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MINNESOTA
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS.
YOL. VII.

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HON. J. V. BROWER, COMMISSIONER.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

AND ITS

SOURCE.

An Historical and Illustrated Geographical
Record.

©
THE

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

AND ITS

SOURCE.

A NARRATIVE AND CRITICAL HISTORY OF THE DIS
COVERY OF THE RIVER AND ITS HEADWATERS,
ACCOMPANIED BY THE RESULTS OF
DETAILED HYDROGRAPHIC AND
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS.

BY

HON. J. V. BEOWEK,
Commissioner of the Itasca State Park, representing also,
the State Historical Society.

WITH AN APPENDIX
BY ALFRED J HILL, ESQ.

ILLUSTRATED.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
HAKBIS0N & SMITH, STATE PRINTERS.
1893.

PREFATORY NOTE.

The authorities of the Government of the United States, upon
the acquirement of Louisiana, then constituted in part by the
territory afterwards set apart as the State of Minnesota, took
steps to discover physical features at the source of the Missis
sippi river. The steps thus taken were continued from time to
time, until 1836, when the foundation was laid for a scientific
report of great value, in which was described, the principal afflu
ent to Itasca lake.
That that scientific report, adopted as a part of the official record
of a great Government, should be questioned upon untenable
grounds, without a |cintilla of evidence, save only the bare state
ment of an individual, is not, in itself, an extraordinary event;
but when public records and educational interests are contamina
ted and a deception practiced upon the citizen, by that statement,
it became a duty to eliminate from the record whatever may be
found to be false, and to confirm and acquiesce in, whatever
may be found to be true
Solely upon the broad ground that geographical facts should
not and must not be made subservient to the selfish and personal
individual interest the present report has been made.
To follow the channel of the Mississippi river to its utmost
source in search of geographic facts, it became advisable to know
of the historical record concerning discoveries from the mouth of
the river to its source.
The examination of these records, co-extensive with the history
of the discovery of the coast line of North America, imposed a
duty requiring great care and labor. Examinations in the field
at the source of the river have been accomplished with the
same great care and labor, that has been exercised in the field
of historical research. The results attained are combined and

Vlll THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
classified, .in the trust that the record of this labor may be a
benefit to my fellow man. In submitting the results of this
labor in this volume, the hope is expressed that the facts found
and recorded may outweigh the errors of judgment, which
undoubtedly exist.
The formal dedication of the Itasca Basin to be perpetually
used as a public state park, its legal status having been amply
recognized in a grant of lands by the congress, is one of the
benefits of this examination, in advance of the publication of
these results, under the official auspices of the State.
To Mr. Alfred J. Hill, who rendered most valuable service in
the field of historic research, and to Mrs. Georgiana Demaray,
Rev. J. A. Gilfillan, and many others, for valuable assistance
and material, I owe and tender sincere acknowledgments.
J. V. B.
St. Paul, Minnesota, January, 1893.

Classification of Sub-Divisions and Contents.

Page,
Sub-Division First  1
Preliminary Memorandum and Communications.
Sub-Division, Second  5
The Report. Preliminary Considerations; Geologic Fea
tures; Reservoir System; Mode of Procedure.
Sub-Division Third  14
What Constitutes Discovery. The Spanish Accounts;
Pineda; Espiritu Santu Bay; Narvaez; Cabeza de Vaca; De
Soto; Apportionment of Credit; Cartographical Results of
De Soto's Expedition; Conclusions Drawn; De Luna.
Sub-Division Fourth  38
The French Accounts. The Papal Bull; Jacques Cartier;
Champlain; Sieur Jean Nicolet; Raymbaultand Jogues:
Groseilliers and Radisson; La Salle on the Ohio River;
Joliet and Marquette.
Sub-Division Fifth  69
The French Account, Continued. La Salle on the Illinois
River; Hennepin and His Companions; La Salle on the
Mississippi; Iberville; Sagean and Le Sueur; Charleville;
Minor Reports as to the Source of the Mississippi.
Sub-Division Sixth  96
Early Territorial Claims; Extent of Canada and Louisiana;
Transfer of Louisiana by France to Spain; Boundary be
tween French and English Possessions; Western Boundary
of the United States; Transfer of Louisiana by Spain to
France; Cession by France to the United States of America;
Indian Occupancy, Traditions and Wars; Captain Carver's
Travels; The Journey of David Thompson.
Sub- Division Seventh  119
The First Known of White Men at Elk Lake: The Name
Defined; William Morrison; The Only Record of His Voy
age to Itasca Lake in 1803; Lost Note Books.

X THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE. Page.
Sub-Division Eighth  125
Lieutenant Z. M. Pike's Expedition in 1805-6; He Reaches
the Mouth of Two Rivers and Erects Block Houses; Buf
falo, Elk and Deer Hunt; Sledge Journey to Leech Lake;
The British Flag; Indian Warfare; Killed at York.
Sub-Division Ninth  130
The Louis Cass Expedition; Through Lake Superior; Camp
at Sandy Lake; Voyage Down the Mississippi From Cass
Lake.
Sub-Division Tenth  135
J. C. Beltrami; Civil, Military and Judicial Pursuits; The
Countess of Albany; An Exile; Hero Worship; Voyage to
America; Thirst for Geographical Discovery; Voyage Up
the Minnesota and Down the Red River; At Pembina:
Beltrami Reaches Red and Turtle Lakes; Locates the
Source of the Mississippi at Julia Lake; Doe Lake; Suc
cored by Chippewa Indians; Researches of Mr. Alfred J.
Hill; Beltrami County.
Sub-Division Eleventh  142
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft; He Accompanies Gen. Cass in
1820; Proceeds to Lac La Biche in 1832; Selects the Name
Itasca; Discovers the Lake; Schoolcraft Island; Ozawindib.
Sub-Division Twelfth  152
A Military Escort; Lieut. James Allen and Detachment
Accompanies Schoolcraft; His Observations and Report.
Sub-Division Thirteenth  155
Nicollet's Scientific Explorations; Astronomical Abilities;
An Exile From France; Map of the Sources; Employed by
the United States; Details of His Voyage tp Itasca Lake;
Discovers Five Creeks; Describes the Larger as the Infant
Mississippi; A Cradled Hercules; Discovers Three Lakes;
Confusion of Location; Ideas as to the Source of a River.
Sub-Division Fourteenth  166
The "Dolly Varden" Expedition to Itasca Lake; Julius
Chambers Visits Elk Lake and Declares it the Source of
the Mississippi; Observations and Explorations by a Rep
resentative of the New York Herald.

classification of sub-divisions and contents, xi
Page:
Sub-Division Fifteenth  171
Official Action by the Authorities of the Land Depart
ment of the United States; How Elk Lake was Finally
Named; Official Plats Certified and Approved.
Sub-Division Sixteenth  174
Edwin S. Hall's Government Survey; His Party Reach the
Itasca Basin: Meander of Elk and Itasca Lakes; Official
Corners and Land Marks.
Sub-Division Seventeenth  179
The Rob Roy Expedition; A. H. Siegfried and Companions
Reach Itasca Lake; They Visit Elk Lake and Photograph it;
.The Party Designate Elk Lake the Highest Tributary to
the Mississippi; Wm. Morrison Designated as th
Seen of White Men at the Source.
Sub-Division Eighteenth  182
Geologic and Botanic Examination at Itasca Lake by O.
E. Garrison; Lost at the Little Man Trap; He Reaches Elk
Lake; Portage to Itasca; Camp on Garrison Point; Itasca
Lake Coasted.
Sub-Division Nineteenth  186
Early Visitors to Itasca; Charles Lanman's Claim; Allan
Morrison.
Sub-Division Twentieth  188
Sojourn of Rev. J. A. Gilfillan's Party at Itasca Lak
Whipple Lake Named; First Sermon at the Source; An In
teresting Epistle.
Sob-Division Twenty -First  191
The Glazier Fiasco; An Indian Map Distorted; Hunger
and Haste; A Fictitious Source; Plagarism Personified; His
Claims Shown to be Founded on False Statements, Dis
credited by Geographical Societies and the Congres Inter
national.
Sub-Division Twenty-Second  210
Pioneer Settlement at Itasca Lake; Peter Turnbull and
Family; The Second Coming of Civilized Occupancy.
Sub-Division Twenty-Third  2L3
The Relation of Henry D. narrower, and of Ivison, Blake-
man, Taylor & Co.; Survey of the Basin by Hopewell
Clarke.

Xll THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE. Page.
Sub- Division Twhnty-Fourth  218
The Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction for
Minnesota at Itasca; He Describes the Lake and its Afflu
ents.
Sub-Division Twenty-Fifth  224
The Definite Action of the Minnesota Historical Society
as to the Source of the Mississippi; Report by Gen. James
H. Baker Adopted; Appointment of a Commissioner
Ordered, to Definitely Survey and Locate the Source.
Sub-division Twenty-Sixth  227
The Casual Examination of J. V. Brower and Companions:
The Greater Man-trap Basin; The party arrive at Itasca
lake and Explore the Source.
Sub-Division Twenty-Seventh  232
The Itasca State Park; Thirty-five Square Miles of Terri
tory at the Source of the Mississippi Forever Dedicated to
the Public; A Commission appointed, and a Topographic
Survey Completed; A Final Chart.
Sub-Division Twenty-Eighth  235
The Detailed Examinations and Surveys of the Source of
the Mississippi river, Conducted Under the Personal Direc
tion and Supervision of J. V. Brower, Commissioner.
The Conclusions of the Commissioner  293
Memorandum Considerations  297

APPENDIX.
How the Mississippi river and the Lake of the Woods became
Instrumental in the Establishment of the Northwestern
Boundary of the United States  305

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.

Portrait of the author  Frontispiece
Official chart of the Itasca State Park  Frontispiece Page.
Map of the Mississippi river, by J. V. Brower, 1891  5
Extract from Cortes' chart sent to Charles V, 1520  19
Portrait of Hernando de Soto  24
Diagram showing the principal names and distances (leagues) along
the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico, drawn from the descrip
tion by Oviedo, in 1537, by Alfred J. Hill, 1891  28
Earliest type of map showing the Valley of the Mississippi, from
atlas of Ortelius of 1580  33
Second type of map showing the Valley of the Mississippi, from
Sanson's map of North America, 1656  35
Reduction from Orontius Fines' globe, 1531  37
Portrait of Sieur de la Salle  59
Joliet's map of the Mississippi, 1674  67
Part of Carte de la Nouville France et de la Lousiane. Reverend
Pere Louis Hennepin, 1683  78
Part of Carte du Canada, ou de la Nouville France, De LTsle, 1703. . 90
Part of Carte des Nouvelles de' Convertes a L'Ouest de la Nouvelle
France, Dresse Surles Memoires de Mr. Del'Isle, 1750  93
Part of a map of Canada. Jefferys, 1762  113
Map drawn from a plan of Captain Carver's travels in the interior
parts of North America in 1766 and 1767  115
Portrait of Capt. Jonathan Carver  116
Portrait and autograph of William Morrison  119
Portrait of Mrs. Georgiana Demaray  1 21
Portrait of Gen. Z. M. Pike  i25
Extract from Lieut. Z. M. Pike's chart near source of the Missis
sippi, 1805-6  127
Portrait of Gen. Lewis Cass   131
Section of a map showing the track pursued by the expedition
under Gov. Cass in 1820. By Henry R. Schoolcraft  133
Portrait of Beltrami  135
Extract from Beltrami's chart, 1828  139

XIV THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE. Page
Portrait and autograph of Henry R. Schoolcraft  '.  142
Portrait of Rev. W. T. Boutwell. .*  144
Sketch of the sources of the Mississippi River. Drawn to illustrate
Schoolcraft's inland journey to Itasca Lake, 1832  144
Portrait of Mrs. Jane Schoolcraft  146
Sources of the Mississippi River. Drawn to illustrate Schoolcraft's
discoveries, by Captain S. Eastman, U. S. A. 1855  148
Schoolcraft's map of Itasca Lake, the source of the Mississippi
River, 3,160 miles from the Balize, as modified in 1855 from map
of 1832  150
Portrait of Jane Schoolcraft Howard  151
Extract from Lieut. J. Allen's Map, 1832  153
Portrait and Autograph of J. N. Nicollet  155
Extract from topographical map of the sources of the Mississippi
and North Red River, from actual astronomical observations
and surveys in 1836 and 1837, by J. N. Nicollet  161
Portrait and autograph of Julius Chambers  166
Sketch map of the Itasca Lake region, by Julius Chambers, 1872. 168
Portrait of Gen. J. H. Baker  171
The official plat (reduced scale), 1876  172
Portrait of Mr. Edwin S. Hall  174
Portrait of Mr. A. H. Siegfried  179
Portrait of Mr. O. E. Garrison  182
Portrait of Mr. Charles Lauman  186
Portrait of Rev. J. A. Gilflllan  . 188
An Indian map of the source of the Mississippi, drawn by She-na-
wi-gi-shick, an Ojibway Indian, 1890  193
One of the Glazier maps, 1881-6  199
The Glazier map of 1891  207
Portrait of Peter Turnbull and family  210
Portrait of Mr. Hopewell Clarke  213
Hopewell Clarke's map, 1886  215
' Portrait and autograph of Prof. T. H. Kirk  218
Portrait and autograph of J. Fletcher Williams  224
Portrait of John Leyendecker  227
J. V. Brower's sketch map of Itasca Lake, 1888  229
Portrait of Gen. John B. Sanborn  232
A map of the upper drainage basin of the Mississippi River above
Pokegama Falls, by J. V. Brower, 1892  235
Detailed Hydrographic Chart of the ultimate source of the Missis
sippi River, by J. V. Brower, Commissioner, 1891  235
The Itasca Basin from the summit of Rhodes Hill  2S8

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. XV
Page.
View at the north extremity of Itasca Lake  244
View at Schoolcraft Island from the west shore of Itasca Lake. . . 249
View at the east arm of Itasca Lake  251
View at Mary Lake  254
Profile of elevations above sea level from Park Rapids, Minn., to
Itasca Lake  257
View at Elk Lake  258
View at east shore of Little Elk Lake  360
View of Nicollet's Infant Mississippi River flowing into Itasca
Lake  .  262
View of Chamber's Creek flowing into Itasca Lake  263
View of the Commissioner's Camp at Nicollet's Springs  269
View at Morrison Hill  .'  270
View showing the Mississippi River flowing out from Nicollet's
Middle Lake  272
Sketch map of Natural Bridge between Nicollet's Upper and Mid
dle Lakes, by J. V. Brower, 1892  273
Profile of elevations above sea level from Itasca Lake to Hernan
do de Soto Lake  274
Sketch map of the Mississippi Springs and Whipple Lake, by J.
V. Brower, 1892  276
View at Morrison Lake  , 280
View at Nicollet's Middle Lake  284
Portrait of Mr. Alfred J. Hill  289
View at Brower Island, Hernando de Soto Lake  293

APPENDIX.
Diagram Chart of limitary lines, drawn by A. J. Hill, 1892  337
Outline map of the Lake of the Woods, reduced from Canadian
surveys  340
Part of the Mitchell map. of 1755  343
View at Fort Snelling  352

SUB-DIVISION FIRST.

PRELIMINARY MEMORANDUM AND COMMUNI
CATIONS.

On the 12th day of February, 1889, the Minnesota Histori
cal Society determined to cause a survey of the source of the
Mississippi River, and for that purpose issued the following
Commission under the seal of the Society ;
St. Paul, Minnesota, Feb. 12th, 1889.
To J. V. Brower, Esq., St. Paul, Minn.
Sir : — Reposing especial confidence in your ability, integ
rity and good judgment, the Minnesota Historical Society
together with other similar Societies, who may unite with
us for this object, does hereby appoint and commission you
to make a careful and scientific survey of Lake Itasca and its
surroundings, with the view of determining by a thorough
examination of the spot and of all its physical features, un
der all circumstances, what is the true and actual source of
the Mississippi River.
"We therefore request you to select such a corps of assis
tants as you may need to properly carry on such survey and
proceed to Lake Itasca, prior to the opening of spring, to
take the necessary observations with the above object.
On the completion of your survey, you will please make a
report to us of the result of your investigations.
On behalf of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Henry H. Sibley, President.
[seal] J- Fletcher Williams, Secretary

2 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Agreeing to the requirements as stated in the Commission
of the Society, a formal letter of acceptance was submitted,
as given herewith, to-wit :
St. Paul, Minnesota, Feb. 27th, 1889.
Hon. Henry H. Sibley, President, J. Fletcher Williams, Esq.,
Secretary, Minnesota Historical Society.
Gentlemen: — I have the honor to acknowledge the re
ceipt of the Commission of the Minnesota Historical Society,
under seal, dated the 12th inst., directing me to make, on
behalf of the Society; a careful and scientific survey of Lake
Itasca and its surroundings, with the view of determining by
a thorough examination of the spot and all its physical fea
tures, under all circumstances, what is the true and actual
source of the Mississippi River.
I believe questions of importance touching geographical
and historical researches, should be considered and deter
mined regardless of individuals, and I shall most carefully
endeavor to scientifically demonstrate the actual facts as I
shall find them in the Itasca Basin, calling to my aid a corps
of assistants, undergoing the hardships and privations of
visiting the remote locality in search of the facts.
Very respectfully, Your Obedient Servant,
J. V. Brower.
On the 28th of August, 1889, the Commissioner reported
progress to the Society, in a formal communication as fol
lows *.
St. Paul, Minnesota, Aug. 28th, 1889.
Gen. H. H. Sibley, President, J. F. Williams', Esq., Secretary,
Minnesota Historical Society.
Gentlemen : — Referring to my Commission of date Feb.
12th, 1889, directing an examination and survey of the
Itasca Basin for and on behalf of your Society, I beg, most
respectfully, to advise you of the progress and condition of
the work at this time.
The necessary labor to properly and accurately determine
the question and fulfil the requirements directed in the com
mission, constitutes a laborious task which may be briefly
stated as follows :
First. To ascertain, by astronomical observations, the
geographical position of the basin.

PRELIMINARY MEMORANDUM AND COMMUNICATIONS. 3
Second. To ascertain, by a system of actual levels in the
field, the extent and outward limits of the water-shed, con
stituting the basin at the source.
Third. The establishment of a base of operations from
which all measurements must be made and computed.
Fourth. The meander of several lakes by latitude and de
parture. Fifth. The meander of running streams within the basin.
Sixth. The official meander of Schoolcraft Island, directed
and authorized by the Hon. Secretary of the Interior, under
date of Aug. 2nd, 1889, acting upon my application to the
Department of the Interior dated March 19th, 1889. It has
taken nearly five months time to secure this authority from
the Department at Washington.
Seventh. An accurate measurement of the unmeandered
portion of the Mississippi from Itasca Lake, northerly, to
the meandered line of the government survey in order to
correctly determine the distance from the sea, in miles, by
the channel of the river to Itasca Lake.
Eighth. A line of actual levels in the field across the
country from the railroad surveys of the State to Itasca
Lake and up the trough of the basin which determines the
elevations above the sea more accurately than with the ane
roid barometer, which has been found to be very unreliable.
Ninth. The measurement of every running stream within
the basin.
Tenth. Topographical examinations in the field through
out the whole extent of the basin. A necessity of no small
proportion. Eleventh. Photographic views.
Twelfth. A scenic map of the basin in perspective. 1
Thirteenth. A detailed hydrographic chart of the entire
locality from the field notes.
Fourteenth. Detailed charts indicating particular localities
and conditions.
Fifteenth. The miscellaneous labor necessarily attending
a survey of the character you require, the field of operations
being one hundred miles beyond the railroad system of the
State, and more than thirty miles from the permanent
frontier settlements.
Sixteenth. The office work placing this mass of informa
tion in proper order for the use of your Society.
1. Omitted for the reason that unavoidable errors appear in the final draft
which cannot now he adequately corrected.

4 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE
Seventeenth. Historical researches concerning the discov
ery of the Mississippi and its source, co- extensive with the
record of the discovery of the coast line of North America.
I commenced operations, under your commission, the 4th
day of last March and I will make my detailed report to the
Society in the month of December, 1889, everything com
plete to the best of my ability, trusting that it may prove
satisfactory. The field work is well along towards comple
tion, the necessary office work, of course, comes at the clos
ing of operations in the field, to a considerable extent. The
relatives of the late Wm. Morrison are furnishing me with a
detailed memorandum of his residence near Lac La Biche, in
1803, and the only living relative of Henry R. Schoolcraft
has promised me, by the first of September, a valuable contri
bution touching the discoveries of Mr. Schoolcraft, in 1832,
at the source — which may constitute an interesting appendix.
Assuring you that this work shall be completely and accu
rately reported, and awaiting your acknowledgement of the
receipt of this communication, I remain
Very respectfully, Your Obedient Servant,
J. V. Brower.
At the regular monthly meeting of the Society for Decem
ber, 1889, the historical researches necessary to an adequate
completion of the formal report, were unfinished, and the
submission of the same was, for that reason, deferred.
On the 10th of February, 1890, at the rooms of the Execu
tive Council of the Society, the Commissioner reported all
the steps taken by him, by virtue of his appointment, and
submitted his formal report which treated of the subject in
every point of view.
In the following chapters, this report is given entire, with
material additions, 1 deemed paramount in preparing the
report for publication, for which purpose the same was re
ferred back to the Commissioner by the Council of the His
torical Society.
1. The report has been edited for publication by the Commissioner and includes
detailed information taken from all field notes reduced, up to and including topo
graphic examinations and surveys, which were completed in 1892, for and on behalf
of the State, of which the Historical Society Is a co-ordinate branch.

¦'.'•*. . .

SUB-DIVISION SECOND.

THE REPORT.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS, GEOLOGIC FEA
TURES, RESERVOIR SYSTEM, MODE OF
PROCEDURE.

