White Oak Point
County Road 11, South of Deer River
White Oak Point, a level terrace that overlooks the Mississippi River and vast stretches of wild rice, has, according to archeological and historical evidence, attracted human occupants since prehistoric times. It is, in fact, considered the most important prehistoric site in Central Minnesota. In more recent times the Ojibwe lived on this terrace, which they called Nemijimijikan (point of the oak), and met French fur traders here. Various traders and explorers made note of this distinctive point of land from the late 18th century onwards – commenting on the Indian lodges and cultivated fields of corn, potatoes, and squash. A treaty of 1867 moved a number of Ojibwe to White Oak Point, but for various reasons, the settlement failed, and many at White Oak were relocated to the White Earth Reservation.