Baudette, Minnesota  Baudette is a city in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. It is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,106, and in 2018 the population was estimated at 1,003. It is known as the Walleye Capital of the World. Baudette was incorporated in 1907. It was started by European Americans as a steamboat landing and lumber town with a sawmill, after the railroad was constructed through this area in 1901. It was named for Joseph Beaudette, a trapper of French-Canadian descent who had been in the area since the early 1880s. The post office at Baudette began in 1900, first called "Port Hyland", after postmaster Daniel Hyland. The name was changed to "Baudette" in 1901. Baudette had a station of the Minnesota and Manitoba Railroad, now absorbed by the Canadian National Railway. Baudette was largely destroyed in the Baudette Fire of 1910, but it was quickly rebuilt. Many of its people were saved by a train with box cars sent across the river from Rainy River, Ontario, which pulled survivors to safety on the other side. The city is located along the Rainy River at its confluence with the Baudette River. It lies across the Rainy River from the town of Rainy River, Ontario, and southeast of the Lake of the Woods. Baudette and Rainy River are connected by the Baudette–Rainy River International Bridge. Minnesota Highway 11, Minnesota Highway 72, and Minnesota Highway 172 are three of the main routes in the community. Highway 11 leads northwest to Warroad at the southwest end of Lake of the Woods and east to International Falls, while Highway 72 leads south to Blackduck and Highway 172 leads north to Wheelers Point at the mouth of the Rainy River into Lake of the Woods. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. Baudette has a humid continental climate (Köppen "Dfb") with mild to warm summers along with severely cold winters. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,106 people, 489 households, and 273 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 577 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.4% White, makes up 0.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races.