To the Society:
With the view of determining what is the true and actual
source of the Mississippi river, historical researches, detailed
surveys and examinations have been made with results as
noted in this report.
Sub-divided and classified, these results are respectfully
submitted. The suggestion, long since made, that ' 'all our rivers have
their source in the clouds, " might well be discussed in con
nection with that invisible, demonstrative cause, which
creates the movement of the waters On the face of the earth,
by evaporation and precipitation, without which, human life,
as now constituted, would perish. The precipitation of nearly
twenty- four inches of water per annum upon most portions
of the earth's surface, when considered in its enormous
capacity and influence, well suggests a thought of that dis
tinctive, distributive power, which causes the precipitation.

b THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The invincible rule of nature which outpours unlimited
quantities of water upon a surface above the level of the sea,
requires channels of exit that it may seek its level. Those
channels are of greater age than humanity itself. That life is
dependent upon these causes, and the effect, creates the desire
to discover and know specific particulars. Within the
limited sphere of a temperate zone, encircling the earth by
an isothermal demarcation, the capacity for minute observa
tion is intensified. With this intensity, there is slight cause
for complaint if predominant influences tend toward the ac
quirement of greater knowledge, particularly so, upon dis
puted points. He who comes last, not always least, might
well consider opportunities for conservative, unimpassioned
consideration and research. It should be his duty to inquire
by what authority, under whose auspices, and for what pur
pose, have mankind acted in discoveries, and the true re
sults noted will be the history of the case. In an examina
tion for the correction of apparent error of judgment, or of
ulterior purposes, state the whole question, that he may
himself be weighed in the balance in ascertaining the cor
rectness of conclusions on the part of others.
Such are, briefly stated, an indication of thoughts enter
tained when the question is suggested: What is the true and
actual source of the Mississippi river ?
The great drainage basin of the Mississippi river extend
ing from the Gulf of Mexico to the northern limits of the
United States, and from the Alleghany range to the summit
of the Rocky mountains, covers an area of more than one
million square miles. The river itself is known by two prin
cipal designations — the Upper and Lower Mississippi — the
mouth of the Missouri river constituting the dividing point.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 7
By acceptation, if not otherwise, the Missouri river1 is
considered an affluent of the Mississippi, thus obviating a
consideration of the question of the length of the Missouri,
in arriving at a conclusion as to the source of the Mississippi,
at this time.
Then comes the question as to what is the source of a river.
Authorities have conflicted upon this point, and in pro
ceeding to a definite conclusion upon the question considered,
the ultimate limit of the drainage basin constituting the water
shed of the Mississippi river, farthest from the Gulf of Mexico t>y
the main channel of the river, shall be considered to be the true
source. In reaching the utmost limit of that channel, partic
ular and definite action should be taken to determine the sup
ply of water within the bowl, from which it has its first incep
tion. That supply must be the ultimate source, though, in
the case of the Mississippi river, the flanks of the ultimate
water-shed have, by nature, been formed into a semi-circular
basin of irregular formation, having for its principal reser
voirs, two large bodies of water, one at the pit of the basin,
from which the main stream flows, the other at the summit, at
a much higher elevation, from which is drawn a constant sup
ply, by subsidiary channels, to the reservoir below, by in
filtration, percolation, seepage and perennial surface flowage,
all of which is supplied by secular aerial precipitation.
Thus is formed a principal reservoir at the pit of the basin
through which all the flowing water passes to the main
stream, and an ultimate reservoir at the summit of the basin,
supplying the streams and lakes below it, still above the pit
of the basin. Between these two principal remote reser-

1. The question as to the predominance of the Missouri river over the Upper
Mississippi is more particularly adverted to in other portions of this report.

8 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
voirs, the adjustment of the question required to be answered,
rests. Thus an easy question to ask, is a difficult one to
answer. Researches as to the original formation of this ultimate
reservoir system and its discovery, difficult and long delayed,
have been taken up with more than ordinary care and pa
tience, and the results, accompanied by a critical examina
tion of the physical features of the locality, are submitted in
the hope that they may prove beneficial, though not without
th'e expectation of just criticism.
The length of the Mississippi has been carefully ascer
tained, and the Itasca basin is the most remote water-shed
upon the main stream, from the mouth of the river at the
Gulf of Mexico, the existence and conditions of the Missouri
river, being more particularly hereinafter considered, upon
an editing of this report for publication.
GEOLOGIC FEATURES.
Prof. N. H. Winchell, of the Minnesota State University,
and Prof. Warren Upham, of Boston, Mass., (Mr. Upham
visited the Itasca basin in September, 1889) have been con
sulted as to the geologic features of the source of the Missis.
sippi, and from these gentlemen a general idea of geologic
formations has been obtained, and to them full credit is due
and awarded in furnishing a basis for opinions herein
expressed, concerning the same.
All the country about Itasca lake, consists of the glacial
and modified drift, the nearest outcrops of the bed rocks be
ing eastward on the Little Boy river and southward, near
Motley, on the Crow Wing river. The thickness of the
prift at Itasca, may be estimated between one hundred and
two hundred feet, from comparison with the similarly cov-

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 9
ered drift areas of the Red River Valley, 1 and all western
and southwestern Minnesota, including the Coteau des Prairies,
where the depth to the bed rocks is ascertained by wells.
Over the pre- glacial surface as it has been sculptured into
hills, ridges and valleys, by stream erosion before the ice
age, the drift is found to be spread with a somewhat uniform
thickness, but it is generally increased fifty to seventy -five
or one hundred feet in its depth upon belts of specially hilly
and knolly deposits, with abundant boulders, properly des
ignated as terminal moraines.
One of the most distinct morainic belts, denominated the
Itasca moraine, extends with a width of five to ten miles
from the Pokegama falls on the Mississippi river a little less
than one hundred miles east from Itasca lake, south of Poke
gama and Leech lakes, westward to the Little Man Trap and
Josephine lakes and the southern arms of Itasca lake, curv
ing around Hernando de Soto, and Morrison lakes at their
outward limit, thence it bends to the northwest and north
between the source of the Mississippi and the source of the
Red River of the North, and continues northward between
the Upper and Lower Rice lakes to Clearwater lake, from
which it passes westward along the south side of Clearwater
and Lost rivers, entering the area of the glacial lake Agas-
siz, between Maple lake and Red lake. This is the tenth in
the series of moraines in Iowa, Minnesota, South and North
Dakota, formed by the last ice sheet that overspread this
region, marking its boundary in its maximum area, when it
reached south to Des Moines, and in successive stages of
halt or slight re-advance, interrupting its recession.

1. The Red River of the North.

10 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The Itasca moraine is an irregular, uneven, particularly
rough and broken range of hills, portions of which are cov
ered to a greater or less extent, at the summit, with large
and small boulders, which extend down the slopes in less
quantities near the surface. Numerous lakes abound, usually
with muddy bottoms, the surface elevation depending upon
precipitation, variously influenced by evaporation, infiltra
tion and percolation to bodies of water and streams lower
down the sides of this morainic formation. Stony ridge,
near the Little Man Trap lake, some six miles south of Itasca
lake, no doubt, is the southern border of the Itasca moraine.
It consists of small ridges of till, trending from southeast to
northwest, with very plentiful boulders, Archaean in char
acter, from the northeast and north, chiefly granite and
gneiss. No limestone boulders were observed, but in the
vicinity of the White Earth agency and about Red lake they
form a considerable portion of the drift, having been brought
by glacial currents from the region of Lakes Winnipeg and
Manitoba. Along the wagon road reaching from Stony ridge
to Mr. Peter Turnbull's cabin on the east shore of the east
arm of Itasca lake, irregularly grouped morainic hills rise
on each side, especially so along the outlines of Mary valley,
where they often reach the height of two hundred feet above
the surface of Itasca lake, the road winding, climbing and
descending over them. Many empty hollows, very properly
called kettle holes, well known as characteristics of morainic
deposits, are seen. Several similar hollows, but of larger
area and greater depth, contain a series of picturesque lakes
throughout the entire extent of the Itasca basin, the surface
elevation of which ranges from one to more than one hun
dred feet above the surface of Itasca lake, in descending

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 11
order, from south to north. These lakes fill depressions of
the drift. Itasca lake, doubtless, owes its existence to greater
thickness of the drift in the valley at the mouth of the lake
and for several miles down the Mississippi, rather than to
greater prominence of the underlying rock there. But the
great valley, one hundred to two hundred feet deep and two
to four miles wide, in which lie Itasca lake and the Missis
sippi river, northward to Craig's Crossing, 1 and to its rapids2
over boulders in Sec. 8, T. 144, R. 36; also the similar, but
smaller, valleys of other streams, successively tributary to
the Mississippi, from the south, between Itasca lake and
Bemidji,3 existed as distinct topographic features of the
country before the glacial period and were then occupied by
streams flowing in the same northward direction as now.
It is improbable, however, that Minnesota or any part of
the Northern states then had" any considerable number of
lakes, their condition in this respect having been like that
now found in the Southern states beyond the limit of the
glacial drift. Let what may be the foundations for the for
mation of Itasca lake* and its placid, uninterrupted continu
ance with the grandest river of this continent, as its only
outlet, there would be no Mississippi river at the Itasca -
basin, perennial in character, without the characteristic sys
tem of elevated reservoirs which nature has constructed
there, supplied only by precipitation, and the reserved sup-

1. Nine miles north of Itasca lake.
2. Ka-Ka-bi-Kons rapids.
3. The Ojibway pronunciation is Bem-e-jig-e-mug.
4. The physical condition of the region of the source was formerly barren, and
the causes which formed the Rocky mountains and the Alleghany range consti
tuted the Mississippi basin and features at the source. Volcanic action not at
present visible there, whatever may be the indications and probable results, will
not be discussed. -4.t the date of the formation of the Itasca basin, remote, un
known and uncertain, it Is doubtful if animal life could then have existed there,
unless in a perturbed and perilous condition.

12 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
ply of water as gradually used as any mechanical contrivance
would make it possible.
The progressive discovery of the river and the reservoir
system at its source have been the subject of protracted study
and research, the results of which in the light of the occu
pancy of the valley of the river by the governments of Spain,
France, Great Britain and the United States successively,
are here given, with due regard to the question of aborigi
nal occupancy.
THE MODE OF PROCEDURE ADOPTED FOR THE RESEARCHES,
SURVEYS AND EXAMINATIONS.
The remoteness of the locality to be examined, the intri
cate, dismembered and scattering lines of discovery from
the time the river was first seen of white men, and the grad
ual acquirement of a knowledge of the river from its mouth
to the official survey of its source in 1875, made it desirable
to trace the history of discovery and briefly to note down
the facts as they have been found to exist, with a reproduc
tion of all maps of interest or importance, to which is added
occurrences happening at the source from 1875 to 1892. It
was projected that a list of the maps, records, histories,
journals, surveys, charts, letters, etc., which have been ex
amined, would be made a part of this report. Inasmuch as
the documents and records mentioned, Spanish, French, Ital
ian, English, and Indian, are almost innumerable, the list
would be but a burden to the record. All obtainable items,
known to exist, touching the discovery of the river and its
source have been considered. In the field, x the work has
1. The survey and examination conducted for the preparation of this work,
were, first, in 1888 in the capacity of a private citizen, second, as a Commissioner
of the Minnesota Historical Society, and third, as Commissioner of the Itasca
State Park, cheerfully responding to the terms of authority indicated in a letter
from the American Geographical Society, whioh covers a period from 1888 to 1892.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. 13
been prosecuted in the manner indicated in this report.
Photographic views taken from nature, are used to illus
trate a few of the most interesting localities examined.

SUB-DIVISION THIRD.

WHAT CONSTITUTES DISCOVERY; THE SPANISH
ACCOUNTS; PINEDA; ESPIRITU SANTO BAY;
NARVAEZ; CABEZA DE VACA; DE SOTO;
APPORTIONMENT OF CREDIT; CARTO
GRAPHICAL RESULTS OF DE SOTO'S
EXPEDITION; CONCLUSIONS
DRAWN; DE LUNA.

Before relating the manner in which the Mississippi river
became known to civilized men of European birth, a few
lines are necessary as to the definition of the word discovery,
when used in connection with the subject. Of course no
stream can be seen at more than one point in the same time
by the same man, nor has it ever been the case that a river,
when first visited, has been explored from its source to its
mouth — or vice versa. A less extensive acquaintance with
the course of a stream, however, through one or more visits,
is sufficient to entitle a man to the credit of its discovery.
Some men have in their wanderings in wild regions unex
pectedly come upon a large river or other important feature
of the earth's surface, and have incidentally mentioned the
discovery without taking especial interest in it; whilst others
have deliberately planned journeys to ascertain the truth
about places whose existence had been rumored among the

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 15
natives, or places before visited but only partially explored.
The amount of merit to be accredited to each of these two
classes may be left to the casuist; for practical geographers
should rather interest themselves in the acquisition of scien
tific truth.
Should, however, a navigator while on a coasting voyage
in strange seas, find among the various streams which he
passes the entry of a river which afterwards proves to be
the most important of the region drained by them, and yet
merely note it along with the others on his chart, without
topographical sign, written description, or appropriate name
by which to indicate its magnitude and draw special atten
tion to it, is he worthy of being called its discoverer -in so
doing? An affirmative answer to the question would unset
tle the general belief of the world on this subject.
THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS.
Unless we believe that Hibernian missionaries as early as
the middle of the sixth century, or Welsh emigrants (Madoc)
about 1170, discovered North America, and that, too, by way
of the Mexican Gulf, we may dismiss from our minds any
other idea than that Spaniards were the first men of the old
world whose eyes gazed upon the waters of the Mississippi
river. What Spanish man or party of men, is entitled to the
credit may be considered as uncertain. A desire for geo ¦
graphical discovery for its own sake was a passion rarely
present in the Spanish breast. When the river was first
seen it was doubtless at its embouchure, in the manner al
ready described, and the appearance of the mud islands and
flats of the delta may not have been such as to tempt the
navigator to diverge from his general course in order to
explore its passes.

16 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The very earliest map that can be cited as possibly show
ing the entrance of the Mississippi River is a printed one,
known as the 'Admiral's Map,"i e., of Columbus, which has
been a subject of much speculation. Though it is well under
stood to have been engraved as early as 1507, it was not ac
tually published till 1513, when it illustrated an edition of
Ptolemy. On this map can be seen, to the westward of Cuba
and the peninsula of Florida, a large bay containing many is
lands, with streams, etc., along the shore, duly named. Away
beyond the last of these names, at the southwest side of the
bay, appears a conspicuous delta, through which, by three
mouths, a large river empties itself into the sea. Thence the
coast, stretches southward without salient topography or
name, till it turns and becomes the coast of South America,
on which, after a space, another set of local names com
mences. Some writers have taken this northern topography
for a representation of Columbus' Ganges, but others for the
Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi. If there be any local
meaning to this delta at all, it is, it seems to me, just as likely
to be intended to indicate either the Rio Bravo del Norte, or
the Panuco river, put down from hearsay. In this case the
River of Palms, seen at the center of the north side of the
bay, may be supposed to be the Mississippi i
1 Count F. A. de Varnhagen, one time embassador of Brazil to Portugal, made
a special study of the life and voyages of Americus Vespucius, the results of which
were given to the world between the years 18G4 and 1874. His view is that the so-
called first voyage of this navigator, upon which so much doubt has been thrown,
actually took place in 1497-8, but that it was made to North America and not to any
part of the southern continent. He thinks that the vessels of Vespucius, first
striking Honduras, followed the Atlantic coast to the northward as far as some un
determined port ("the finest in the world"), whence they sailed to the Bermuda
Islands, and thence home. This "Admiral's map," he thinks, was compiled from
much earlier ones, which had derived their information from the reports of the
voyage. The River of Palms, shown on the map on the northern side of the bay,
he considers to have been intended to represent the Mississippi.
Varnhagen's ideas concerning the date and scope of this first voyage of Vespucius
have not met with much favor until quite recently. John Fiske, in his Discovery of

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 17
In a royal dispatch, dated Burgos, 1521, there is a short
account of Francisco de Garay, governor of Jamaica, telling
how when he knew of the discovery of Yucatan, with its
riches and beauty, he determined to send out at his own ex
pense "four ships with good pilots, under the command of
Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda, in the year 1519, with the object
of searching for some gulf or strait in the main land towards
Florida;! in which expedition they went eight or nine
months, but they never found it, seeing only, among other
low and barren lands, the country that Juan Ponce de Leon
had already discovered. They desired to coast along it to
ward the east, but the continuous shoals and reefs, the con
trary winds and the violence of the currents forced them to
turn around and to follow the direction of the coast to the
west, examining attentively all the country, ports, rivers,
inhabitants and the rest of the notable things until they met
with Hernan Cortes, who already occupied Vera Cruz on the
same coast. Arrived there, they marked the termination or
limits of their discovery, which extended more than three
hundred leagues, of which land they took possession for the
crown of Castile. Having taken this action they turned
back and penetrated a river carrying much water, at whose
entrance there was a large village, where they were more
than forty days, careening their ships and trading with the
natives on terms of much friendship and confidence. They
ascended the river six leagues and saw forty villages on one
America, 1892, has now come boldly forward in defense of them. However, he dif
fers from Varnhagen in thinking that it was the nameless delta referred to in the
text which was intended to represent the mouth of the Mississippi, and not the
River of Palms.
1 Where the word Florida occurs In this article without any qualification it must
be understood as meaning that country stretching all the way from New Spain on
the southwest to the possessions of the Portuguese (whatever they may have been)
on the northeast.
-2

18 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
bank or the other. It was called the province of Amichel;1
a good land, peaceful, healthy, provided with abundance of
food and fruits ; its inhabitants wore many jewels of gold in
their noses and ears ; they were a kind people and disposed
to receive religious and political instruction. Their stature
varied in different provinces. In some they say that they
saw gigantic people, in others of ordinary stature, and that
in some were almost pigmies. "-
It will be noticed that the river is not named in this brief
narration, though on the outline chart which Garay sent to
Spain in 1520 the entrance of an apparently large bay is
seen, at about the center of the northern shore of the Gulf
of Mexico, with the name of Rio del Espiritu Santo, or River
of the Holy Ghost, attached to it. This river, there shown,
has been thought by many writers to have been intended for
the present Mississippi. Such a view, however, cannot be
generally accepted when it is considered that Pineda and his
people ' 'examined attentively" all the various features of the
coast, of which the delta of the Mississippi is one, and also
when a certain topographical unlikeness is taken into ac
count. To find at the mouth of the Mississippi river a large vil
lage and a beach suitable for the careening of vessels, or to
meet with forty villages on its banks within a distance of a
little more than twenty miles, is impossible of belief by any
one who has ever seen that locality. The Pineda descrip
tion, indeed, might be applied with more justice to the Pearl
or the Pascagoula of the Mississippi Sound, or to the Mobile

1. In 1699 the French commander, Iberville, made alliance with various native
tribes of the gulf coast. Among seven nations mentioned as living to the east of
the Mississidpi were the Amilcou. Query: May it not have been from the ances
tors of this people that Pineda, one hundred and eighty years before, got the name
for this land he called Amichel?

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS.

19

and Tensas which empty into Mobile Bay, than to the great
river itself. If it were not for the particular description of
one river only in this, the first written account of any part
of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, for the
placing the Espiritu Santo about where the Mississippi
should be, and for the absence in the chart of any other
stream marked enough to compete for the honor, it is doubt
ful if any attempt would have been made to identify the two.

K(U
-4 W
oo Fh Eh
•A H

¦< K
u

Eh
«Oo G
EH
O<ftEhy,

20 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
It may be remarked in addition, that a map similar to the
Garay chart was made by Cortes' order, apparently about
the same time, and sent by him to Spain in 1520, which, in
stead Of a mere suggestion of the entry, shows the Espiritu.
Santo as an extensive bay with two streams at its head
reaching far inland. The shape of the bay on this map much
resembles that of the Bay of Mobile as now delineated on
poor maps of small scale; and, if it were intended to repre
sent said bay, no great stretch of imagination would be re
quired to recognize in the two tributaries emptying into its
head, the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers of to-day. It may
be reasonably assumed that the two charts were both com
piled from information furnished by Pineda and his men.
The mouth of the P°. de Arretisos of the Cortes map may be
that of the Mississippi.
By this voyage of Pineda was the arbitrary and unnamed
line bounding the western sea in this direction, and appear
ing on some of the earlier maps, proved to represent a
reality; and it was now definitely ascertained that at no
point between the discoveries of Ponce de Leon in the
Florida peninsula, and those of Cortes and his companions
on the shores of the Mexican dependencies, could the sup
posed strait be found by which vessels were to pass to the
islands of Asia.
The next expedition was the one in 1528, also fitted out by
Garay, which was designed to — "conquer and govern the
provinces of the main extending from the river Palmas to
the Cape of Florida." This expedition was placed under
the command of Panfilo de Narvaez, ' ' Governor of Florida,
Rio de Palmas and Espiritu Santo." The unhappy fate of
this party, whose destination was the farther side of the

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 21
region covered by the patent, is well known to the historical
reader. Narvaez had employed a pilot because he professed
to have been at the Palmas river and to be well acquainted
with all the coast of the north; but he failed to find the har
bor he knew of, and when the ships came to the main land
it was on the western coast of Florida, where they had to
anchor in a bay unknown to him. After a council had been
held on the best thing to be done, it was decided that the
main body under Narvaez's own command, ' ' should march
along the coast until they reached the harbor, and that
those in the ships should take a like direction until they
arrived at the same place." Thus the land and sea forces
parted and they never saw each other again. After suffer
ing much hardship from excessive hunger and fatigue in
passing through a country difficult to 1 ravel in, the former
came to Apalache, an Indian town supposed to be not far
from the present Tallahassee. In view of the poverty of
the land, the unfavorable reports of the country beyond,
and the continual war made upon them by the Indians,
Narvaez determined to go in quest of the town of Aute —
now generally supposed to have been situated near the mod
ern St. Mark's — and of the sea beyond it. When he arrived
at the coast nothing could be seen or heard of the ships; so
he ordered the construction of boats in which to continue
his journey by sea. They had but one carpenter among
them, and were without tools and the materials proper for
ship building, except the trees of the surrounding forests;
but to this forlorn band necessity truly became the mother
of invention. They erected a forge, making the bellows
from horse hides; and hammered out the necessary tools
from their no longer needed spurs and stirrups, and from

22 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
iron taken from their cross-bows and other things. The
manes and tails of their slain horses provided the rigging
and ropes; stones served for anchors, and out of their own
shirts they made sails. In forty eight days their five vessels
were completed, which, when loaded with their provisions
and with about fifty men each, were so crowded that there
was no room in which to move. They left the bay on the 22d
of September, and coasted westward laboriously until about
the 31st day of October, when they arrived at some estuaries
where they lost two of their men — afterwards heard of by
the Soto forces as having been murdered by the natives.
This locality has been surmised to be the neighborhood of
Pensacola. The ensuing morning early, in spite of the
opposition of the Indians, the boats put to sea again. Their
next adventure, according to the letter composed some nine
years later by the two survivors of the expedition — or
rather according to Oviedo's version of it, for the original
is not extant — is contained in the following paragraph :
' And our people were ahead and went two more days, at
the end of which the boat in which the treasurer was arrived
at a point made by the coast, behind which was a river that
flowed broad and swollen from freshet; a little behind, the
boat of the governor and the others anchored at some is
lands near by, and the treasurer went to them and made
known the discovery of the river. As they found no wood
with which to parch the maize they had been eating raw for
two days, they agreed to enter the river, of which they took
up fresh water in the sea; and on going near to it, the violence
of the current at the entrance did not permit them to gain
the land. While working to get to it the wind sprung up in
the north, and by it and the strong current they were put

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 23
out more to sea. And they sailed that night and the next
day following up to night time, when they found themselves
in three fathoms depth, and seeing that evening many smokes
on the coast, they did not dare to land in the night time, and
anchored," etc.
Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, who was the treasurer referred to,
in the Relation that he sent to Charles V the same year, uses
somewhat different words, viz. :
"We sailed that day until the middle of the afternoon,
when my boat, which was first, discovered a point made by
the land, and against a cape opposite passed a broad river.
I cast anchor near a little island forming the point, to await
the arrival of the other boats. The Governor did not choose
to come up, and entered a bay near by in which were a great
many islets. We came together there and took fresh water
from the sea, the stream entering it in freshet. To parch
some of the maize we brought with us, since we had eaten it
raw for two days, we went on an island, but finding no wood,
we agreed to go to the river beyond the point, one league off.
By no effort could we get there, so violent was the current
on the way, which drove us out while we contended and
strove to gain the land. The north wind which came from the
shore began to blow so strongly that it forced us to sea with
out our being able to overcome it. We sounded half a league
out, and found with thirty fathoms, we could not get bot
tom; but we were unable to satisfy ourselves that the cur
rent was the cause of the failure. Toiling in this manner to
fetch the land, we navigated three days, and at the end of
this time, a little before the sun rose, we saw smoke in sev
eral places along the shore. Attempting to reach them, we
found ourselves in three fathoms of water," etc.

