenskjold Township, Otter Tail County, and flows south through Grant, Stevens and Swift counties and the cities of Barrett, Morris and Appleton, entering the Minnesota River at Marsh Lake about four miles southwest of Appleton. Lakes along its course include Pomme de Terre, Barrett and Perkins lakes, several held by small dams. The name refers to the wild turnip, a plant with a potato-shaped root.

The Minnesota DNR manages the river as the Pomme de Terre River State Water Trail, noted for Class 1 rapids and fast water over a sandy bottom, with a gradient averaging 4.1 feet per mile and no major rapids; fallen trees and farm fences are hazards. Carry-in sites include Koosman, Larson Landing and Hwy 12 (DNR), Appleton (city) and the Pool (W) site in Morris; ramps are at Barrett Lake and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site near Morris. The DNR's recommended day trip runs 6 river miles from Larson to Appleton, past a man-made rapids at Appleton City Park.

A 16-foot milldam built at Appleton in 1872 breached during April 1997 flooding and was replaced by the DNR with low riffles, reopening 45 miles of river to Morris; 17 native fish species returned. The Pomme de Terre River Association, founded in 1981, works on water quality across the watershed.