Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Knife River, MN

Knife River is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Minnesota, standing at the mouth of the Knife River on the North Shore of Lake Superior, between Duluth and Two Harbors on the North Shore Scenic Drive.

The Ojibwe called the river Mokomani Zibi, a name referring to the sharp stones found in its bed and along its banks, which is the origin of the 'Knife' name.

The community began in 1856 as Buchanan, on the west side of the river; a second settlement called Mellie was platted on the east side in 1899 and took the name Knife River in 1903, and the two merged and incorporated as the village of Knife River on October 2, 1909, before later returning to unincorporated status.

The first recorded American total-loss shipwreck on Lake Superior occurred at the mouth of the Knife River in 1838.

The steel steamer SS Benjamin Noble foundered off Knife River in April 1914, going down with the loss of all hands.

Knife River began as a copper mining settlement, shifted to logging when the ore proved low-grade, and then to commercial fishing — it has been billed as the smoked and fresh fish capital of the North Shore of Lake Superior.

The Knife River Marina, a full-service marina at the river mouth, is operated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and is a base for some of the North Shore's last commercial fishing boats.

The 2020 census counted 212 people in Knife River, a seasonal North Shore village popular for its public beach, agate hunting, and spring steelhead fishing on the Knife River.