21

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

Now it may be safely concluded that this large river
which they could not enter was one of the mouths of the
Mississippi of that time, for the present small delta, judg
ing by geological doctrine, must have been mostly built
up within the three hundred and fifty years or so, since
elapsed. To what point of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
they were carried, however, is unknown, but it was un
doubtedly somewhere within the limits of the present state
of Texas.

HEBNANDO DE SOTO.
In a few years was consigned to another, but hardly more
fortunate man, the task of conquering and settling the
"Province of Rio de las Palmas to Florida," which had
proved so fatal to Narvaez and his people. This was Her
nando de Soto, a man already renowned as a conquistador,
and now Adelantado of Florida

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 25
With a force of some nine hundred souls, he landed in the
month of May, 1539, on the western coast of the peninsula
of Florida, at a place that has almost uniformly been
assumed to be the present Tampa Bay. After two years'
marching through portions of what are now the states of
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and
Mississippi, the expedition arrived in the neighborhood of
tho Mississippi River. It was on Sunday, the 8th day of
May 1541 (old style), that they came to the first town of .a
country called Quizquiz, and at two Spanish leagues beyond
(or about seven miles), they saw the great river. Impressed
with its size, it being the largest one that they had yet seen in
Florida, they called it Bio Grande without other appellation.
On the 21st the little army passed to a suitable spot on its
banks where they tarried four weeks, constructing large
boats and making other preparations to cross over to the
western side. The passage was safely effected on Sunday,
the 18th of June. The place of crossing was at some point
not very many miles below the present city of Helena, in
Arkansas. The river is described by one of their chroniclers
—an eye witness — as being here a league and a half wide,
and the narrative says that ' ' The stream was swift and
very deep; the water, always flowing turbidly, brought along
from above many trees and much timber, driven onward by
its force."
Though they followed a northerly course from where they
left the Mississippi at a point some four or five miles above
their crossing place, there is no direct statement of these
people seeing the river again until they went to it from the
native town or village of Pacaha, along a canal described by
them as of artificial make, and as being three leagues in

26 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
length. They were in pursuit of the cacique, who had
retreated to a fortified camp in an island of the river for
fear of the invading Spaniards and their allies of Casqui.
This enclosed town of Pacaha — or, as called in one history
only, Capaha — has been considered by commentators as the
farthest point to the northward reached by Soto and his
soldiers, but where it was situated is unknown, and probably
will always remain so, though it was scarcely higher up the
river than New Madrid, even if as high. It has been thought
by some that, perhaps, the site was near the center of
activity of the earthquake of 1811, which caused the sub
sidence of large tracts of land on both sides of the Mis
sissippi, and that, possibly, what remains of Pacaha now
quietly reposes somewhere at the bottom of the "sunken
lands, " covered with water.
Disappointed in his expectation of finding gold in the
western regions, Soto turned his footsteps towards the river
again, and on April 17th, 1542, arrived at its banks, some
miles below the mouth of the Arkansas, where, at an Indian
village called Guachoya, he made his headquarters. He
proposed building ships there by means of which to send to
New Spain for supplies and reinforcements, in order to be
enabled to settle permanently in the country, but his death
in a little over a month prevented the carrying out of his
plans ; for when he died the desire of most of his followers
to remain in so unfortunate a country died too. Luys Mos-
coso, his successor in command, in agreement with the other
captains, decided that they should try their fortunes in the
west and southwest, thinking they could go overland to their
countrymen in the latter direction . So they left the river
on the 5th of June. In about five months, however, they

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 27
returned to it bitterly disappointed and broken men, and the
most ardent desire of the majority now was to get safely
out of the country to the nearest Spanish settlements by
the only remaining available route — that of the Mississippi
river. It was at another Indian village called Aminoya,
about as far above the mouth of the Arkansas as Guachoya
was below it, that Moscoso took up his winter quarters, and
where he built seven brigantines to carry out of the country
the Spaniards, who numbered but a few over one- third of
those whom Soto had brought into it four years previously.
They left July 2d, 1543, and, sailing day and night, subject
to the attacks of the natives in their hundreds of canoes for
the greater part of the way, arrived in seventeen days at
the place where the river, through two mouths, emptied
itself into the sea. Their further adventures do not concern
the subject under discussion.
The relation of these men to the discovery of the Missis
sippi is simply this : They actually traversed its waters, in
descending, from a point some seven hundred miles above
its mouth, and, in addition, saw more or less of it at two
places farther up, viz. the lands of Quizquiz and Pacaha. So
it may be safely said that the soldiers of the diminishing
army commanded successively by Soto and Moscoso were
not only the first white men to see the river where it flowed
through the interior of the continent, but were the practical
explorers of the lower two-fifths of its course. They really
thought, however, that they had hit upon this Rio Grande at
its very origin. This was a misapprehension, though one
interesting enough to be worthy of some references here to
the old maps and chronicles in order to show how it arose.
Besides the Garay and Cortes maps already described, on

28 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
which could be seen the three names of Espiritu Santo,
Palmas and Panuco, often referred to in the Soto narra
tives, there was another one that was used by the officers of
the expedition. This was an official coast chart, made by
Alonso de Chaves in 1536; but, unfortunately, it has not
come down to our time nor any known copy of it. Yet
there is a description of the map, or rather an itinerary of
the sea coast from high up on the Atlantic and around the
Florida peninsula to Mexico, which was compiled from it by
the historian Oviedo. The reader should understand, by the
way, that though this Soto expedition turned out to have
been a roving one, it was not intended in the first place to
have been so. A permanent settlement at some point on the
sea coast had been contemplated, and would after a while
have been made but for the wrongheadedness of the com
mander. There was a certain town of the name of Gofitachequi that
the party came to, which was situated somewhere in what is
now the state of South Carolina. Here Soto was treated by
the lady ruler much better than he deserved. When he left
he carried her along as a sort of hostage, according to his
usual fashion. On the fourteenth day's march the army
slept on a level, open ground (savana), where they all suf
fered much from cold, and where the cacica managed to slip
away from her captors. Speaking of this locality the gov
ernor's private secretary, Rodrigo Ranjel, thus expresses
himself, as reported by Oviedo: "Here they passed by
wading that river on which later the brigantines were
launched that they had made. It runs to the sea ; and, as
the sea map shows, it is the river of the Spiritu Sancto,
which, according to the maps of the cosmographer, Alonso

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 29
de Chaves, enters into a great bay. The mouth of said river
is in salt water, under 31 degrees this side of the equinoctial
line." Captain Luys Hernandez de Biedma, an officer of the
King, also accompanied the expedition. His report, like
the diary of Ranjel, first became public in the present cen
tury. In it, when speaking of this neighborhood, he says;
' ' Among these ridges we found the origin of the great river
by which we came out, and we believed it to be the river of
Espiritu Santo." He also calls the Mississippi at the place
where it was crossed Espiritu Santo and Rio Grande.
Garcilaso de la Vega, "the Inca," who by the way was not
with Soto, but drew his information from men who were, in
that part of his book where he treats of the extent of the
country traversed by the little army, says that they
' 'reached the ultimate springs where the great river is born.
Those who pretend to understand something of cosmogra
phy say that from where they embarked to the source of the
river there are three hundred leagues, and others say much
more, but I take the most moderate opinion, so that there
are eight hundred leagues of its current to the sea, and thus
far the Spaniards penetrated the land. "
The unknown Portugese Knight of Elvas indirectly con
nects the two streams which they saw; for in giving the no
menclature of the Mississippi, he says that at Guachoya it
was known as Tamalisieu; at Nilco as Tapatu; at Coza as
Mico, (Mekko, chief?) and that at its entrance it was called
simply The River. It may be remarked that Garcilaso alone
calls it the Chucagua, for Juan Coles told him that that was
the name the Indians knew it by; and it is an interesting
fact that it was also one of the names of the Ohio River in

30 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
La Salle's time, nearly a century and a half later. The
head-waters they had seen and considered those of the Rio
Grande, were not really such, as may be well supposed, but
only those of its extreme southeastern tributary, in other
words of the Tennessee River.
A corroboration of this statement may be inferentially
had from a certain expression to be found in the account of
the Tristan de Luna expedition of twenty years later. This
was projected for the initiation of a pacific settlement in
Florida, the previous attempts at settlement having failed
through the tyranny of leaders. Several of Soto's old
soldiers went with it. A small detachment was sent to Coza
(in northeastern Alabama) by reason of its great importance
at the time the Spaniards were there before. While in gar
rison at that place, part of these new visitors went with a
Cozan army to make war on a neighboring nation called the
Napochies, who lived apparently some two or three days'
journey farther away. Of course these people could not re
sist their hereditary enemies now th.at the latter were aided
by the Spaniards with their fire- sticks and wonderful beasts,
so they fled incontinently on hearing of the advance of the
allied forces. The Cozans, not finding them anywhere with
all their searching, surmised that they had not thought the
woods safe enough, and had fled to hide themselves in
Ochechiton, which signifies the Great Water. Hearing these
words, the Spaniards thought that it must be the sea that
was meant, ' 'but it was only a great river which our people
call the Espiritu Santo, which rises among some great moun
tains of that land in Florida. "
With some concluding remarks on the guiding cartog
raphy and cartographical results of this expedition of

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 31
Hernando de Soto it may be dismissed from further consid
eration here. No geographical sketch or route map by any
of the party is known to have been made; though possibly
there were such, constructed on the basis of the Chaves
map they apparently had taken with them. Although
curious historians of the present century have caused
diligent search to be made in Spanish archives for reports
of this and other exploring expeditions, and for narratives
of missionaries of the sixteenth century, as well as for maps
of the countries of the New World, but very few papers of
that kind have been found — at least as regards the region
east of New Spain. Prior to the return of the survivors of
the Soto expedition there were no materials for filling in the
interior blanks of the outline maps already made by the
Spaniards; for the few earlier explorers of North America
hugged the coast, and scarcely ventured inland beyond tide
water. It will be seen, then, that the members of the Soto expedi
tion produced no cartography; nor were the cartographical
works of others, based on the narratives thereof, much to
boast of. The unofficial map-makers of the day, being
deprived of all recourse to original Spanish documents,
apparently had but two sources of information open to them
when they attempted to portray the hydrographical features
of the interior of the continent east of the Rocky Mountains
— then unknown — and south of the St. Lawrence. These
were the book of the Knight of Elvas, which was printed at
Evora, in Portugal, in 1557; and that of the Inca, likewise
first printed at Lisbon, in Portugal, (though a Spanish
book), in 1605, from his M. S. completed in 1591. Neither
work was accompanied by a map, so that it is not much to

32 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
be wondered at that the geographers produced confused
maps. It was on the Florida map of the Theatrum Orbis
Terrarum of Abraham Ortelius of Antwerp, edition of 1580,
that the public of the time first saw an attempt to represent
the interior course of the Rio Grande.1 On this map the
Rio de Spirito Santo is shown as coming from the north
ward, divided in the upper part of its course into four
branches. Two of these come from the north and north
west respectively and the other two, much longer streams,
from the northeast and east; and its mouth is shown as
being at the head of a large bay called the Mar Pequena,
which means the Little Sea. A misleading error of the map
is the extension of the Rio de Canaveral of the coast charts
northward until it connects with the eastern branchings of
the other river. Maps of the country constructed after the
publication of the Inca's book make hopeless confusion; for
all the towns mentioned in it are scattered over the land
without regard to any reasonable placing of them in refer
ence to the order in which they were met with by Soto's
1 This map bears the title La Florida. Auctore Hieron Chiaves, and therefore
does not claim to be the work of Ortelius himself. I take this Hieron Chiaves to
be no other than Jerome de Chaves, » cosmographer, who is briefly mentioned in
the biographical dictionaries.
That Ortelius, as a geographer, used every effort to obtain information, there
can be no doubt. Justin Winscr, In his Narrative and Critical History of America
(1886), speaks thus cf him : "He prefixed to his book a list of the authorities ['about
one hundred and fifty in all'] from whose labors he had constructed his own maps.
* " * * * It has not a single Spanish title, which indicates how closely the
Council for the Indies had kept their archives from the unofficial cartograpers."
No wonder, when Charles V. forbade the giving away of American maps to
foreigners! Besides his extensive reading, it may be added that Ortelius also sought for
information from first hands; for in the short description he gives of Florida in
the text of his atlas he incidentally speaks of having obtained his information
concerning the legion from Jacobus Colius, who had seen It. Query- May not this
man with the latinized name— in spite of the difference of the Christian name
—have been Garcilaso's informant Juan Coles? At the time Ortelius was making
his maps, and Garcilaso getting materials for his history, there were still men
living who had been with the Soto expedition.

Cu.ito-c>\tQai

K
Min!>gt>oo
o d
E/3

CO
co

AliLIEIST TYPE OF IMAT SlIOWlNCi IHE VALLEY OF THE MISSISSIPPI, FROM ATLAS OF OKTELTUS. OF 1580.

34 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
army on the march. And into the Mar Pequena, now styled
the Bahia del Spirito Santo, four large rivers empty instead
of one. The most eastern of these streams is named
Chucagua, but more frequently Canaveral; the center ones
are nameless, and the one on the northwest side of the bay
is called R. del Spirito Santo.
Now the conclusion which I draw from a collection of the
Oviedo list with all old maps accessible to me here, in what
concerns the subject of this writing, are the following:
1st. That the Bay of Espiritu Santo of the Chaves maps,
(whatever that of Garay and Cortes might have been), which
was represented by Oviedo as having an extent east and
west of twenty leagues of longitude, and in parts of ten to
twelve of latitude, was the present Galveston Bay; and,
2d. That either the Canaveral river or the R. de Flores
of the maps generally was intended for the Mississippi
itself — most probably the former.
This embarrassing "Bay of the Holy Ghost," with its
plenitude of tributary streams, stood in the way of correct
map-making for more than a century and a half, or until the
re-discovery and full identification of the mouths of the
Mississippi from the direction of the sea, by Iberville in
1699, afforded the means for rightly adjusting the geography
of the interior to that of the coast.
Yet there still remains unsettled, and probably always
will remain so, the historical question as to who gave the
information by which the three quoted places were located
on the earliest maps of the sixteenth century. A correct
answer to this question might give a clue to the first dis
coverer of the entrance of the Mississippi; though it may

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS.

35

36 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
reasonably be presumed that there were many pilots from
whom the facts could have been derived.
In the seventeenth century, prior to the time cf Joliet and
Marquette, the Mississippi river was certainly seen again
by the Spaniards, as is evidenced by the following extract
from the account of the expedition under the command of
Governor Penalosa of New Mexico, which left Santa Fe in
the year 1661 to visit the "Quivera" Indians:
"Through these most pleasant and fertile fields we
marched during the months of March, April, May and the
kalends of June, and arrived at a large river which they call
Mischipi, where we saw the first Indians of the Escanxaques
nation, who might be to the number of 3,000 most warlike,"
etc. The only report extant of this journey and its inci
dents was written by an eye witness, Father Nicholas Frey-
tas, whose words are quoted above, and he therefore is the
first European, so far as now known, to record the name of
the great river in its Algonquin form, although the Arkansas
Indians he here came amongst were not of that stock ; , it
may, however, have been given to him by the ' ' Quiveras, "
whoever they were.1
It will be seen from the foregoing historical abstracts that
the discovery of the Mississippi river by the Spaniards was

1 This Father, being a man of education, was probably acquainted with the
published writings of the Jesuit missionaries who went from France to Canada,
out he could not have obtained the name of the river from that source, as it does
not appear in the Relations till 1667, and he wrote in 1663. His ideas of the geogra
phy of the interior of the country, however, may well have been aorived fromthese
works, in connection with those of Champlain and others, for he speaks of " known
nations " about as follows: The first, he says, are the Escanxaques, having to the
north of them the Land of Fire (i. e. the Maskoutens country), and higher up
the Fresh Water lake, of excessive size (Lakes Michigan and Huron), into which
empties another lake called Puela (i. e. Poualak— Lake Superior). He then des
cribes how, proceeding from said nation towards New France, there were met with
the Neuters, Antivorinos (Antouoronons of Champlain's map), Raised-Hairs, Pe-
tuns and Hiroquees, these last being the fiercest of all.

THE SPANISH ACCOUNTS. 37
incidental only; for, as before said, their colonization pro
jects rather contemplated coast settlements than interior
ones, and journeys inland were mostly made from the inci-
tation of the "thirst for gold" ascribed to them by the
English poet. In spite of the first discovery of the Missis
sippi valley by its subjects, the government of Spain never
very strenuously pressed any claim to territorial possession
on that account, nor attempted colonization on the banks of
the river until more than two centuries after Soto's time, nor
even, so far as is known, prosecuted any further exploration
towards its true source. Still, they may have ascended it
more or less for trading purposes, but of that there are
scarcely more than vague reports.

o o

^±^

REDUCED FROM OEONTIUS "FINES' GLOBE 1531.

SUB-DIVISION FOURTH.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS.

THE PAPAL BULL; JACQUES CARTIER; CHAMPLAIN;
JEAN NICOLET; RAYMBAULT AND JOGUES;
GROSEILLIERS AND RADISSON; LA SALLE
ON THE OHIO RIVER; JOLIET
AND MARQUETTE.

It was on the 4th day of May, 1493, that a Roman Pope,
Alexander VI. , published a bull by which the right by dis
covery to the new' lands of the globe was divided between
the crowns of Spain and Portugal; and the possession of
whatever they had discovered, or should thereafter discover,
was confirmed to them respectively. The document thus
coolly disposing of all of the Americas, most of Africa, the
eastern part of Asia, and the islands of the great oceans
between two European powers alone, made the line of demar
cation a meridian passing north and south through the Feroe
islands and the Azores. But a year later this line, at the
instance of Portugal, was shifted far to the westward. The
geographical results of the new arrangement, so far as con
cerned the western hemisphere, were to give to Portugal the

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 39
eastern part of the continent of South America, with little
more of North America than the island of Newfoundland,
while the remainder of both continents became the property
of Spain.
France and England, however, and subsequently other
nations, after a time, seem to have looked upon this procla
mation as a brutum fulmen, for they do not appear to have
ever given their formal consent to it, and evidently had no
great fear of offending the governments of the Iberian
peninsula by disregarding it. Frenchmen and Englishmen,
with or without the consent of their rulers, soon made voy
ages to the shores of the New World to obtain codfish, to
trade for furs or to attempt colonization. *

1. The interests of historical truth, however, require the acknowledgment of
the fact that in spite of the neglect of the Spaniards to occupy more than a few
places along the coasts of the Atlantic ocean and of the Gulf of Mexico, in addi
tion to the territory originally acquired by conquest, and their practical acqui
escence in the settlement of the northeastern part of the continent by other
nations than their own, they really had not abandoned their, claims to be the
rightful possessors of the whole country.
Queen Elizabeth's words, in replying to a remonstrance of the Spanish Embas
sador concerning a projected expedition of Sir Francis Drake, were: "That shu
did not understand why either her subjects or those of any other European prince
should be deprived of the traffic in the Indies ; that as she did not acl< nowledge the
Spaniards to have any right by the donation of the Bishop of Rome, so she knew
of no right that they had to any place other than those they were in actual posses-
siejn of.','
In 1701, when the French under Iberville had seized, with the intention of per
manent occupancy, the mouths of the Mississippi and the contiguous country, the
the king of Spain, by way of protest, forwarded to the king of France, "his well-
beloved brother," a report on the subject made to him by his Junta of War of the
Indies. In this document it was stated, among other things, that the Spanish.king
looked upon the Mississippi river as "the greatest ornament of his crown," and
that with all the rest of the country it had been given to him by the bull of Alex
ander VI. Allusion was also made to the expedition of Hernando de Soto. The
French minister of marine, in a state paper replying to these representations,
claimed that the Popes themselves were no longer of the opinion that the "line ol
demarcation " had any further force in bestowing all of the New World on the
crowns of Castile and Portugal. He stated that the diocese of Quebec had been
created and bulls issued at various times to the bishops who ruled over it; that
authority was furnished to vicars apostolic going to the French colonies; and,
moreover, that all this was done without thought *hat those who should establish
themselves in the country were liable, as the Spaniards now claimed, to the pen
ality of ex-communication.

