The Brule River flows in the former channel of a larger river that once flowed in the opposite direction and drained melting ice from glacial Lake Duluth. As the glacier receded, it created Lake Superior and carved the valley now occupied by the Brule. Rather than flowing southward out of Lake Superior, the Brule now flows northward into it. A short portage at Upper St. Croix Lake links the Brule and St. Croix river systems, a route known to French explorers by 1680 and so important in the early fur trade that France built forts at each end for its protection. After France lost its North American colony to England in 1763, the area later saw conflict on October 1, 1842, when a Sioux war party led by Old Crow entered the territory seeking small bands of Chippewa. Chief Buffalo of the Chequamegon Bay Chippewa quickly gathered 200 braves to meet the larger Sioux force, and after the enemies faced each other at sunset on opposite banks of the Brule, Buffalo's groups attacked from the rear when the Sioux advanced the next morning. The Sioux suffered a bloody defeat and never again entered this territory. Long famous as a trout stream, the Brule is also noted for canoeing and the wild beauty of its scenery.