narrow inlet of western Lake Superior, indenting the coast of Minnesota (northwest) and Wisconsin (southeast), U.S. The bay is 7 miles (11 km) long and 0.5 to 1 mile wide and is sheltered from the lake by a low sand and gravel formation called Minnesota Point. Receiving the St. Louis River, the bay forms part of one of the most important harbours on the Great Lakes. The twin ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis., along the bay are the westernmost points for the St. Lawrence Seaway. The name Allouez is for Father Claude-Jean Allouez, a French missionary who traveled through the region in the 1660s.