40 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Among the earliest navigators in northern latitudes were
the French, who, commencing their explorations and settle
ments on the Atlantic coast, a little over forty years after
the first voyage of Columbus, worked gradually westward
into the interior of the country. In just a century their peo
ple at last reached the water-shed of the upper Mississippi,
where no white man had ever been before them.
The man who first began this western movement was
Jacques Cartier, who, in 1535, on the occasion of his second
voyage, ascended the St. Lawrence river to the Indian town
of Hochelaga, the place where Montreal was subsequently
built by those who came two or three generations after him.
In his third voyage he proceeded no farther, nor did anyone
else immediately succeeding him; and it was nearly fifty
years before the natives of the St. Lawrence were again
startled by the apparition of foreign ships.
In 1603, Samuel de Champlain made his first voyage to
Canada; but he could not at that time push his explorations
beyond the rapids or Sault of St. Louis, not far from the
eminence he named Mont Real. Five years later he again
visited the St. Lawrence river, and laid out the town of
Quebec. The first white man to advance beyond the rapids
of St. Louis, however, was not Champlain himself, but one
of his people, a young man, whose name is now unknown,
who volunteered to visit the Hurons in their villages, and
who wintered there with them in 1610-11. The route thither
was by way of the Ottawa river, Nipissing lake, French
river and the Georgian bay of Lake Huron. Later, preceded
immediately by Father le Caron, of the Recollects, the pio
neer religious order in New France, Champlain made his visit
to the tribe in 1615; but he had to prolong his stay with them

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 41
into the next year. The Hurons lived at the eastern extremity
of a large lake, since called by their name, which Cham
plain always spoke of as the Mer douce, or Fresh sea. The
time he spent here, on the southeastern shore of Georgian
bay, he put to good use; among other doings, by visiting
the Nation of Tobacco, and that of the Dressed Hair, in the
neighboring west and southwest, and he made inquiry as to
the tribes beyond them. Regarding the regions lying farther
to the west, he wrote that they could find out but little about
them, as the tribes he visited had only acquaintance with
them for two or three hundred leagues, or over, in the direc
tion whence came the great river described (the St. Law
rence); besides, the savages with whom he was sojourning
were at war with the other nations lying west of the great
lake mentioned, which, he says, "is the reason that we have
not been able to obtain fuller information about it, except
that they have many times told us that some prisoners from
one hundred leagues away had related to them that there
were people there similar to us in whiteness and other ways,
having seen among them scalps of these people, very
blonde, which they treasure highly, because, they say, they
are like us. I do not know what to think about it, unless it
may be that there are people more civilized than they, and
who they say resemble us. It were a thing much to be
desired to have the truth about this known by eye, but help
is needed; there remain only time and the courage of some
persons of means who could or would undertake to assist
this project, so that some day we could make a full and per
fect discovery of these places, in order to have a complete
knowledge of them. "
Thus spoke Champlain, the true lover of science, but

42 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
assistance for the purposes of discovery was not forthcom
ing in those days more than it is at the present time!
Though Champlain remained in charge of the affairs of New
France for many years, he was never able to make journeys
to the upper country again; from which resulted the fact
that the mouth of the French river, on the northern shore
of Lake Huron, marks the extreme western limit of his
explorations. Sixteen years later, (in 1632), accompanying the complete
edition of his "Voyages," he published a large general map
of the northern country, drawn by himself, on which
appeared all the geographical information in his possession,
both that which he had gained from his own experience and
that which he had gathered from others. Unfortunately,
the latter, so far as regarded the country beyond his fresh
sea, was very scanty and much distorted. Although the
eastern end of a very large lake is shown, with a sault, or
fall at its outlet, (of course Lake Superior) ; yet the placing
on the south shore of it "a great river which comes from
the south," and the putting the river des Puans, with the
habitations of the tribe of that name, (in other words the pres
ent Fox river and the Winnebagoes), to the north of Lake
Huron immediately below the sault, made great confusion.
This may be accounted for by the difficulty of correctly
conveying geographical information through the medium of
interpreters, a difficulty supplemented by inability on the
part of Indians to perceive erroneous relationships on maps
drawn in connection with such processes as were then used,
It might be supposed that the mysterious reports Cham
plain had heard concerning the interior of the country were
shortly cleared up, but they were not in fact. Traveler

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 43
after traveler added to the stock of geographical knowledge,
but each expedition seemed somehow to fall short of its
promise; the queer stories changed, but continued in one
shape or another for a full century after Champlain's
time. The next man to continue the work of discovery was one
Jean Nicole t, of whose western journey but little is known;
for nothing from his own pen is extant, nor any map known
to be compiled from notes taken by him. For the only
original information concerning the life and travels of this
man we are indebted to the letters and reports of the Jesuit
Fathers contained, in the well known "Relations," whieh
were a sort of Missionary Herald from New France, very
carefully edited and published each year in Paris for the
encouragement of the faithful. From two of these it is
learned that Nicolet came to Canada in 1618, and was shortly
sent to what is now the Isle des Allumettes, on the Ottawa
river, to learn the language of the Algonquins there; and
that he lived with that tribe two years. Afterwards he
lived similarly with the Nippissings, much farther west, on
the lake of that name, whence he was recalled by his
employers, the Company of New France, and appointed
clerk and interpreter in the settlements below. In this
capacity he was commissioned to make a voyage to the
nation known as the Gens de Mer, or People of the Sea,
f subsequently known as the Winnebagoes), hitherto unvis-
ited by white men, and to negotiate a peace between them
and the Hurons, beyond whom they were distant in a west
ern direction about 300 leagues. Reaching his destination,
he held a council at which four or five thousand savages
were present, and at which the required peace was con-

44 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
eluded. He returned to the Hurons and after a while to
Three Rivers, where he continued to perform his duty as'
clerk and interpreter "very satisfactorily." It has been
demonstrated almost conclusively, that this journey took
place in the latter half of 1634 and first half of 1635; but,
unfortunately, his route cannot be so well shown. From
the names of the tribes whom, as Father le Jeune says, ' ' he
visited himself for the most part in their own country," it
would appear that he followed the north shore of Lake
Huron to the Sault, then coasted around Lake Michigan to
the second Mer douce, now the sheet of water known as
Green Bay, which he ascended until he came to the "Oui-
nipegou, sedentary tribes, very numerous, " called by some
the nation des Puans, (the stinking ones), but more properly
the Gens de Mer. ' ' In the neighborhood of this nation are
the Naduesiu, the Assinipour, the Eriniouaj, the Rassoua-
kouetons, and the Pouutouatami. " Here is found the first
mention of the Dakotas, under a form of the name from
which originated their modern appellation of Sioux.
Had it not been for the death of Champlain, on the Christ
mas day after Nicolet's return home, the world might have
been favored with a full report of the expedition of 1534-35;
for this indefatigable man, equally apt as draughtsman, map-
maker and author, would doubtless have published the infor
mation. As it was, the results of this journey were not
represented in the cartography of the day, and nearly a gen
eration more passed awav before a clear idea was obtainable
as to where the savages enumerated by Nicolet really lived.
But though this journey and its resulting information made
so little impression on the world at large, the Jesuits of
Canada bore them in mind; for Father le Jeune, already

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 45
quoted, writing five years later, after expressing the
opinion that a passage might be found b/ the second great
lake of the Hurons (Green Bay) and the tribes named, to a
certain sea already talked about, continues as follows:
' ' Sieur Nicolet, who has penetrated the farthest in these
very distant countries, has assured me that if he had sailed
three days farther on a great river which leaves this lake he
would have found the sea. Now I strongly conjecture that
this is the sea which leads to the north of New Mexico, and
.that from this sea one might have access towards Japan or
China; nevertheless, as it is not known whither this great
lake or fresh sea tends, it would be a noble enterprise to go
to discover these regions. Our fathers who are among the
Hurons, having been invited by some Algonquins, are just
about turning their attention to these people of the other
sea, of whom I have spoken above; perhaps this voyage will
be reserved for one of us who have some slight knowledge
of the Algonquin."
A few words concerning the farthest point west reached
by Nicolet are now necessary. On the strength of the literal
exactness of the "three days farther" distance to the "sea,"
reported by the Jesuit writer, the theory has been advanced
that by the latter expression the Mississippi river should
be Tinderstood, and that Nicolet came within three days'
journey of it by descending the Wisconsin. But seeing that
the entire length of the latter river below the portage from
the Fox is no more than can be traveled in three days, this
position is not tenable. A second view is that he went to the
said portage and no farther. A third, and the present gen
erally accepted opinion is, that he went only as far as the
village of the Maskoutens, which was situated on the Fox

46 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
river, about half way between the present Winnebago lake
and the portage. l
In support of this idea it is supposed that the Rasa-
ouakouetons of Nicolet were the Maskoutens — whom he does
not mention — but this is not the case. These first named
people were the Nasaouakouetons, Nassauakuetons, or
Ounasacoetois, a tribe living beyond Green Bay, towards
Mackinaw. Nicolet could not have visited the Maskoutens
on Fox river, because they were not there at the time of his
journey. It was some twelve or fifteen years la'ter that the
irresistible assaults of the Iroquois on their red enemies
caused a western flight of the Algonquin nations, which
made the Nation of Fire or Maskoutens — who were of that
stock — to migrate, too. There is, indeed, nothing to show
that Nicolet went beyond the immediate neighborhood of
the head of Green Bay, where the Winnebagoes had lived
from an unknown time. Had he done so, his Jesuit eulogist,
keen for geographical information, would have known it,
and would not, it may be well supposed, have left the fact
unrecorded. Three great strides from the Atlantic Ocean towards the
Mississippi had now been made in succession, of nine, eight
and seven degrees of longitude, respectively, viz. : By Car-
tier to Montreal, by Champlain and his friends thence to the
Georgian bay, and by Nicolet beyond that to the country of
the Winnebagoes, but no mention yet of the large river in
the interior running southward through the Indian nation
living on its upper waters, had come to light. Only about
three degrees intervened between the discoveries of this
last explorer and the immediate valley of the river itself,
IFor discussion of this point, see foot-note farther on.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 47
and within a quarter of a century Frenchmen crossed that
space, too.
The second mention of the Dakotas, the native lords of
the upper Mississippi, is by Father Raymbault and Jogues,
who made a visit of missionary inquiry to the Sault of Lake
Superior in 1641. There they were told of a great number
of sedentary people who had never known Europeans and
never heard of God, among others of a certain nation of
Nadouessis, situated northwest or west of the Sault, eighteen
days journey farther on. ' 'The first nine are made through a
great lake which begins above the Sault. The last nine one
must ascend a river which penetrates back in the country.
Their towns are large and well defended by reason .of the
continued wars had with the Kiristinons, Irinions," etc.1
To return now to the direct question of the Mississippi
river. M. Chouart des Groseilliers and Pierre Esprit de
Radisson were two Frenchmen who emigrated to Canada in
the first half of the seventeenth century, and, besides being
connected by marriage, were such firm friends and so con
genial in their taste for travelling and trading among the
"wild men," that they spent more than twenty years
together in that manner of life. Until the publication of
the Radisson MSS. the only extant contemporary knowl
edge of the discoveries of these men in the northwest was
the incidental mention of them (if the two young French
men alluded to be they) in the Relations referred to, and

1 (.Relation of 1642.) The immediate country of the Sioux of the Lakes, who were.
apparently, the Indians these priests referred to here, was the region ol the upper
Mississippi, and of the headwaters of the St. Croix and St. Louis rivers. It Is not
likely, however, that any of their towns were situated on oi near to Lake
Superior, nor, perhaps, very near the sources of the Mississippi; foi the Christinos
and the Assiniboins, who were theii enemies, lived to the northward of the
Dakotas.

48 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
two entries in the Journal of the Jesuits, kept at Quebec,
in which latter Groseilliers is mentioned by name.1 .
These entries, or such portions of them as are of geo
graphical significance, for the present purpose, being some
what plainly translated, are condensed, paraphrased, or
transcribed as follows :
1. In the Relation of 1654, it is stated that tidings were
being received almost every day concerning the discovery
of new nations speaking the Algonquin language. One
father said that in the islands of the lake of the Gens de
Mer, (Green Bay,) whom some improperly called the Puants,
there were many tribes whose language had a great affinity
to the Algonquin; and that it was only a nine days journey
from this great lake to the sea which separated America
from China.
2. "The sixth day of August of the year 1654, two
young Frenchmen, full of courage, having received per
mission from the Governor of the country to embark with
some of the tribes who had arrived at our French settle
ment, made a voyage of more than 500 leagues under the
leadership of these Argonauts, conveyed, not in great
galleons nor- ramberges, but in little gondolas of bark.
These two pilgrims expected surely to ' return in the spring
of 1655, but these tribes did not bring them back till the
1 For some reason the editors of the Relations left out of these compilations the
names of certain explorers, though they used or quoted their work. It has been
remarked by the historian, Parkman, that not the slightest reference is made In
these annals to La 9alle, a man who had become well known to the authorities of
Canada, lay and clerical, long before the discontinuation of said publication. The
studied silence, in this regard, of the methodical Jesuits, is now regretable.
Their Journal, on the other hand, does not seem to have been intended for the
edification of the public, and the name of Groseilliers is four times mentioned in
it. Radisson, the younger man, does not appear by name in any of the histories
of the time, till mentioned in connection with his brother-in-law, when the two,
some years later than these upper country voyages, were in the English interests
in connection with Hudson's Bay trade.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 49
end of the month of August of this year, 1656, ******
In the third place there have been pointed out to us many
nations in the neighborhood of the nation de Mer, called by
some the Puants, by reason that they formerly lived on the
banks of the sea that they call Ounipeg, that is to say,
stinking water. The Linouck, who are neighbors to them,
are about sixty villages. The Nadouesiouek have fully
forty. The Ponarek'have at least thirty. The Kiristinons
excel them all in extent, they reach as far as the sea of the
North. The country of the Hurons, which had only seven
teen villages in the extent of seventeen leagues, or there
abouts, maintained fully thirty thousand persons. A
Frenchman1 told me formerly that he had seen about three
thousand men in an assembly which was held for treating
of peace, in the country of the Gens de Mer."%
3. "But hardly had I arrived at Quebec when I met two
Frenchmen who had just arrived from these upper coun
tries with three hundred Algonquins, in sixty canoes loaded
with furs. Here is what they have seen with their own
eyes, which represents the condition of the Algonquins of
the west, having hitherto spoken of those of the north.
They wintered on the banks of Lake Superior. * * * *
Our two Frenchmen, during their wintering, made various
excursions to the surrounding tribes; they saw amongst
other things, at six days' journey beyond the lake, towards
the southwest, a people composed of the remains of the
Hurons of the Nation of Tobacco, forced by the Iroquois to
abandon their country, and to bury themselves so far in the
forest that they could not be found by their enemies. These

1 Supposed by Mr. Butterfield, in his life of that explorer, to have been Nicolet.
2 Relation of 165C.
-4

50 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
poor people, fleeing and making their way over mountains
and rocks, across great unknown woods, happily met with a
fine river, wide, deep and comparable, so they say, to our
great river St. Lawrence. 1 They found on this river the
great nation of the Alinouec, who received them very well.
This nation is composed of sixty villages, which confirms us
in the knowledge we already had of there being many thou
sands of persons filling all these lands of the west. Let us
return to our two Frenchmen :* Continuing their tour, they
were much surprised when visiting the Nadouechiouec.
***** Qur Frenchmen have visited the forty towns
of which this nation is composed, in five of which are counted
as many as five thousand men." In a succeeding chapter,
referring to the opening for further missions, — "Secondly,
to the south, inclining towards the west, the nation of
Tobacco have deputed one of their chiefs, who is here ready
to lead some Frenchmen, the next spring, for sixty leagues
beyond the lake of the maritime people, where his tribes
men having fled believe themselves in security, as being in
the center of many Algonquin nations, sedentary from time
immemorial; but the way thither is not safe. Thirdly, to

1 The Huron settlements of Georgian Bay were warred upon ferociously by the
Iroquois in 1648 and 1649, and, together with the missions of the Jesuits there,
totally ruined. The shepherds were smitten and the sheep scattered. One of the
Fathers says that of the thirty or forty thousand Hurons living there, the enemy
killed and burned but the smaller part; that famine, which follows war, attacked
them stillmore roughly; and that the remainder who could escape, drifted away
on all sides like a defeated army pursued by the conqueror. Their relatives the
Petuns (or Tobacco nation), had soon to fly, too, and they, going westward, were
joined by the Ottawas at Missilimakinak. By circuitous ways they appear to have
arrived at the Mississippi, which they ascended after a time as far as the islands
lying between Red Wing and Hastings, Minnesota, on one of which they lived until,
having become embroiled with the Sioux, they fled to the Black River; and at last,
though temporarily separated, both tribes brought up at La Pointe on Lake Supe
rior, where after a time they formed the nucleus of a mission. Thus history began
in the upper Mississippi valley, in the vniddle of the seventeenth century with this
invasion of the territory of the Dakotas by foreign tribes— history, curiously
enough, preceding discovery there.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 51
the west, a great nation of forty towns called Nadouechiouec
awaits us since the alliance just recently made with the two
Frenchmen who returned from them this summer."1
4. The Outaouat arrived at Three Rivers August 24, 1660.
"They were to the number of three hundred. Des Groseil
liers was along with them, who had gone there the year
before. They left Lake Superior in one hundred canoes,
forty returned on the wa*y and sixty arrived here loaded with
furs. * * * * They came from there in twenty-six days,
and were two months in ascending. Des Groseilliers win
tered with the nation of the Bceuf, which he considers to be
four thousand men. They belong to the sedentary Nadoues-
seronons."" Turning now to Radisson's own account of his third
and fourth voyages — the first made in company with
Groseilliers — the results of the journeys can be con
cisely stated. They went by the usual way of the Ottawa
river and Lake Huron to the islands near the mouth of
Green Bay, where, on one of them, they were the guests
of fugitive Hurons and Ottawas. While there they vis
ited the Pottawattamies and, through them, made the
acquaintance, in the spring, of another nation called Es-
cotecke, signifying Fire. They extended their peregrina
tions to the southern part of a large lake, (doubtless
Michigan), and to what was evidently the country oi the
Illinois and neighboring nations. The Nadouesserons,
however, being farther to the north, were not seen by
1 Relation of 1660.
2 (Journal of the Jesuits.) The Jesuit writers quoted do not seem to have had a
very clear notion of the geographical facts learned during the first and second
voyages of Groseilliers and Radisson, nor to have credited these men personally
with the discovery of the Mississippi river; but that may have arisen from the
agreed upon reticence of the travelers themselves, as mentioned farther on.

52 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
them on this first journey. Towards the end of the
narrative of events, related in a manner very discourag
ing to the modern reader, Radisson gives an interesting
though too concise and not over clear geographical
summary of their wanderings in these words:
"We weare 4 moneths in our voyage without doeing
anything but goe from river to river. We mett severall sorts
of people. We conversed with them, being long time
in alliance with them. By the persuasion of som of
them, we went into ye great river that divides itself
in 2, 1 where the hurrons with some Ottanake & the
wild men that had warrs with them had retired. There
is not great difference in their language as we weare
told. This nation have warrs against those of forked
river.2 It is so called because it has 2 branches, the
one towards the west, the other towards the south
wch we believe runns towards Mexico, by the tokens
they gave us. Being among these people, they told us
the prisoners they take tells them that they have warrs
against a nation, against men that build great cabbans
& have great beards, & had such knives as we
"¦This could only have been the Mississippi, seeing that that river, as shown in a
previous note, was the one whither the Hurons and Ottawas fled: but why it is
called The River that Divides itself in Two is a matter for conjecture. ' Possibly
the division was transverse, and the falls of St. Anthony the solution of the enigma.
Or it may be that the name came from the fact that the waters of the upper Mis
sissippi and those of the Missouri flow side by side, but without uniting for many
miles below the mouth of the latter. Or, to go still farther down the river, a third
explanation can be ventured. In olden times the Indians considered that the river
divided itself in its lower part and made a sort of island, which stretched from the
Yazoo pass of to-day on the north down to the mouth of the river of that name on
the south. The western boundary of this island was formed by the Mississippi as
we understand it now; its eastern by various interior bayous and watercourses,
which were connected in such a way as to admit of navigation. The second
theory, however, seems to me to be the true one.
2 The Forked river here mentioned must also, from its very definition, be taken
for the Mississippi; the name having reference to its bi-fureation at the mouth of
the Missouri.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 53
have had. Moreover they shewed a Decad of beads
and guilded pearls, that they have had from that
people, wch made us believe they weare Europeans.
***** We weare informed of that nation that
live in the other river. These weare men of extraor
dinary height and biggnesse,1 that made us believe
they had no communication with them. They live onely
on Corn & Citrulles wch are mighty bigg. They have
fish in plenty throughout ye year," etc.
Radisson had heard similar stories a few years before,
when with the Iroquois, from a traveled chief of that
nation, who told him of his adventures, and what big
people he saw whilst on a three years' journey with a
war party of thirteen men, "in ye upper Country of the
Iroquoits neere the great river that divides itself in two."
When they returned home the two travelers agreed
not to tell what they had seen, because they had not
yet made a "full and whole discovery" by personally
visiting the bay of the North, (Hudson's.) Nevertheless,
Radisson thought that through his partner's family in
some way an inkling of their doings and further plans
must have leaked out, as the Jesuit Fathers wanted to
find out from them how the beaver might be brought
down from the bay of the North, and wished him to
engage in that voyage so that Groseilliers might give
up his own — Des Groseilliers had been with these mis
sionaries in the Huron country in former years — but the
two would make no arrangement with them. Neither

1 The Osages, before they were driven into the interior of the country by their
enemies, were inhabitants of the lower Missouri, and may possibly have been the
big people referred to above, judging by what travelers have said about their
large proportions.

54 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
would they listen to the avaricious proposal of the gov
ernor of Three Rivers, and preferred to go entirely un
trammelled. They left the town in the night time,
overtaking the Saulteur Indians - who had come down in
August and were awaiting them above in the river.
This second voyage was mostly to Lake Superior and
to the regions north of it, as contemplated. Following the
south coast they reached Chagouamigon bay, where they
halted and selected a site for winter quarters. In a
short time they left there and went back into the country
several days' journey to a lake where there was a native
village. Snow beginning to fall, they all separated to
hunt, a rendezvous having been appointed at which the
various tribes were to meet the Frenchmen in two and a half
moons. The place was a small lake upon the lands of
the Nadouesseronons. Embassadors from that nation,
"which we will call the nation of the beefe," came to
see our travellers. When the time had come they re
paired to the appointed place, and in three days eighteen
nations had arrived on the ground. A fort was built
in case of possible attacks from the Christinos, and a
place near by cleared off for an assembly ground. The
time was spent in councils, f eastings and games. The
"feast of the dead" was what they had been summoned
to, and fourteen days in all were occupied with it.
When the ceremonies and festivities were over every
one returned to his own country. Keeping their word,
the two Frenchmen went to visit the "nation of the
beefe," seven small days' journey from the general ren
dezvous. They found themselves in a town where were
great cabins mostly covered with skins and close mats,

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 55
and were told there were 7,000 men there. There was
no wood there and moss was used for fuel. These people
were doubtless the sedentary Tatanga, [buffalo,] included
in the list of nations Radisson gives at the end of his
account of the two voyages. If, as is possible, the
Tatanga, or Bceuf, were the tribe called in more recent
times the Titonwans, and Groseilliers and Radisson vis
ited them in their western home, these two Frenchmen
must have personally seen and crossed the Mississippi
river, whether they did so on their previous voyage or
not ; still they make no mention of it on this occasion.
There is yet another kind of evidence that they saw the
Mississippi, which may be deduced from the language
used by Radisson, immediately after mentioning the fact
that there was no wood for fuel in the country of the
people of the Beefe. His words are:
"They sow corne but their harvest is small. The soyle
is good, but the cold hinders it, and ye graine is very
small. In their countrey are mines of copper, of pewter,
and of ledd. There are mountains covered with a kind
of Stone that is transparent and tender, and like to that
of Venice. The people stay not there all ye yeare; they
retire in winter towards the woods of the North, where
they kill a quantity of Castors."
From this general description, which intimates an exten
sion of the country of the Beefe as far as eastern Iowa, it
is possible that this nation was the one afterwards known
to other Frenchmen as the ' 'Otoutanta or Mascoutens Nad-
ouessioux," Sioux of the Prairies; to reach whom one might
ascend either the Minnesota or the Des Moines river1.

1. Notwithstanding the narratives of Radisson are very insufficient as regards
facts of time and space, and consequently forbid decided opinions as to his routes

56 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
But vague and elliptical in description as is the geo
graphy of these two voyages, here given by Radisson,
the chronology is yet worse, indeed may be said to have
no existence. Commentators on these writings make the
year in which the travelers set out on their first joint voy
age to be 1658,* presumably because the author, in account
ing for his actions the preceeding year when he was con
templating a journey to the Iroquis country, incidentally
gave a date for the time of the departure — "which was
to be in June, 1657" — although from that place on in the
book the reader finds no further mention of a calendar
year again, only the succession of the seasons. Were
nothing else than his narrative to be taken into account
there would be no excuse for refusing to give credence
to this direct deduction; but there is exterior evidence as

of travel, yet two assumptions may be ventured upon by way of working hypothe
ses. They are:
1st. That the place of rendezvous was somewhere between Kettle and Snake
rivers in eastern Minnesota ; and
2nd. That the "nation of the beefe" were no other than the modern Titonwans
or people of the "village of the prairie," (as suggested in the text,) who, in the sev
enteenth century lived in the neighborhood of Big Stone and Traverse lakes. The
philology of this theory may appear somewhat forced, seeing that Tatanga (buffa
lo) and Tintah (prairie) are not much alike in sound and entirely distinct in sig
nification; but when one takes into account the fact that the strength and prob
able location of the Tatanga of Radisson and those of the Tintons of the early
French maps are much alike, it may not be a wild conclusion. In addition, it may
be stated that the name as spelled by Le Sueur, some forty years later, together
with his definition of it, came very near to proof of tribal identity— "Titanga-ough-
iatons, Village of the Great Cabin." No other French writer appears to have used
the wordBceu/in connection with any tribe or band of the Dakotas, and it is barely
possible that Radisson in some way confounded the two words of their language.
Another philological idea can be brought forward in this connection, which i*j that
the root of the words Outoutanta and Tinton may be the same. Radisson confessed
his total ignorance of the language of the Nadouesseronons, and stated that he had
to rely upon an interpreter in conversing with them; so he may have misunder
stood and unintentionally perverted the name of their western brethren. The
"arms" of the Tintons were not the buffalo, but the deer. It certainly does not
seem very likely that there should have been in existence at the same time two
very populous tribes living in the same region and bearing names enough alike to
Justify in later years a theory that they were one and the same people.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 57
to time which should not be overlooked, though it would
take up too much space to consider it here in detail. It
consists in the record to be found in the Relations and
other books of certain events, with their dates, which,
when compared with the way the same incidents appear
interwoven with the narratives of Radisson develope irre
concilable chronological differences. It may be safely
assumed that the two young Frenchmen of the Relations
for 1656, 1658, and 1660, quoted are the same in each case
and identical with Groseilliers and Radisson, or at least
that those were who set out in the two later years; in
which case there are good grounds for the conclusion that
the upper Mississippi river was first seen by white men,
two, if not four years earlier than the date 1659, at pres
ent accepted. Had not Groseilliers, like Joliet at a later
date, lost his "book of annotations" when he was upset in
the St. Lawrence on his return from the second voyage,
we should probably have a clear account of the time and
manner of this discovery of the Mississippi river by him
and his young brother-in-law, in lieu of the involved and
imperfect narratives of the latter, who, though a French
man, unfortunately chose to write his book in English, a
language which he did not understand.
The Jesuit fathers after awhile were able to establish mis
sions, more or less permanent, in the upper country. Among
these the nearest ones to the Mississippi valley were that of
St. Esprit, at LaPoince on Lake Superior, and that of St.
Marc of the Outagamis, on the Wolf river to the westward
of Green Bay, and that of St. Jacques, at the Maskoutens'
village on the Fox river above Lake Winnebago. The St.
Esprit mission was established with especial reference to the

58 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Hurons and Ottawas, who, after having been expelled from
the regions of the Mississippi and Black rivers, finally set
tled on Chagouamigon bay. The priests here were often
visited by the Illinois, who lived far to the south of them,
and Father Allouez first made personal acquaintance with
the Nadouessiouek when he was on a missionary trip to the
extreme west end of the lake. He speaks of these people as
"tribes who live to the West of here, towards the great river
called Messipi ;" a memorable remark, being the first time
this Algonquin name of the river appears in any of the wri
tings of the French. 1 The fathers had probably heard abQut
both the Sioux and the Mississippi from these other tribes,
and also in later years from the Maskoutens when they were
first visited by Perrot and other traders in their stockaded
village on the upper Fox River. Thus it was, probably,
that from the time the "Great River" was first heard of
through the travels of Grosselliers and Radisson till 1672,
hardly one of the Relations appeared which did not contain
more or less in the way of hearsay information or conjecture
concerning the Sioux and other distant tribes, the sea of the
West, and the river Mississippi, the natives who inhabited
the banks of the latter, and which sea it might empty into.
Nor were these enthusiastic priests the only important
people to take an interest in the prosecution of voyages of
discovery. Courcelle and Talon, who were respectively
governor and intendant of Canada between 1665 and 1672,
sent out "men of resolution" at various times, particularly
in the years 1669, 1670, and 1671, in differentdirections ; some
to report on the copper of Lake Superior ; some to look after
the prospects of a trade in furs on the Hudson's Bay slope,
1 Retatiim of 1607.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS.

59

and to search for routes thither ; and still others towards the
west, southwest, and south, to look for ways leading to the
seas of the west or south, or to the Gulf of Mexico. Talon
in a letter to the king, dated October 10, 1670, said that these
men were to keep journals, and on their return to furnish
written reports to the government, and that they were to
take formal possession of the • country wherever they went. l
Posterity, however, has seen but little of such official reports,
and still less of the journals from which they were to be
compiled. Among the men referred
to, the most eminent was
Robert Cavelier, afterwards
better known as the Sieur
de la Salle, who had long
thought much about making
discoveries in the south
west. In 1669 he obtained
the sanction of the author
ities to his undertaking an
expedition in that direction.
About the same time, too,
the Sulpitian priests at
Montreal were contemplat
ing a similar journey to find
out something about the
sieur de la salle. savages of the west, with a
a view to doing them good, and fathers Dollier and Galinee
were selected for the undertaking.

1 Nicholas Perrot was doubtless one of these men . Baqueville de la Potherie, in
his Histoire de VAmerique SeptentrionaU (1722), says of him : " Sieur Perot has best

60 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
At the instance of the government both parties were
combined into one expedition, which left the settlements in
July for the Iroquois country and a certain river which
they had heard of that they were thence to follow into
unknown regions Unable to procure guides among the
people on the south side of Lake Ontario, they went 'to its
western end, expecting to make another beginning from that
neighborhood; but the meeting there with Sieur Joliet, who
had been looking for copper at Lake Superior and who told
them about the northern route, now changed their plans, at
least those of the clergymen. The party separated, the
priests going to visit the mission at the Sault de Ste. Marie,
and La Salle going, it is not known exactly where; but, as
regards the discovering of any great river these persons
set out to find, the expedition was a failure. What they
had in their minds may be surmised from a letter written by
Patoutet to minister Colbert, shortly before the close of the
year in question, in which it was stated that La Salle and
Dollier had gone off to examine a passage they expected to
find which would connect with Japan and China. An offi
cial report of the voyage made by governor Courcelle to
Lake Ontario in 1671 refers to the same matter when it
tells about two priests who a couple of years before had set
out to visit savage nations living ' 'along a great river that
Iroquois called the Ohio, and the Outaouas the Mississipy,"
known these nations; the governors general of Canada always made use of him in
their plans. His familiarity with native languages, his shrewdness, and his worth
of character, enabled him to achieve discoveries which were the occasion of M. de
la Salle's making all those efforts that have resulted so favorably for him. It was
by his means _Perrot's| that the Mississippi became known." The fact that this
man was not the first to discover any part of the Mississippi river, so far as now
appears, made needless any mention of him here in the text, but he was too good a
man to be left entirely out of a writing of this nature. His name should have been
honored by the people of Minnesota, like those of Hennepin, Du Luth, and Le
Sueur, his contemporaries.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 61
but had failed in their purpose by reason of unf orseen diffi
culties. The writer of the report further says that they
nevertheless ascertained that this river was greater than
the St. Lawrence; that there were many nations on "its
banks; and that its general course was from east to west.
He, therefore, after having examined all the maps of
the Atlantic coast and that of the Gulf of Mexico, without
finding there the mouth of any river comparable to the St.
Lawrence, thinks it must fall into another sea, most
probably that of New Spain. From the autumn of 1669 to
the summer of 1672 nothing certain is known of La Salle's
movements. That he was not idle, part of the time at least,
is shown by Talon's letters to the King. In that of Novem
ber 10, 1670, he says that Courcelle and himself had sent
La Salle to look for an opening to Mexico by the St. Law
rence, and the western lakes; in that of November 2, 1671,
that La Salle had not yet returned from his voyage made to
the south of "this country." Some time within these two
years it was that La Salle followed the valley of the Ohio
River downward for an unknown distance, but not much
farther than the falls of Louisville it is supposed. The only
document accounting for his doings during the blank period
is not looked upon with much confidence; and statements
about the Ohio falling from a height into marshes and
losing itself there, to be gathered into one channel lower
down, sound more like the tales of Indians invented to dis
courage explorers than information derived from an honor
able and sensible man such as La Salle was.
In spite of the desire and intention La Salle had enter
tained for years to make the discovery of the lower Mississ
ippi river and to follow its current to the sea, with a view to

62 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE
the territorial aggrandizement of his country, the establish
ment of colonies, and the development of the resources of
the country as well as the building up of his own fortunes,
he was preceded in the valley by Joliet. Some of La Salle's
friends thought that Joliet had been pushed forward in this
way by intrigue. Whether that were so or not the fact was
that the king himself, in the summer of 1672, impressed on
his minister Colbert the importance of the discovery of the
passage to the South Sea, desiring a large reward to be
offered to those who should make it. Under such an august
monarch it is safe to assume that steps were taken in this
direction sooner than they otherwise would have been, and
it may be that La Salle was so circumstanced that he could
not avail himself of the opportunity now afforded him to
carry into execution his design of years, and that some one
else therefore had to be chosen; but this is merely a conjec
ture. What we actually do know is that Governor Frontenac,
in his memoir to Colbert of Nov. 2, 1672, says that "He,
(Chevalier de Grandf ontaine, governor of Acadia and Pentag-
ouet), has likewise judged it expedient for the service to
send Sieur Joliet to the country of the Makouteins, to dis
cover the South Sea, and the great river they call the Mis-
sissipi, which is supposed to empty into the sea of Califor
nia. He is a man very skilful in this kind of discoveries,
and has already been quite near to this great river, the
mouth of which he promises to find;" also, that in a similar
communication to the same minister of Nov. 14, 1674, he
says: "Sieur Joliet, whom Monsieur Talon advised me, on
my return from France, to dispatch for the discovery of the
South Sea, has returned three months ago, and discovered
some very fine countries."

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 63
With Louis Joliet, on the expedition referred to, went
Father Jaques Marquette, S. J., who had for years meditated
a voyage to the nations living on the Mississippi, particu
larly to the Illinois who had often invited him when they
were visiting the mission at La Pointe. No full report of
the voyage by the hand of Joliet is extant, as he lost his
box of papers and nearly his life too, in the rapids of the
St. Lawrence river by Montreal, on his way to report to the
governor, (Frontenac,) to whom however he furnished the
best account he could from memory. Father Marquette
never returned to Canada, It is to the narrative of this
priest, therefore, that the world has had to look for the
fullest account of the celebrated voyage. In was on the 7th
day of June, 1673, that the party arrived at Maskoutens, the
actual commencement of their voyage of discovery; for
Marquette writes thus : ' 'Here is the limit of the discoveries
made by the French, for they have not yet gone in the slight
est degree beyond this point."1 Thence they continued
1 The location of this village has been more of a puzzle to his'orians than it
should have been. Marquette's placing it three leagues from the Wisconsin portage
has led them astray. Those who take his words literally do not reflect that within
so short a distance as eight and a quarter miles there could not well be comprised
all the tedious hydrographical features spoken of by the priest and other trav
ellers who came after him. Those who think that thirty leagues was meant have
never produced much, if anything, in the way of proof to sustain that theory,
which would imply a site half way between Berlin and Eureka, somewhere in the
northeastern part of Green Lake County, Wisconsin. Those who believe he
intended three day's journey are the wisest ; for it is obvious that Marquette could
only have obtained his information from the Indians at the village, who did not
reckon by the measures of white men. Father Dreuillettes, as quoted in the
Relation of 1658, says that he made up his list of nations partly from what two
Frenchmen had told him and partly from information received from various
savages. By thus taking his facts from unlike sources he seems to have made two
places out of one. In briefly describing these several Indian nations he refers
them geographically to the town of the Oupouteouatamik on Green Bay. His
third town was distant about three days' journey going by water, and was com
posed of the Makoutensak and Outichakouk, (Kikabous?,) concerning whom he
adds that— " The two Frenchmen who have travelled in this region say that these
tribes are of a very mild disposition." His fourteenth locality was thirty strag
gling villages (bourgades) inhabited by the Atsistagheronnons (i. e. the Nation of

64 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
thier ascent of the Fox river in a west southwest direction,
through the marshes, little lakes, and rice fields, with
which it abounded, till they reached the farther side of a
portage of 2700 steps, or say half a league, that brought
them to the Miskousing river, now called Wisconsin.
Here their Indian guides returned home, and the seven
Frenchmen were left to prosecute their discoveries alone.
They had quitted the waters which were continuous from
this point as far as Quebec four or five hundred leagues
away, to take those which should lead them into strange
lands. The river they now embarked on came from the
northwest and ran towards the southwest, and they
followed its course till they reached its mouth, situated,
according to their observations in latitude 42° 30'. Here
they entered the Mississipi on the 15th day of June,
Joliet says, but Marquette makes it the 17th. The latter
here remarks: "The Mississippi river derives its origin
from various lakes which lie in the country of the tribes
of the north1 (a representation of which lakes, from the
reports of the Indians of course may be seen on one of
Joliet's maps.)
Fire) situated to the southwest one quarter south, six or seven days journey off.
These localities are doubtless the same though tho distances differ. Three days
journey up the Bay and the Fox river to reach the Maskoutens would be entirely
out of the question, as that would scarcely take one to Lake Winnebago; but the
six or seven days agree well with the statements of Perrot, Allouez and Marquette,
touching the time taken by them in their respective journeys from the St. Fran-
cois-Xavier mission near the mouth of the river to the village in question. Com
paring the actual length of the river as shown by our modern surveys with all the
accessible estimates of time and distance of these early travellers, one is irresist-
ably drawn to the conclusion that there is but a limited tract of country within
which to locate the barbarian settlement visited by them. The "little mountain"
or ridge (coteau) on which it was situated should be looked for somewhere to the
east or south-east of Princeton, about a league — 2J_ miles — back from the river,
which is the distance given more than once in the old records.
1. The first reference, in detail, concerning the source of the Mississippi,

' THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS. 65
They now tranquilly descended the river through a
country apparently only inhabited by beasts and birds,
the course being to the south and southeast as far as lati
tude 42° where the face of the country changed somewhat.
They had made more than sixty leagues, (probably to Mus
catine, Iowa, ) when the direction of the river was south
and south southwest, and after a while partly southeast
and partly southwest. Having sailed more than one hund
red leagues from the mouth of the Wisconsin they saw,
on the 25th of June, the first traces of human occupancy
in the shape of a little path on the west side (at Keokuk
or a few miles above it) which they followed for two
leagues till they came to some Indian villages on the
banks of a stream. This river was the Moenguena, now
the Des Moines, and the people of the villages were of
the Peouarea tribe of the Illinois nation. The travellers
remained with them till the end of the month when they
re-embarked on the Mississippi. Farther on they came
to the Pekitanoui, or river of the Missouris, coming from
the west northwest, where they saw a similar sight to
that which met the eyes of Soto's forces at the place
where the latter crossed the river much lower down. Mar
quette writes:— "I have seen nothing more frightful; a
tangle of entire trees, of branches, of floating islands, is
sued from the mouth of the Pekitanoui with so much
impetuosity that one could not attempt to cross it without
great danger. The commotion was such that the water
was made all muddy by it and could not clear itself."
The next river noted by the travellers was the Ohio,
which Marquette calls the Ouaboukigon, coming from the
east. Lower down they came across a tribe of Indians on.
-5

66 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
the east bank who seem to have had dealings with the Euro
peans of the Atlantic coast. Finally they arrived at the
village of the Mitchigameas, on the west side, eight or
ten leagues above that of the Akansea, which later was
on the east side of the river, in latitude 33° 40' according
to their reckoning, and opposite a large stream from the
west — doubtless the present Arkansas river. Here they
landed and were well received. The travellers held a pri
vate council to decide whether they should proceed farther
on, or should content themselves with the discovery
already made. After having carefully considered the fact
that they were not far from the Gulf of Mexico, as they
erroneously supposed; and that the Mississippi river un
doubtedly had its discharge into that sea, and into no
other, for the route had always been in a southern direc
tion, they resolved to turn back.
They further took into account that being, as it were,
at the gates of Spain, to proceed beyond the Akansea
would not only be to risk the personal safety of them
selves and their men, but also to incur the danger of
losing the fruits of their voyage, which they would have
no means of publishing if they became captives in. the
hands of the Spaniards. Still another .possible peril was
that from the hostile savages, allies of the Europeans,
who infested the lower part of the river and whose
attacks they would be utterly unable to resist. They
therefore left the village where they were on the 17th
of July, returning by the way they had come, except
that on reaching the Illinois river they ascended it to
go to their own people instead of keeping on to the
Wisconsin. Though this voyage was a mere flying trip,

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS.

67

devoid of any lasting consequence in the way of the es
tablishment of missions or trading posts, it has yet come
to be looked upon as an important and imperishable

*Ple.7*GJ&cja.]e

JULIET'S MAP OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 1674.
geographical datum. It is indeed certain that by it were
the course and character of the Mississippi river between

68 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
the mouth of the Wisconsin on the north and that of the
Arkansas on the south first definitely ascertained and
published ; and, as it was from the latter locality that
the remains of Soto's army had in the preceding century
descended by the river to the sea, it came about that
by the junction of the two explorations, Spanish and
French, two-thirds of the length of the Mississippi river
had been clearly "discovered."
With Marquette practically close the geographical
writings of the Jesuit fathers, so far as regards the
Mississippi river. The home government of the day,
siding with Frontenac, it is supposed, in the polite
quarrel between him and the Order, allowed no further
publication of Relations after the one of 1672 ; an act
now regretted alike by both Catholic and Protestant
capable of appreciating — at least in worldly things— the
value to later generations of these matter-of-fact records.
Translata est gloria ab Israel.

SUBDIVISION FIFTH.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNT, Continued.

LA SALLE ON THE ILLINOIS RIVER ; HENNEPIN
AND HIS COMPANIONS; LA SALLE ON THE
MISSISSIPPI; IBERVILLE; SAGEAN AND
LE SUEUR ; CHARLEVILLE ; MINOR RE
PORTS AS TO THE SOURCE OF THE
MISSISSIPPI.

Reappearing in local history about 1672, La Salle soon
became a conspicuous figure in colonial affairs. In 1674 he
made a voyage to France, returning to Canada in 1675. In
1676 the building of the new Fort Frontenac was placed
in his hands, and later he obtained the command of it. He
left for France again in November, 1677, and returned to
Quebec in September, 1678, bringing with him a patent from
the King authorizing him "to discover the western part of
New France," and requiring him to complete his enterprise
within five years. He then went to Frontenac at last
fully prepared to make an actual beginning of his pro
jects for western and southwestern discovery and settle-

70 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
ment. Next month he sent out fifteen men with -goods,
with orders to go in canoes and await him at the Illinois,
who lived in the neighborhood of the Mississippi. They
were to trade with the Indians, accumulate provisions, fell
trees for timber with which to build a fort there, and make
all other necessary preparations for settlement and new dis
coveries. In the beginning of 1679, he sent out a party,
which included Father Louis Hennepin,' to Niagara, to build
a fort and storehouse there, and a ship for the navigation of
the lakes above. When, having embarked in this ship, he
arrived at Missilimakinak, in August, he found that most of
the men he had sent on ahead the year before had betrayed
their trust, having traded on their own account alone, and
had separated into smaller parties and scattered, without
making any attempt to begin the settlement ordered.
Although he recovered a portion of his merchandise, and
arrested some of the deserters, he was necessarily much
crippled. Yet he continued the voyage unhesitatingly.
Arriving at the island of the Pottawattomies, at the entrance
of Green Bay, he sent the ship back to the establishment at
the end of Lake Erie,T and having procured canoes with

t This ship, as is well known, never arrived at its destination ; it was last seen in
the northern part of Lake Michigan, but its fate was never surely ascertained.
La Salle on his return voyage up the Mississippi river in 1682, obtained from some
tribe a young Pana Indian, who after a while learned to speak French so as to
make himself easily understood. He told his master that he had seen, three years
before, in the villages of the Emissourites, where he was a prisoner, two Frenchmen,
who were all that remained of seven that were captured by the Nadouessioux
while ascending the Mississippi in bark canoes. One of the two had obtained grace
for himself and surviving companion by displaying and exploding a grenade. The
next spring they were taken to these villages of the Missouris on a treaty of peace,
and there they again astonished the Indians by firing off another grenade. LaSalle
felt assured that the boy had actually seen two of his men; his words are: "Whom
he depicted to us in tuch a way that I cannot doubt that one of them was my
pilot." He considered that the little savage could no more invent the description
of the grenade than he could the portrait of the pilot, and thought that the plan of
the deserters had been, after wrecking the ship, to join DuLuth, who was in the
Nadouessioux country, and to trade there; finally, to save themselves with the

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 71
which to convey the party and all their impedimenta, coasted
along the western and southern shores of Lake Michigan,
until the mouth of the river of the Miamis, the St. Joseph of
to-day, was reached. This they ascended to the carrying
place between it and the headwaters of the Teakiki, now the
Kankakee. It was in December, 1679, that La Salle now
entered upon land through which flowed streams whose
waters ran to the Gulf of Mexico ; and he continued down
the Kankakee and Illinois rivers, passing the native village
(then temporarily abandoned) situated about where Utica
now is. On January 5, 1680, he arrived at the camp of the
Illinois at Pimetoui, or Peoria lake, and here he lodged with
them, and soon began to arrange for the building of a fort
near by, and for a ship in which to descend the Mississippi
river to the sea.1
English at the Bay- of the North, should things go wrong. They could only have
taken this route in going by the mission at the bay (St. Francois Xavier). he wrote.
The relevancy of this note is, that these misguided men, thus taking their lives in
their hands, by starting northward from the mouth of the Wisconsin whence Joliet
and Marquette had started southward six years before, to some extent were the
forerunners of Hennepin.
1. There are reasons for thinking that during the time La Salle was making his
discoveries referred to that were never exactly reported, he had explored the
Illinois river from its head, near the Chicago portage, to the permanent village of
these Indians opposite the " Starved Rock " familiar to lovers of the romantic. If
this be so it fully explains how he so confidently sent men into the wilderness to
prepare for his coming, and even how he, possibly, may have had this very emin
ence in mind as a fitting site fe,r the proposed fort, for which he had even selected
a name in advance— " Fort Dauphin "—as appears by his letter of October 31, 1678.
Circumstances prevented his lieutenant Tonty from building a fort on "The
Rock " (as the French called it) in the spring of 1680, according to orders sent
back to him by La Salle then en route eastward ; but within three years it was
built here, under the supervision of both. This establishment was the civilized
nucleus of the native settlements the latter had long been eudeavoring to gather
around him. A confirmation of the idea that La Salle had a prior knowledge of
the upper part, at least, of the Illinois valley maybe derived from an incidental
expression to be* found in a memoir from his pen, written when in Paris endeavor
ing to interest men of position in his projected settlement near the mouth of the
Mississippi. "M. de Lagny had proposed the establishment of this fort in 167b
after having learned its importance ; after which Mgr. Colbert permitted Sieur de
La Salle to make it and gave him the ownership of it." La Salle was a courtier,

72 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Although the head men of the Illinois Indians here had
assured him, on his first arrival, that the Mississippi was
navigable to the sea, yet they shortly after were tampered
with by an emissary and then they endeavored to deter
the Frenchmen by tales of the great dangers to be
encountered in the lower part of its course. There were
to be found there warlike barbarians who would slay all
strangers ; the water was full of serpents and other
monsters ; falls and precipices extended for leagues with
a current so violent that no one could escape who was
once drawn in ; and finally, the whole river disappeared
in a great chasm and ran under the ground, and no one
knew where it came to light again. La Salle refused
to be swerved from his purpose by these frightful accounts,
and went on with his work ; but six of his men deserted
him through fear. Indeed, he did not believe these stories
at all, though he obtained by stratagem a more reassuring
account from one of their returning war-chiefs, which was
confirmed later by visitors from the Chicachas, Akansas,
and Osages, from the south. In his letter of Sept. 28,
1680, he writes that besides these tribes, and the Matou-
tantas from the west, "Others called Ghaa who live on
the upper part of the great river arrived on February
24 ¦ and invited us to go to their homes, where they said
¦was a great quantity of beavers and furs, and that they
were not far from the sea of the West.1 One of the

and doubtless' contrived that these high officials should believe that they were
making strikingly original suggestions ; when the first named proposed the build
ing of a fort on the Illinois, and the latter desired a port for French vessels to be
discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.
1 There has been some speculation as to who these people were.but seeing that it was
customary then, as now, to contract Indian and other proper names for colloquial
purposes— as for instance Nadouessioux to Sioux, Pouteouatamis to Poux, Osages

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 73
three reverend Recollect fathers who had accompanied me
that far offered himself, with two of my bravest men, to
make this voyage, in order not to lose the opportunity
to announce the gospel to tribes who had never heard
speak of it. They left the last day of February in a
canoe." This vicarious expedition was the one, so well known
to posterity, which enabled Father Hennepin to discover
the great falls of the Mississippi river, never before, it
is supposed, seen by European eyes. The books pub*
lished by Hennepin, together with the reports and letters
of La Salle and his friends, supplemented by the paper
of Duluth, are sufficient to enable a good account of the
geographical results of this journey to be compiled, in
spite of the absence of journals showing lines of travel
in detail. The men selected to accompany Hennepin were
one Michael Accault and another Anthony Auguelle nick
named the Picard, and they were furnished with goods
for presents to the Indians. La Salle at a later time
to Os, Kansas to Kans, etc-the Chaa may have been the Chaiena of the Joliet
map, the same as the Shyennes, or Cheyennes, of to-day, who have gradually been
driven to the west and southwest of their former habitations. This map, entitled
Carte generale de la France septcntrionale, shows eight tribal names strung along the
east side of the upper Mississippi above the " Siou " ; of which names Ihanctoua is
lowest down, Chaiena the fifth in order, and Alimoupigoiak (supposed to be the
present Assiniboins) farthest to the northwest. That the Chaas were not one of
the Dakota bands proper, or Nadouessioux, would appear probable from the fact
that Accault understood most of the northwestern languages except thatof the
Sioux; but as he was not going to them with his party a knowledge of their langu
age was not indispensable, as La Salle showed when defending himself. Although
the Shyennes seem to have been for a long time the friends and allies of the
Dakotas, yet modern research has shown that philologically they are not akin to
them but to the Algonquins. In this aspect they form the counterpart of the
Assiniboins who, though their language is similar to that of the Dakotas, to whose
stock they belong, are their hereditary enemies and affiliate with the Algonquin na
tions instead. Dr. F. V. Hayden, in his Indian tribes of the Missourivalley, (1862,) gives
among the various names by which the Shyennes were known those of Sharas,
Shawhays, and Sharshas, from any one of which three the abbreviated word Chaa
(ch pronounced like sh) might have been formed.

74 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
(1682), when defending himself from invidious criticism,
says expressly that he did not send Accault to the Nadoues-
sious, but to ascend the Great River ; adding, to show the
eminent fitness of the man for such a task, that he had
spent two winters and one summer among the nations,
whose acquaintance they made when with the Illinois, and
had seen several of the most important villages by which
he was to pass1.
These three men left Fort Crevecceur on the 29th of
February, 1680, in their loaded canoe, and arrived at the
mouth of the Illinois river March 7th, where they had
to wait five days on account of the floating ice. Ascend
ing the Mississippi, they passed on the left the river of
the Outontantas, Paote, and Maskouten Nadouessioux,
(Sioux of the Prairie,) now the Des Moines. Somewhere
above this stream it was, between Burlington and Rock
Island but nearer to the former, that they met with the
large Sioux war party, who took them captive, and who,
having abandoned their original plan, now returned home
ward. Next beyond the Des Moines they noted on the
east side the river Ouisconsin, or Wisconsin, also known
to the savages as Meschetz' Odeba. Next to that came
the Chabaouadeba of the Nadouessioux, otherwise the
Noire, now the Black river between La Crosse and Trem-

1. This statement, if taken exactly, is worthy of notice. Seeing that less than
two months elapsed from the time La Salle's party arrived among the Illinois till
Accault and his companions left for the upper Mississippi, this man could not have
made the acquaintance of the western Indians unless he had been sent there some
time in prior years. Probably he was among the fiteen men who were sent in ad
vance, as mentioned in the text a few pages back, and may have extended his
travels to the Mississippi, afterwards being taken into favor again when La Salle
arrived at Lake Michigan. Reckoning the two months stay with the Illinois as the
second winter of Accault's residence among the Mississippi tribes, may be consid
ered a pardonable exaggeration for rhetorical purposes.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 75
peleau. Higher still, on the same side, was the river Des
Bceufs, Oxen river, now the Chippewa, which they ex
plored for ten or twelve leagues. Half a league above
this commenced the Lac des Pleurs, Lake of Tears or
Weeping, as Hennepin named it, now called Pepin. Next,
a stream without name, to which Hennepin gave the ap
pellation Du Tombeau, or Grave river, now the St. Croix.
In nineteen days from the time of their capture they all
arrived at a landing place in a cove four or five leagues
below the falls of St. Anthony.
This landing place was probably somewhere on the Grand
Marais of the modern French, the Pig's Eye flats of the
Americans, two to five miles below Phalen's creek in the
lower part of the city of St. Paul. Here the Indians hid
their canoes, and everything else was carried by them and
their captives overland for sixty leagues to the villages of
the former on or near the Lac des Issati, now Mille Lacs, or
the Rum river which issued from it. This lake was esti
mated to be sixty leagues west of Lake Superior, and it was
there, as well as in the islands and country surrounding it,
with other lakes whence rise several rivers, that lay the
country of the various tribes then comprehended under the
general name of Nadouessioux. In the beginning of July,
the Indians set out in separate parties on a buffalo hunt.
Hennepin and his companions accompanied the one that
descended Rum river, the river of the Nadouessioux, but
now christened St. Francis by our missionary. Arriving at
its mouth the party camped on an eminence opposite it,
most probably the rising ground in the southern part of the
present village of Champlain. Although the Indians had
ascended the Mississippi river very far, they could say

76 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
nothing about its source; but they told the Frenchmen that
at twenty or thirty leagues above the great falls there was a
second fall at the foot of which were some villages of the
prairie people called Tintonha, who lived there a part of the
year. There will probably be no opposition to the theory
that this fall was what was later known as iSauk Rapids.
Hennepin and Auguelle were allowed to leave the Indians at
the camp opposite Rum river in a canoe together, as Accault
preferred to stay behind with the Indians there, in order to
go down to the Wisconsin river where La Salle had prom
ised to send men to meet them with supplies and news from
the settlement. Seven or eight leagues down the river they
came to where it forms a cataract of thirty or forty feet
high, which they beheld first of all white men, so far as is
known, and which Father Louis named after St. Anthony of
Padua. The two men did not quite reach the Wisconsin; for
one of the chiefs overtook them and went hastily ahead to
arrive there first and seize whatever goods he could. But
within three days they met him returning discomfited, hav
ing found neither Frenchmen nor goods, the fact being that
the former had been discouraged or dissuaded and did not
go as far as where they were ordered to go. Hennepin and
his companion, therefore, now turned back again and
rejoined their Indian party at the Chippewa river, as far as
which the latter had descended, hunting as they came.
Accault was with them. The hunting party continued down
the river apparently about as far south as what is now the
stream called Apple river in the northwest corner of the
State of Illinois, taking their former captives along with
them. Having finished their hunt they turned northward
again, and on the 25th of July, they met the Sieur Du Luth

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 77
and his men, who were descending the river expressly to
find Hennepin and the two Frenchmen. The place of meet
ing was probably about ten miles above the present city of
Dubuque. 1
¦ The combined parties now continued their journey, by
the Rum river route, to the Issati villages, where they
arrived on August 14. Towards the end of September,
having no means with which to begin an establishment,
they resolved to return to the French settlements ; and so
accompanied by Du Luth, eight Frenchmen in two canoes,
they descended the Rum and Mississippi rivers and
ascended the Wisconsin, to return to Canada by the Green
Bay route.
In addition to the various Hennepin books, there was
published in France, in 1697, a volume purporting to be
written by the Chevalier Tonty, but the authorship of which
he disavowed. The work contains, however, in an inciden
tal way, some interesting information, which, if true, is of
1. Du Luth's name has to be introduced here incidentally, but it may not be out
of place to show, in addition, how he came to be so opportunely on hand. He
was an independent explorer or adventurer, who the year before had visited the
Nadoussioux, reaching the "great village of the Izatys" on July 2, 1679, at which
place he says there had been no Frenchman before him. The next year he
thought he would enter the Sioux country from Lake Superior by the more cir
cuitous water route; so he ascended the Brule and descended the St. Croix. At
the mouth of the latter he met some Sioux who told him about the captivity of
Hennepin and his canoemen, which caused him to set out to overtake the hunting
party and the captives, instead of proceeding directly to the village of the
Nadouessioux. This incident caused him to change his plans, he says, which had
been, in his own words, "to push on to the sea in a west-northwesterly direction,
which ie that which is believed to be the Red sea, whence the Indians who had
gone warring on that side gave salt to three Frenchmen whom I had sent] exploring,
and who brought me said salt, having reported to me that the Indians had told
them that it was only twenty days journey from where they were to find the great
lake of which the waters were worthless to drink." The men he refers to here
who were impliedly sent out in 1679 from the "Izatys village," must have gone
beyond the Mississippi river some distance and thus have been among its discov-
" erers; but the headwaters of the river presented no such. charming prospects of
trade and power as its lower portion did, and were consequently talked about and.
thought of merely in an incidental way, when at all.

78

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

the highest importance in this connection. In it is stated
how La Salle appointed "M. Dacan" to make an exploration
of the lands lying along the river Mississippi running

g.uU»€&

j_.01.z0c

PART OF CARTE DE LA NOUVELLE FRANCE, ET DE LA LOUISIANE.
REVEREND PERE LOUIS HENNEPIN. 1683.
northeast, and selected the Recollect Father Louis with four
other Frenchmen to accompany him. They embarked the
28th of February, 1680, on the river of the Illinois, which
they descended to the Mississippi, and then ascended the
latter "as far as 550 leagues towards the north, at seven

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 79
leagues from its source, diverging from time to time on one
side or the other of the banks to reconnoitre the different
nations who lived there. This river issues from a great
spring [source] on the top of a hill, which borders a very
beautiful plain in the country of the Issati, in 50° of lati
tude. At four or five leagues from its source it becomes so
enlarged by five or six rivers which empty into it, that it is
capable of floating boats."
Further on it states that Dacan "placed, at two leagues
from the source of this Great River, the arms of the king
on the trunk of a great tree in sight of all these nations."
This publication was very likely a piece of bookseller's
hack work, and its account of the expedition differs widely
from that given in the works of Hennepin himself and the
La Salle documents. Still the description of the source of
the Mississippi has such suggestions of the actual truth as
regards the grand topographical features of the country,
the hauteurs des terres and the great plains of the Red
river west of them, that it is more likely to have been
derived from Indian sources, through the medium of Accault
or some other French voyageur, than to have been con
ceived entirely in the brain of a compiler in a Paris Grub
Street. The doings of La Salle, from the time he left his Illinois
fort near Peoria lake two days after Hennepin's departure,
till he descended the Illinois river two years later to proceed
on the long meditated journey to the mouth of the Missis
sippi, are well known and need only a passing reference
here. In these two years this "much enduring man" made
long journeys by land and water between the colony and his
settlement. He was in danger from war parties of savages,

80 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
exposed unsheltered to the rigors of winter; suffered many
times from hunger; and lastly was betrayed by some and ill
supported by others of those who served under him. Yet
he never faltered, but with whatever means he had still did
his best. In the light of our present knowledge, he was not
the discoverer of the lower part of the Mississippi river
and of its mouths; in his own eyes he was, and reasonably
and honestly too, as will be hereafter shown; therefore in a
geographical memoir like this it would not be right to omit
reference to the journey he had so set his heart upon.
It has been maintained by some of La Salle's more enthu
siastic admirers that the waters of the Mississippi itself, as
well as those of the Ohio and Illinois, were seen hy him
sometime between 1669 and 1672, prior to the voyage of
Joliet; but this theory, at the best, has not met with more
than respectful attention. It is a little singular, had he
already seen the Mississippi, that in his own writings, and
in official papers friendly to him, no statement can be found
showing that at the time he made his settlement on the
Illinois river, and later when ready to start upon the actual
journey of discovery, he had in mind any other idea than
that he was going to a river no portion of which he had ever
seen before. Writing in September, 1680, he plainly states
that he had diligently inquired of the natives when at the
Illinois village on Peoria Lake, as well as of the visiting
Indians from tribes down the river, concerning the character
and navigability of the Mississippi; and that they told him
marvels of it, which he says, he postpones writing about
until he shall have ascertained their truth. His idea was to
have the productions of the country (buffalo hides ap
parently) exported by way of the Gulf; but he considered

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 81
that even if the river did not prove navigable to the sea, it
would not be necessary to return to the expensive and dan
gerous way of the lakes, but that by means of the river
which he had found the commodities of the country of the
Illinois could be transported to Fort Frontenac. This river
he says was the one called by him Baudrane, by the Iroquois
the Ohio, and by the Outaouas Olighin-cipou, which entered
into the Colbert 20 to 25 leagues south-one- quarter of south
west of the mouth of the IllinoisT. When all was ready they
began the descent. Arriving at the Akansas villages, Joliet' s
lowest point, possession was taken of the country of Lou
isiana2 in the name of the king of France. This occurred
on March 13, 1682, with great ceremony at Kapaha3.
The proclamation included all the country between the
mouth of the St. Louis, called also Ohio, Olighin-sipou,
and Chukagoua; and along this and each of the rivers
which empty into it on the east; also the country as far
as the mouth of the river of Palms on the west, along the

1. The very incorrect distance, less than one-third of reality, and the false
bearing here given, do not favor the idea that La Salle was speaking from his own
knowledge of the localities. Indeed it did not require a personal visit to conclude
that the Ohio flowing westward must enter somewhere into the Colbert flowing
southward. 2. Margry shows that the first known use of this geographical term was by La
Salle, in a private document dated June 10th, 1679.
3. The reader will probably be reminded here of the Kapaha of the Soto expe
dition mentioned by the historian Garcilaso, but the locality is not the same.
This word together with Casquia, Chisca, Chicaca, and Chukagoua, were all that
were met with by La Salle of those streams and villages the nomenclature
of which belongs to the Soto narratives. It is true that when with the Illi
nois he speaks of hearing from the Indians of the geographical names reported by
the prior expedition referred to, among which was Aminoia, the place of Moscoso's
embarking ; but on going down the river he must have found he had misunderstood
it, for neither he nor his lieutenants mention the word again. The name of this
ancient village seems to appear, under a somewhat different form, in a certain sen
tence to be found in a book of American travel by J. F. D. Smyth, published in
1784. Among the tributaries of the Mississipp mentioned by him is "the Imahans
or Arkansaw river,"

82 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Colbert called Mississippi, and all the rivers which des
cend into it on the east. The three passes of the river
were reached in April and descended to their mouths; and
on the 9th, at the first firm land above the head of the
delta, formal possession was again taken; and the terms
of possession were to the same effect practically as at
Kapaha, but contained some additional geographical defini
tions. There was included all the country along the Col
bert or Mississippi and the streams emptying into it "from
its source beyond the country of the SiOux or Nadous-
sioux" to its mouth at the sea or Gulf of Mexico, ' 'on the
assurance that we have had from all this nation that we
are the first Europeans who have descended or ascended
the said river Colbert."
Later, when at leisure at his fort of St. Louis on the
Illinois river, as appears by some loose sheets in his hand
writing, La Salle seems to have pondered on the geo
graphical results and relations of his discovery, and ar
rived at the conclusion that the river he had just explored
was not the Chucagua or Rio Grande of Soto and Moscoso.
However, the identifying the Ohio with the Chucagua in
the two proclamations is not necessarily to be looked upon
as a strict geographical definition, but rather as a polit
ical precaution employed to cover and anticipate all adverse
claims to possession.
When in the next century the geography of the inter
ior of the country became better understood, it was seen
that he was mistaken; but he had argued well, though from
scanty and erroneous data. The Soto expedition was in
his mind, and he looked for populous nations; for an open
country on the banks of a very wide river; and for other

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 83
things which he did not meet with. Below the mouth of
the Ohio he neither saw nor heard of large streams flow
ing from the east, from far back in the interior of the
country, emptying themselves into the Mississippi river,
similar to the Arkansas and Red rivers, on the west side.
These things made him think that the Chukagoa could
not be very far off to the eastward, running southerly to
the Gulf. Still he had been told that it did enter the
Mississippi, which he considered possible; for the follow
ing reason. Commencing above the Akansa villages there
was a great island, or rather many islands, which extended
for sixty or eighty leagues; and he thought that somewhere
on the eastern side of- this island the Chucagoa might come
in1. However, he was not able to decide the question be
cause they took the west channel in descending and had
to use it in coming back; for they had left most of their
baggage with the Akansa.
A reasonable explanation of the geographical complica
tions caused by the somewhat mythic, and yet real,
Chukagoa river may be offered. Away to the eastward, in
the Appalachian mountains, the army of Soto had come
upon the headwaters of a river which ran westward and
which (where they struck it again a year later) the natives
called Chucagua; meaning; as La Salle afterwards said,
"The Great River, like Mississipi in Outaouas and Mascic-
cipi in Illinois." Now this stream was the Tennessee which
these Spaniards, ignorant of the abrupt bend it makes to
the northward at a point far beyond where they left it, not
unnaturally supposed to continue the same general course.

1 The same island already described in a foot-note treating of Radisson's River
that Divides Itself in Two.

84 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Arriving at the Mississippi itself they concluded they were
on the lower part of the same river of which they had
already beheld the sources. Could La Salle have realized
the truth that his river and Soto's were one and the same, he
might have spared himself much thought. His error in
supposing that they were not may have been partly owing
to the maps of the day. As already mentioned here, in
treating of the Spanish discoveries, these maps portrayed
in the interior of the country a complicated hydrography, of
which the Spirito Santo bay and river were prominent
features, and which proved later to be entirely irreconcilable
with the truth. They were evidently useless to an explorer
descending a stream from the interior, who might have
desired to find at what part of the Gulf coast he had
arrived. No delta of a large river appeared on the north
shore in any of these maps or charts and, with the exception
of the bay referred to, the topography was very obscure. T
Somewhat in the sense in which La Salle discovered the
lower portion of the Mississippi river in 1682, it was also
discovered seventeen years later by Iberville. As has
already been shown, the former was finally led to believe
that Soto had not preceded him in his descent of the river,
and therefore, considered himself an original discoverer.
In its turn La Salle's claim was not universally admitted ;

lLa Salle's real ideas about the position of the mouth of the river were that it
was a long way west of the Saint Esprit or Spirito Santo bay. He wrote in the de
tached leaves before mentioned, "Moreover, all the maps are worthless, or the
mouth of the Colbert is near to Mexico; because it has its mouth to the east-"
southeast and not to the south, as all the south coast of Florida faces, except
that which runs from the river called Escondido on the maps as far as Panuco.
ThisEscondido is surely the Mississippi."
He further showed that it could not be the peninsula of Florida where the rive r
emptied, as that was not wide enough for the Colbert, which "bears to the east,
or at most to the southeast, making in this direction at least one hundred and
twenty leagues from the 30th to the 27th degree of latitude when it discharges it-

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 85
for it was said at Paris, even by some high in authority,
that the river which he descended was nothing new as it
doubtless emptied into the bay Saint Esprit. In reality said
bay had only been a "geographical expression " to him, and
certainly was no more to his critics:
The story of La Salle's expedition by sea, in 1684, to the
Gulf of Mexico for colonizing purposes is well known, and
only needs mention here. In a few years the explorer was
dead and the colony a thing of the past. After a while
various men of enterprise solicited the French government
for authority and means to continue the work ; not in the
region towards the Spaniards where La Salle lost himself,
but at the entrance of the Mississippi. The government,
however, was no way anxious to form establishments at the
mouth of the river at once, but only desired to complete the
discovery in order to hinder the English from taking posses
sion there.
The fortunate man to have charge of this expedition was
Le Moyne d'lberville. He sailed westward along the coast
from the peninsula of Florida, intending to carefully examine
all the land for fifty or sixty leagues beyond it. Above all
he wished to note the rivers as far as the ' ' Bay of Saint-
Esprit, " where all his vessels were to rendezvous, and into
self into the sea; which is impossible within the width of the Cape of Florida,
but precisely suits the bearing of Escondido. That it is which makes me main
tain that we were near Mexico and consequently in another river than the Chu-
cagoa, where the Spaniards were so long a time before arriving in Mexico."
This Escondido, or Hidden river, of the Spaniards, was subsequently known to
them as the Rio Bravo del Norte, at present Rio Grande, and in part forming the
international boundary between the United States and Mexico. Besides his being
misled by the exaggeration of the Soto story and by the indefinite coast line
topography of the then current maps, La Salle had failed by two degrees in ascer
taining the true latitude of the mouths of the Mississippi, which are in about 29"
instead of 27°. These considerations show how he was drawn into irretrievable
error, though having the best intentions. He was thus the innocent cause of the
very erroneous way in which the lower part of the river that he had explored to
the sea was represented on the great map of the geographer Franquelin.

86 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
which he would go and ascertain if the Mississippi really
entered it. The bay was said to be one hundred leagues
east of the Bay St. Louis where La Salle had settled down.
When Iberville arrived at Mobile bay he considered the
river there large enough to be the Mississippi sought for ;
but for sufficient reasons concluded that it was not the one
the travellers descended.
Thence he coasted westward until he found a harbor for
his vessels, afterward known as Biloxi, where they anchored.
Here he learned from the Indians that the river he sought
for was some fifteen or twenty leagues farther and that it
was known to them as the Malbanchia, and was the same as
that called by the Spaniards the River of the Palisades. On
the 27th of February he left his fleet in the harbor and with
a strong force in smaller craft departed to reconnoitre the
environs of the Lago de Lodo or Mud Lake, ' ' which is what
the Spaniards call the one named on the maps the Baye du
Saint- Esprit." On the night of March 2, 1699, he put into the
entry of the Mississippi River. 1
Through the efforts of himself and his brother Bienville,
the lower part of the river was thoroughly examined, but he
was surprised and disappointed in not being able to recog
nize the islands and branches of the river he had read about

1. Up to this time the Spaniards seem to have acted like the dog in the mange r
in respect to the lower Mississippi river, and the shores of the Gulf of Mexico to
the east and west. Although the entire coast line had long ago been explored by
their ships no information concerning it was directly published. They evidently
knew about the embouchure of the river, for they had called it the River of the
Palisades on account of the bristling appearance presented by the trees which had
drifted down from above and lodged at the outlets at the delta, where they
remained and helped to form bars. They, the Spaniards, told Iberville, that by
reason of these bars there was no entry, but he writes that he did not believe the
report. A Spanish pilot told Chasteaumorant, one of the French officers, that he
did not know any Mississippi river, but that he had heard speak of a river called
the River of Canada, beyond the " Islands of San Diego. "

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 87
Neither could he find the Quinnippissas and Tangipahoes of
the expedition of La Salle ; but he afterward explained this
on the ground that the true names of some of the tribes had
been suppressed through policy. When, however, the letter
which Tonty in 1685 had left behind with the Indians to be
given to La Salle when he should ascend the river again,
was placed in his hands, all doubts vanished, and Iberville
knew that the riddle was at last read. He knew now that
the Mississippi did not debauch in any Spirito Santo Bay of
doubtful identity, nor was an Escondido emptying into the
gulf at its extreme western side, but on the contrary that it
was identical with a river in the centre of the northern coast,
whose well defined delta, however, through neglect or acci
dent, had never yet been represented, apparently, on the
charts of a sea already navigated for nearly two centuries.
With this first voyage of Iberville the story of French dis
covery and exploration of the Mississippi river, so far as re
gards the lower four-fifths of its course, is virtually brought
to an end. Concerning this upper fifth, or that part of the
river which lay beyond the farthest point reached by Hen
nepin in 1680 — the entrance of the river of the Nadouessioux,
now Rum river — there only remain some minor incidental esti
mates, remarks and rumors, to be found in various miscella
neous books and documents. Such as they are, however,
they are here collected together, and may not be unworthy
of the reader's attention.
In the year 1701, a man named Mathieu Sagean claimed
that he had been with La Salle in 1683 at the Fort St. Louis
on the Illinois, and, having obtained Tonty's permission, had
left there with a number of companions to ascend the Miss
issippi river to make discoveries. His story ran, that at

88 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
about 250 leagues from the mouth of the Illinois, they came
to a high fall in the river, around which it was necessary to
make a portage of six leagues; that beyond this they trav
elled 40 leagues or more to a place where they staid for two
and a half months, and hunted all around, but saw no
Indians; that at 14 leagues away (given elsewhere 40) they
found a river running south- southwest, upon which they
embarked and descended for 240 leagues, until they arrived
at the populous country of the Acaaniba, some 200 leagues
in extent. Of this region he told wonderful tales; about its
immense riches in gold and other property; its king, stand
ing army; brave men and virtuous women, etc. Sagean was
an illiterate man, so, after being questioned by government
officials about his travels, his account was reduced to writing,
but it was soon decided to be unworthy of any confidence, or
at least the first part of it which describes the journey west
of the Mississippi. The narrative remained in MS. until
within a few years; when published it made some sixty pages
or so, the first quarter of which describes the fabulous south
western travels. Had he been a man of education, like Hen
nepin or La Hontan, he would undoubtedly have written a
book, and have accompanied it with some sort of a plagiar
ized or imaginative map, as they did, which would have been
an infliction on geographers for a generation or two, but,
fortunately for posterity, he was not. There are probably
but few general readers, who, though the names of the first
two archers may be familiar to them as household words,
are acquainted with the abortive hoax of Sagean.
The trader and explorer Pierre Le Sueur, when at Paris,
in a letter written in 1701, showed that this man Sagean
was an imposter, as he had known him in Canada bearing

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 89
a different name; and that his story of new discoveries was
a falsehood, as in statements which were susceptible of
verification he was clearly wide of the truth. After saying
that more than two years before he had been at the Falls
of St. Anthony with the Sioux and had ascertained the
length of the portage there to be no more than 1500 paces,
Le Sueur continues: "I have already said that I had
ascended more than 100 leagues above the Falls of St.
Anthony, which is the only place where it is necessary to
carry one's canoe and baggage, in ascending the Mississipi
from its mouth to its source, and the Sioux with whom I
went up assured me that there were yet more than ten days
journey to ascend. It is at least 100 leagues before coming
to the sources of the Mississipi. 1 say sources, because
there are many of them, according to the report of the
savages." The distance of 100 " leagues here given would bring Le
Sueur to a point about four miles below Sandy lake, but as,
of course, that was only an estimate, the termination of his
journey may be safely put at that place, where, doubtless,
as in more modern times, the Indians had a village. His
estimate of a like distance beyond, of 100 leagues to the
source of the river from the place where he turned back, if
it be Sandy lake, is also a good approximation, being
within twenty-one miles of the actual distance if the Itasca
branch were meant; but is still nearer the truth if the
Turtle river source were understood, as it probably was.
Le Page du Pratz, author of a well-known History of
Louisiana, written in 1757, went to that colony in 1718 and
remained there sixteen years. In this book, speaking of
the Mississippi river, he states that, " Many travelers

90

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

Sources civc ggL

have tried in vain to reach its source, which, however, is
known, whatever some ill-informed authors may have said;
here is what is the most certain concerning the source of
this great river of North America." He then relates a
_« 4, story, which, having
been received by
him at first hand,
we have no reason
to doubt. He says
that a M. du Charle-
ville, a relation of
the governor Bien
ville, told him that
at the time of the
settlement of the
French, curiosity
had led him to as
cend the river to
seek its source.
PART OF CART DU CANADA, OU DE LA NOV- w.+i_ +m^ n„„„j,„„„
velle france, de l'isle. 1703. Wlth two Canadians
and two Indians, in a birch bark canoe he went up the river
300 leagues above the Illinois, where he found the falls
called St. Anthony's, a flat rock crossing the river giving it
only eight or ten feet descent. Making the portage there,
he ascended 100 leagues farther to the country of the
Sioux, whom he found engaged in hunting, and who were
very much surprised to see him. They told him that it was
a very bad country, very little game in it, and that the
source was as far from the falls as the falls were from the
sea. Du Pratz says the latter distance was reckoned at 800
leagues, and considered the Indian estimate probable taking

L. P&Jo i> w/*

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 91
into account the size of the river above the falls. There are
there 30 to 35 fathoms of water, he writes, with a breadth in
proportion, which amount of water could never have come
from a source not far removed; and all the Indians, informed
by those nearer the head of the river, were of the same
opinion. Charleville seems to have been deterred by these
reports of the Indians, who exaggerated matters, probably,
to make him turn back; for Du Pratz says he did not see
the source of the Mississippi. Elsewhere, in concluding
his observations on the Sioux and the upper Mississippi,
our author says : ' ' However, we need not trouble ourselves
concerning our interests in this very distant region; many
centuries must pass before we shall have penetrated these
northern countries of Louisiana."
Penicaut, one of Le Sueur's men, in his Annals of Louis
iana, wrote — "To the present time [say 1722] no one has
discovered the source of the Missouri, any more than that
of the Mississippi."
Sieur Mandeville, in a memoir written in 1709, says: —
"They ascend (on remonte) the Mississippi as far as its
source, which is about 1000 leagues from the sea. They
descend it without much trouble."
Lamothe Cadillac was a French army officer stationed
at Mackinaw and Detroit in the early years of the eigh
teenth century. In an elaborate memoir by him dated
1718, written probably during his enforced leisure in the
Bastile, he uses these words: — "As regards the source of
the Mississippi river, we can say that it is in 48° lati
tude and 276° longitude. It apparently has its origin
in some lake, which forms another river, going to the
north and discharging itself into the great lake of the

92 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Assiniboels, which forms rivers without end that empty
themselves towards Fort Nelson, and into other great
bays. This lake is called by the savages the Grandfather
of All the Lakes, meaning by that expression that it is
incomparably greater than all the others."
The Company of the Indies, authorized in 1717, states,
in an undated memoir or prospectus, that it is formed to
make establishments in Louisiana and other countries of
enormous extent, from the mouth of the Mississippi and
Mobile rivers "as far as the two sources of the river
Mississippi in the north, about 800 leagues, which is the
general course of that river." Possibly by this expres
sion of "two sources" is meant the head-waters of the
Mississippi proper and those of the Missouri.
The elder Verendrye in 1737 sent to France a general map
of the country lying to the westward and northwestward of
Lake Superior, as known to the French by that time from
their explorations or from information received from the
Indians. On it our Red lake is represented as emptying
through the Red river into Winnipeg lake on the one side,
and on the opposite is shown as connected by a stream with
the Mississippi. This stream is naturally a combination of
the upper Red Lake river and Turtle river. From the
mouth of the latter another little river reaches out west
ward and heads in a small lake to the south or southwest of
Red lake, which stream and lake bear the expression
Source du Mississipy.
From this time on till the speculations of the English
travellers and authors, beginning a quarter of a century
later, were printed, nothing seems to have been written con
cerning the source of the river; nor do the maps published

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED.

93

during that interval throw much additional light on the
subject. N. B. As may be readily imagined, the books consulted
by me in the compilation of this monograph are entirely too
numerous for individual mention. The greater part of them
are to be found on the shelves of the library of the Minne-

uflerio r

PART OF CARTE DES NOUVELLES DE' COUVERTES A L'OUEST DE LA
NOUVELLE FRANCE, DRESSE SURLES MEMORIES
DE MR. DEL' ISLE. 1750.
sota Historical Society, which possesses a good collection of
French authorities treating of American history in the 16th,
17th and 18th centuries, and has made a beginning towards
obtaining a similar one of Spanish works relating to the dis
covery of America, and to its history while under the rule
of Spain. There are, however, among all these a few which
have been of such signal use in furnishing original facts,
that it would be sheer ingratitude not to indicate my great

94 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
obligations to them. These books are enumerated as fol
lows: 1. The Historia general y natural de las Indias Occidentales of
Oviedo, (1535, ) as reprinted at Madrid in 1851-55, in 4
vols., 4to. The entire fourth volume had never
before been published.
2. Relation des Jesuites, &c, dans la Nouvelle France, 1632-1672.
Reprinted at Quebec in 1858, in 3 vols., large 8vo.
This was a practically new book, for the original
issue, in forty-one volumes, was entirely out of reach
of the ordinary scholar.
3. Le Journal des Jesuites, 1645-1668. Edited by Abbes
Laverdiere and Casgrain, and first published at Que
bec, 1871.
4. Decouvertes et Etablissements des Francais dans I'ouest et
dans le sud de VAmerique Septentrionale, 1614-1754.
[Edited by Pierre Magry] 6 vols. Paris, 1876-1886.
A very valuable historical quarry. Still, though offi
cially declared completed, this work has neither al
phabetical index nor atlas of maps, which much
detracts from its completeness and availability.
5. The Expedition of Don Diego Dionisio de Penalosa — from
Santa Fe to the river Mischipi and Quivera in 1662.
Edited by John G . Shea and first published by him,
New York, 1882.
6. Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson, 1652 to 168^. First
published by the Prince Society, Boston, 1885.
7. The Narrative and Critical History of America. Edited by
Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University. 8
volumes, Boston, 1884-1889. This work, like the Jes
uit Relations, is a cyclopedic one and a true thesaurus.

THE FRENCH ACCOUNTS CONTINUED. 95
On examining the above dates of imprint it will be seen
that a man writing thirty-seven years ago on the histori
cal geography of the Mississippi valley would have now,
if living, and jealous of his credit, to re-write his whole
work; in view of the new facts brought to light by the first
six of these publications. It is to be hoped that the efforts
now being made to unearth manuscripts and maps of the
time of Columbus, hitherto unknown or known and lost,
referring to the discovery of the New World may be suc
cessful. And it is also much to be desired that such search
ing should not stop there, but be continued with a view to
finding like valuable papers concerning the voyages and
expeditions of the Spaniards to and in North America in
the sixteenth century, and concerning their subsequent
doings at the forts and missionary stations which they
maintained there, particularly on the coasts of the Gulf
of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean.

SUB-DIVISION SIXTH.

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS; EXTENT OF CANADA
AND LOUISIANA; TRANSFER OF LOUISIANA BY
FRANCE TO SPAIN; BOUNDARY BETWEEN FRENCH
AND ENGLISH POSSESSIONS; WESTERN BOUND
ARY OF THE UNITED STATES; TRANSFER OF
LOUISIANA BY SPAIN TO FRANCE; CESSION BY
FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA;
INDIAN OCCUPANCY, TRADITIONS AND WARS;
CAPTAIN CARVER'S TRAVELS; THE JOURNEY OF
DAVID THOMPSON.

It is a somewhat difficult matter to properly formulate
the political geography of the Mississippi valley. Prior to
the nineteenth century, the interior of the country was so
little known that grants were made, and claims founded or
decided, on such definitions of territory or descriptions of
lines as now appear vague in the extreme.
Spain, by virtue of the discoveries of Columbus and
others, confirmed to her by papal grant, may be said to
have been the first European owner of the entire valley of
the Mississippi; but she never took formal possession of
this part of her dominions other than ^that incidentally in
volved in Soto's doings. The feeble objections which she

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 97
made, in the next two centuries after the discovery, to other
nations exploring and settling North America, were suc
cessfully overcome by the force of accomplished facts.
The name of Florida, now so limited in its application,
was first applied by the Spaniards to the greater part of the
eastern half of North America, commencing at the Gulf of
Mexico and proceeding northward indefinitely. This ex-
pansiveness of geographical view, was paralleled later by
the definition of a new France of still greater extent, which
practically included all the continent. 1
Judging also by the various grants to individuals, noble
or otherwise, and "companies," which gave away the
country in latitudinal strips extending from the Atlantic
westward, the English were not far behind the Spaniards
and French in this kind of effrontery — not dead even yet, it
would appear, if Africa be looked at. As English colonists
never settled on the Mississippi river in pursuance of such
grants, and never performed any acts of authority there,
such shadowy sovereignties may be disregarded here, in
spite of the fact that it was considered necessary, many
years later, for various states concerned to convey to the
United States their rights to territory which they never
owned nor ruled over.
Thus, in the most arbitrary manner, did the Mississippi

1. Sieur de la Roche was appointed January 12, 1598, Lieutenant-General of
"Canada. Hochelaga. Newfoundland, Labrador, the river of the great bay of
Norembegue, and the lands adjacent to the said provinces and rivers which are
the whole length and depth of the country, provided they are not inhabited by
the subjects of any other Christian Prince."
L' Escarbot, in his history of New France, written in 1617, say s in reference to th is ;
"Thus, our Canada has for its limits on the west side the lands as far as the sea
called the Pacific, on this side of the Tropic of Cancer; on the south the islands
of the Atlantic sea in the direction of Cuba and the Spanish island; on the east
the northern sea which bathes New France; and on the north the land, said to be
unknown, towards the icy sea as far as the arctic pole."
-7

98 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
river, though yet unknown, become the property succes
sively of the Iberian, Gaulish and Anglo-Saxon races —
of three peoples who, in later, times, by diplomacy and
force of arms, struggled for an actual occupancy. Prac
tically however the upper Mississippi valley may be con
sidered as having been in the first place Canadian soil ;
for it was Frenchmen from Canada who first visited it
and traded with its various native inhabitants. The fur
ther prosecution of his discoveries by La Salle in 1682
extended Canada as a French possession to the Gulf of
Mexico, though he did not use the name of Canada, nor
yet that of New France. He preferred to call the entire
country watered by the Mississippi river and its tribu
taries, from its utmost sources to its mouth, by the new
name he had already invented for the purpose — Louisiana.
The names of Canada and New France had been indiffer
ently used to express about the same extent of territory,
but the new name of Louisiana now came to supercede
them in being applied to the conjectural regions to the
west. Although La Salle had applied the latter expres
sion to the entire valley of the Mississippi, it was not
generally used in that sense after his time ; the upper
part of the region was called Canada and the lower Lou
isiana ; but any actual dividing line between the two
provinces was not absolutely established, and their names
and boundaries were very variously indicated on pub
lished maps.
In 1712, when a patent was granted to M. Crozat by
the French government, the first authoritative definition
was made, by describing the territory in which he was
empowered to trade ; though the right was reserved to

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 99
increase, if thought proper, the extent of the government
of Louisiana. As regarded the Mississippi more parti
cularly, the province extended from the sea shore on the
Gulf of Mexico to the Illinois (country), and included all
the basin of the Ohio to the east and that of the Mis
souri to the west. In 1717, was added by the govern
ment the country of the savages called the Illinois. Speak
ing generally, the Canada of the last century included
the Great Lakes, and the country drained by their tribu
taries ; the northern one-fourth of the present State of
Illinois, i. e. so much as lies north of the mouth of Rock
river ; all the regions lying north of the northern water
shed of the Missouri river ; and, finally, the valley of the
upper Missouri itself, where it was explored by the Ver-
endryes for some unkown distance above and below the
country of the Mandans.
Hard pressed by. the English during the Seven Years'
War, France found Louisiana too heavy a burden to carry
alone any longer. In October, 1761, she solicited aid in money
and supplies from Spain, but the latter power did noth
ing more at the time than to take the matter into con
sideration. The next important step was the Preliminary
Treaty of Peace, signed by England, France, and Spain,
at Fontainebleau, on November 3, 1762. In the sixth
article of this treaty it was "agreed that for the future
the limits between the possessions of his Most Christian
Majesty and those of his Britannic Majesty in that part
of the world, shall be irrevocably fixed by a line drawn
along the middle of the river Mississippi, from its source
to the river Iberville, and from thence by a line in the
middle of that stream and of the lakes Maurepas and

100 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Pontchartrain to the sea." The nineteenth article read —
"His Catholic Majesty cedes and guarantees, in absolute
ownership to his Britannic Majesty, all that Spain possesses
on the continent of North America, to the east or southeast
of the Mississippi."
On this very day, November 3, 1762, the French and Span
ish plenipotentiaries signed another act, by which the
French king "ceded to his Cousin of Spain and his succes
sors, forever, * * * all the country known by the name
of Louisiana, including New Orleans and the island on which
that city in situated. " The Spanish king accepted the gift
on the 13th of the same month, but both donation and accept
ance were kept secret by the two powers.
On the 10th of February, 1763, the definitive treaty of
peace was signed, on the part of the kings of Spain and
France on the one side, and the king of Great Britain on the
other, Portugal consenting. The seventh article of this
treaty repeats literally the wording used in the preliminary
treaty, as to limits between the possessions of the French
and English in North America.
Having now obtained possession of eastern Louisiana and
Canada, the king of Great Britain at once proceeded to
divide his new acquisitions into provinces. Among them
were East and West Florida, bounded on the north by the
31st parallel of latitude. Understanding that there were yet
settlements to the northward of this line, on the east side of
the Mississippi river, he substituted for it, in the next year,
another line in order to include them; which line commenced
at the mouth of the Yazoo river and ran thence due east.
As regards the country on the west side of the river, and
that between it and the Iberville, it was not until April 21,

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 101
1764, that the king of France officially notified his governor
at New Orleans of the cession of Louisiana to Spain, made
nearly two years before. The Spaniards were also dilatory
and did not actually arrive at that city to take possession of
their new dominion before the early part of 1766. l
The United States of North America next came on the scene,
as successors of Old England in the valley of the Mississippi.
The Provisional Articles of Peace between the two nations
were signed at Paris on November 3C, 1782. By the second
article, the western part of the boundaries of the territory of
the new republic was defined as a line which should run from
the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods "on a
due west course to the river Mississippi;2 thence by a line to
be drawn along the middle of the said river Mississippi until
it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first de
gree of north latitude. South by a line to be drawn due east
from the line last mentioned in the latitude of thirty-one de
grees north of the Equator, to the middle of the river Apa-
lachicola or Catahouche," etc. There was also a separate
1 General Collot (1796), in his Voyage dans V Amerique, writes as follows:
"As England at the time of the peace of 1763 could not claim the possession of
Louisiana for herself, she was well satisfied to see its ownership pass into the hands
of Spain. She felt assured that the Spanish government was less fit than the French
one to develope the resources of this vast country, which she herself was anxious
to turn to advantage, and that the former would be least in her way in that respect,
and in the design she doubtless entertained to ultimately render herself mistress of
the entire territory."
2 In Robert Rogers' account of North America, 1765, is found the statement that
this river [Mississippi] "takes its rise at the southerly part of the Central Moun
tains, upwards of 3,000 miles, as the river runs, from its mouth at the Gulf of
Mexico. Its highest source is a lake of considerable bigness, opposite to, or north
west of which is a notch or opening in the mountain from which a large stream
flows to the lake, carrying with it a red, sulphurous substance; on which account
this is called the Red lake. The course of the Mississippi from the Red lake is
nearly southwest for upwards of twohundred miles, where it is joined by a smaller
stream from the westward, and its course is turned nearly southeast for more
than three hundred miles, when it is joined by the Muddy river, and later that of
another, notso large, flowing to it from the northeast."

102 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
article attached to this treaty, which provided ' 'that in case
Great Britain, at the conclusion of the present war, shall
recover or be put in possession of West Florida, the line of
north boundary between the said province and the United
States, shall be a line drawn from the mouth of the river
Yassous, where it unites with the Mississippi, due east, to
the river Apalachicola. "
The third article of the Preliminary Articles of Peace be
tween Great Britain and Spain, dated January 20, 1783, says
that "His Britannic Majesty shall cede Eastern Florida to
his Catholic Majesty, and his said Catholic Majesty shall
retain Western Florida."
The Definitive Treaties of Peace between Great Britain
and the United States, and between Great Britain and
Spain, were both signed on September 3, 1783, the first at
Paris, the. second at Versailles. In the former treaty the
boundaries of the United states are repeated as they appear
in the Provisional Articles already cited. In like manner
no change was made in the wording of the Spanish treaty,
in which the Floridas were ceded to' Spain without any
definition of limits whatever. Seeing that the northern
boundary of these provinces had years before then been
moved northward from latitude 31° to the Yazoo river, as
previously stated, Spain naturally had a right to feel ag
grieved; for such a double gift of the same land as was
involved in these two treaties, whether meant or not, was
sowing dragons' teeth for a future crop of armed men.
From this time on the political affairs of the lower Missis
sippi country became exceedingly complicated. The Span
iards, still the rightful owners of the left bank of the
Mississippi — so far as governmental treaties can confer

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 103
right — were reluctant to abandon territory of which they
were in actual possession. They thought that there might
be a new Declaration of Independence west of the Alle-
ghanies, and that the Kentuckians might be induced to
become the friends of Spain as a republic separate from
that of the United States — or possibly even join themselves
to her outright; but all intrigues between apprehensive
Spaniards and ambitious Americans looking towards such
ends came to nothing.
On October 27, 1795, Spain and the United States entered
into a "Treaty of Friendship, Limits and Navigation," in
which it was agreed that the boundary between the
Floridas and the possessions of the Republic should be at
the northermost part of the thirty-first degree of latitude,
then due east etc. ; and that any troops, garrison or settle
ments, on either side of said line should be withdrawn
within six months, or sooner if possible, after the ratifica
tion of the said treaty. The treaty, after the various neces
sary ratifications, was proclaimed on August 2, 1796. The
Spanish authorities however showed no alacrity in comply
ing with this provision, and it was not until they were
threatened by the forces of the United States with a set
attack, in 1797, that their troops evacuated the posts held
by them; and Natchez, with all the eastern part of the
valley north of the thirty-first parallel, fell into the hands
of the Americans, without a blow having been struck.
It is now clearly seen that the affairs of the Old World
had much to do with transfers of colonial possessions
between European powers, and that American countries
were apparently but distant pawns on the ' ' political chess
board," which could be sacrificed to subserve important

104 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
moves. The Corsican soldier Bonaparte, First Consul of
the French Republic, began to unsettle the boundaries and
names of Italian and other European states, and so it hap
pened that the name of far-off Lquisiana was brought into
conjunction with the dignified appellations of Tuscany and
Parma. Secretly as Spain had received from France in
1762 the immense but indefinite territory of Louisiana did
she give it back again to the donor. The treaty of San
Ildefonso was signed on October 1, 1800, and by its third
article it retroceded to France, six months after certain
stipulations concerning the "kingdom of Etruria" should
have been complied with, the colony or province of Lou
isiana, ' ' with the same extent that it now has in the hands
of Spain, and that it had when France possessed it. " The
fact of this second transfer of the Mississippi valley leaked
out very gradually, but within two years it had become, to
statesmen, a good instance of an open secret.
Time flowed on now for a year or two without any striking
event occurring in connection with the Mississippi valley.
In Europe there was a lull in the storm of war ; for the
Treaty of Amiens was signed March 27, 1802, and France
and England were at peace for a short time again. On
July 22, 1802, the First Consul stipulated to Spain that France
would never sell nor alienate Louisiana — a political promise
which he had later to break, facts being more stubborn
things than even arbitrary First Consuls. Toward the end
of this year, the Spanish authorities at New Orleans
imprudently took away from the Americans the right of
deposit at that city — i. e. the right of landing and storing
merchandise there — without designating any other point
where this might be done. Such bad faith incensed the

EARLY. TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 105
people of the United States, and a cry arose that they
should forcibly take possession of New Orleans and of the
outlets to the sea ; in fact a cry for war. There were also
spirited debates in both houses of Congress as to what
should be done, but their action fell short of recommending
immediate resort to hostilities.
The executive branch of the government of course fully
sympathized with the outraged feelings of the western
people, but the condition of affairs was peculiar. Spain yet
garrisoned New Orleans, and was still both actual possessor
and titular owner of what remained of the province of Lou
isiana, in spite of the fact that she had bargained all of it
away to France, except western Florida. It was not until
the 26th of March, 1803, two years and a half after the
transfer, that the colonial prefect Laussat arrived from
France ; but no troops accompanied him or were sent after
him, and no transfer of the government of the province
could yet be made to him.
In February and March, the President of the United States
caused representations to be made to the French government
concerning the matter, specifically, as to a project for the
annexation of the Floridas and the island of New Orleans.
The American plenipotentiaries labored hard with the
French ministers, go-betweens of the First Consul, but little
progress was made till Bonaparte himself astonished the
former by sending word that he would sell the whole of the
province for a certain consideration. He had known his
own mind all the time . Hostilities with England were im
minent, and in view of that fact, he considered, as he told his
ministers, that the colony was entirely lost, and therefore
that it would be more useful to France in the hands of the

106 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Americans than if he attempted to keep it, for the English
would at once seize it, as he naturally supposed, on the
renewal of the war. Having to fight with a rich nation
however he wished to obtain as much money from the pur
chasers as possible. The treaty of cession was signed on
April 30, 1803, and on the 18th of May England declared war
against France; so there had really been no time to lose.
The former government had, however, expressed, to the
American embassador their complete willingness to see the
United States obtain possession of Louisiana.
On the 18th of May also, as it happened, the Spanish com
missioners, appointed to deliver the province to France, is
sued a proclamation at New Orleans. It was stated that the
limits on both sides of the river St. Louis or Mississippi should
continue as they remained by the fifth article of the Definitive
Treaty of Peace of December 10, 1763, so that the settlements
from Bayou Manchac to the line separating the dominions of
Spain and those of the United States should remain a part of
the monarchy of Spain, and be annexed to the province of
West Florida. The Spanish government did not relish this
alienation of Louisiana by France, and protested against it.
They complained that the stipulations of the treaty of
San Udefonso had not been complied with; but all to no
effect, and there the matter rested. Spain had* seen her best
days, and was now more of a lamb than the wolf she had
been for centuries. On June 1, the prefect referred to was
appointed commissioner on the part of France to receive
possession of Louisiana from the Spanish commissioners and
deliver it to those of. the United States. By the end of
October the ' ' Louisiana Purchase" was consummated by the
action of the U. S. Senate. On November 30, the ceremony

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 107
of the formal transfer of the province from Spain to France
took place at New Orleans, and on December 20, that from
France to the United States.
All that remained now of the Mississippi river1 which any
foreign power could claim to possess, was 200 miles of its
left bank between the 31st parallel and the mouth of the
Iberville. This, as a part of its province of West Florida,
Spain still clung to tenaciously, in spite of the evident feel
ings of the Americans concerning the ' 'manifest destiny" of
their republic.
By virtue of a proclamation dated October 27, 1810, the
President directed that possession should be taken of the
territory south of the Mississippi territory, and eastward of
the river Mississippi, and extending to the river Perdido.
The acts of Congress passed in 1811 and 1813, authorizing
the seizure of the Floridas in certain contingencies, and the
ruthless invasion of eastern Florida in 1816 by General
Jackson and his Tennesseans, followed by the capture Of
fortified places there held by the Crown of Spain, with
which at the time the United States were at peace, were the
beginning of the end. By the treaty signed February 22,
1819, the Spanish government ceded to that of the United
States about all that was left to it of the ancient province of
Florida; the formal surrender of the land itself was made at
Pensacola on the 21st of July, 1821. Now it was that actual
control of the Mississippi river, from its source to its mouth,

1 That the government of the United States was curious about the boundary
question is shown by the instructions of Thomas Jefferson to Capt. Lewis, the head
of the Missouri River Expedition of 1803, for he requested information concerning
the country contiguous to that traversed. Mr. Jefferson said: "If you can learn
anything certain of the most northern source of the Mississippi, and of its position
relative to the Lake of the Woods, it will be interesting to us."

108 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
for the first time fell into the hands of a government fully
competent to maintain itself against all comers. *-
Though forty years later the authority of the United
States on the waters below the Ohio was set at defiance
through a formidable civil war — when the river "rained
bullets," as prophesied by an American statesman years be
fore — yet it was but for a short time. It is to be hoped that
future generations may not behold the disintegration or
overthrow of the republic, nor the transfer of the historic
valley of the great river to another and less worthy su
premacy. *
Abstract, aboriginal and pre-historic2 questions would,
however interesting, be out of place in an examination of

1 Extract from the speech of Daniel Webster in tho U. S. Senate, March 7, 1850, on
the Slavery Compromise.
"Sir, nobody can look over the face of this country at the present moment— no
body can see where its population is most dense and growing, without being ready
to admit, and compelled to admit, that ere long America will be in the valley of the
Mississippi." 2 There is no doubt that the immediate valley of the Mississippi river supported.
in pre-historic times, a far more numerous population than was found there by
the first expldrers of our modern epoch. Who these people were, it is impossible
to state.
Whether a number of warring tribes, each independent of their neighbor, or
nations living under one or more semi-barbarous hut well organized governments
similar to those of Mexico or Peru, or otherwise, is problematic, hardly proper to
consider as a geographical question.
The evidences of the existence of the human race in pre-historic times is every
where met by those who search for them. The most striking feature to be found
is the mounds of earth, artificially shaped, which are not easily overlooked, and
which exist all the way from Louisiana to Minnesota, though differing much in
form, size and style in different localities. Ordinary tumuli are found all along
the valley and for that reason have not had much systematic attention paid to
them by inquirers in search of information concerning the same. From the lower
Red river to the Illinois, is found a class of mounds flattened on top with rectan
gular bases, often with upper and lower summits, and with broad approaches which
are styled platform or temple mounds; but above those well known ones on the
Illinois bottoms at Cahokia, earth structures of this class are not often met-
Beyond them, beginning somewhere above the Rock river, commence the still
more mysterious remains known as imitative or effigy mounds, low heaps of earth
constructed, undoubtedly, to represent in their ground plan, animated beings of

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 109
the present character. The time is past when the aborigines
are needed, or their aid required for reliable geographic
facts; indeed, as a rule, Indian maps have always been but
distortions. When first known in history, the banks of the
Mississippi were peopled nearly its entire length. Those
people had stamped upon their countenances the color of
their origin, and as they probably floated across the Pacific
Ocean and reached the coast of the New World, that color
indicating their mental capacity precluded the possibility
of their grasping opportunities, not yet fully availed of by
the Anglo-Saxon race.
Those people, by instinct and nature, at long continued
warfare, adopted habits in the northwest, and those habits
made the timber line a division line between the contending
various kinds and even weapons of war, These effigy mounds have been proved
by Prof. T. H. Lewis— who has of late years made a special study of the subject-
to extend up the Mississippi nearly, if not quite to the St. Croix and beyond that
point; but back in the interior at considerable distances, he has found isolated
specimens widely separated from each other, as far to the northward as the valley
of the Crow Wing river. Stone graves and forts are found in the latitude of
southern Illinois, not very far from the Mississippi. Ordinary village sites and
shell heaps are at places thickly strewn along the banks of the river, and at very
many points where the rock formations are exposed the early inhabitants left
their symbolical markings engraved or painted on cliffs or in eaves. All these
things denote many people in the valley of the Mississippi for a moderate time, or
a much smaller number living there for a much longer time— probably an occu
pancy in all of more than scores of centuries— but this question must be left for a
decision, if ever decided, to the facts to be derived from gradual and painstaking
investigation and research One thing is certain, that as regards the upper Mis
sissippi, at least, in the time of the earliest explorers referred to, tumuli, effigies,'
shell heaps and village sites had all long been forgotten and become unknown to
the Indians of the day, who only knew of some of the grotesque figures drawn on
the rocks by reason of the improbability of overlooking them and who knew
nothing of their origin, but were inclined to think them of super-natural import,
and accustomed to make offerings to them in passing.
Between the mouth of the Rum river of Minnesota and the neighborhood of
the Arkansas river, the French traders or missionaries found no Indian tribes or
nations liviug permanently on the banks of the Mississippi, At that time, the
river had ceased to be a safe dwelling place for pacific and sedentary .natives, and
those Indians who did go upon the waters of that portion of the river, went in the
full force of their tribe to hunt as they travelled, or in smaller bands as war
parties. In other words, the Mississippi river was then practically a solitude.

110 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
tribes. The timber line in the process of natural growths,
reaches from the southeast to the northwest, dividing the
great plains from the great forests. Itasca lake is on the
southern border of that great forest; consequently, the local
ity ultimately became Ojibway territory, and the Dakotas
were their warring neighbors of the extensive prairies im
mediately to the southwest, known in later years as "the
plains." From these Indians, the first direct information
was gained concerning the source of the river, crude, un
certain, but now interesting.
The Spanish and French maps bear earmarks of informa
tion communicated by Indians, coupled with the accuracy
and improvement of civilized observation, until the days of
M. Nicollet, in 1836, when the first exhaustive chart of the
upper waters of the Mississippi was constructed and he,
too, depended largely upon semi-civilized1 knowledge.
Accurate and detailed governmental surveys in the field
from 1848 to 1875, by six mile square townships immediate
ly superceded Nicollet's chart, to and including Itasca and
Elk lakes. Yet in 1881, there was a crude map of the
Itasca Basin constructed by an Ojibway Indian, from mem
ory, and in ignorance of the existence of governmental
stakes, witness trees and land marks, then standing in plain
sight on the shores of Itasca and Elk lakes. This Indian
map, a geographical curiosity, was adopted by unscrupulous
hands and foisted upon the geographical world as indicating
original discovery at the source of the Mississippi.
As the aboriginal occupancy of the locality was attended
only by obscurity, ignorance and barbarity, there is no

1. French half-bloods, and often, by interpretation, those who were still farther
removed from the influences of civilized information.

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. Ill
record from which to describe the first appearance of unciv
ilized humanity at the headwaters of the river. A people
not competent to record the facts of history and render
an instructive record of the chain of discoveries, have
not been and ought not to be, accorded the honors of dis
covery. That Indian tribes were the only pre-historic
occupants of this territory is not entirely certain.
The facts of record indicate the territory, to be probably
neutral ground (possibly occupied by the Sioux) followed
by the encroachments of the Ojibways — the former now dis
tinctively a prairie "people and the latter as distinctly a
people of the woods. The conquests between these tribes.
of unknown duration, followed by a series of Indian treaties
with the United States, constitutes the territory at the
source of the Mississippi a part of the public domain.
As to actual Indian occupancy and possession, the record
which comes down to us is by no means clear, and any state
ment concerning the same must be, of necessity, based, to a
considerable extent, upon traditionary information from
tribal sources. A brief reference to this occupancy is given
from the most reliable data obtainable.
The ultimate headwaters of the Mississippi were remote
from all the places visited by the early French traders and
missionaries in the seventeenth century, and as the source
was unknown to them, so also was the fact whether or not
there were any permanent Indian settlements or villages in
this immediate vicinity.
The maps and books of the times of the earliest discover
ies, do not justify the supposition that the Itasca Basin
was within the territory of the Sioux, whilst, as for the
Ojibway Indians, they were then no nearer the Mississippi

112 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
river than the Falls of St. Mary at the outlet of Lake
Superior. As between the Sioux and the Ojibway tribes
and the tribes of savages who at that time occupied the ter
ritory to the northward, the source of the Mississippi,
remote and isolated, was probably intermediate territory
belonging to no particular tribe of savages and claimed by
none. When the westward migration of the Ojibway tribes
occurred, is not very clear, but migrate they did in that
direction, first tarrying for a long time at La Pointe until
they finally came to Fond du Lac — ih closer contact with
the Sioux, whom they had fought and were again to fight.
This Indian war, as is well known, was maintained for gen
erations, until the time when the whites on account of the
Sioux massacre and insurrection of 1862, drove the Sioux,
then living no farther east than the upper Minnesota river,
out of the reach of their former enemies into the valley of
the Missouri river. The time when the savage hostilities
between the Ojibway and the Sioux began, is not certainly
known. Carver was told that it had already lasted forty
years, at the time of his visit, which would make its com
mencement about 1726.
Warren, in his history of the Ojibways, derived from tra
ditional sources, writing in 1852, estimates the beginning of
the war upon the Sioux at Mille Lacs, to. have been five
generations previous to that time. He narrates how the
Ojibways first drove the Sioux, by hard fighting, from
their villages on Rum river and Mille Lacs lake and its vicin
ity; from the head of the St. Croix river; from Sandy Lake
village; from the neighborhood of Pokegama falls; from
Lake Winnibigoshish, and how they would have driven

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS.

113

them from Leech lake had not the Sioux, by a previous re
tirement, saved them the trouble.
There is nothing in the reports of the traders and officers
connected with the French fur companies trading in this
region, to denote any general war and expulsion of the
Sioux from the northern country, but yet it might have
happened to some extent.
The exploration regarding the upper Mississippi, made
under English auspices may be discussed in a few words.

TteS- Ltirfe, or

Mi£aisacai&aro

i?t

PART OF A MAP OF CANADA. JEFFERY'S, 1762.
There is, unfortunately, a documentary gap between the
time of the French traders in Minnesota and that of Capt.
Jonathan Carver, which may never be filled and which de
prives us of information that could probably clear up the
mystery of the abandonment by the Sioux of the country
north of Watab river in the vicinity of Sauk Rapids — the
point on the Mississippi river where the boundary line between
the two nations was made to cross it, by formal treaty.
-8

114 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
In Capt. Carver's book, speaking of Red lake, the author
says: "The parts adjacent are very little known or fre
quented, even by the savages themselves. "
On the map which is reproduced may be seen the import
ant remarks which tend to show that the Itasca Basin, was
in his time at least, neutral ground if not debatable terri
tory. The first remark which appears upon the map im
mediately to the south and southeast of Red lake and
"White Bear lake"— whichever lake that maybe, reads as
follows: "This is the road of war between the Nadowessie and As-
siniboils. N. B. All country not possessed by any one nation
where war parties are often passing, is called by them the
Road of War."
The next appears a little farther to the south and reads
thus: "The head branches of the Mississippi are little known.
Indians seldom travel this way except war parties. "
As Carver did not ascend the Mississippi any farther than
the present St. Francis river, he was not able to settle by
personal observation the question whether the Sioux were
driven from their former habitations by force of arms, or
voluntarily relinquished them to be nearer the trading posts
to the south of them on the Mississippi, and possibly on the
Minnesota also; nor does he attempt to settle this question.
He states that three bands of the tribe lived between the St.
Croix and the Minnesota, on both sides of the Mississippi,
and that eight other bands" lived in a country lying more to
the westward — the Sioux of the plains.

DRAWN FROM A PLAN OF CAPTATN CARVERS TRAVELS IN THE
INTERIOR PARTS OF NORTH AMERICA IN 1766 AND 1767.

116

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

In June, 1766, Capt. Carver, as a British subject, set out
from Boston to explore the country tributary to the upper
portion of the Mississippi, in pursuance of a declared desire
to enlighten his countrymen concerning the country and its
inhabitants, bordering upon the waters of the Upper Missis
sippi. It would appear that the
policy adopted by the
French concerning a geo
graphical knowledge of the
territory of the Upper Mis
sissippi, obscured its im
portance from the eyes of
the world, from evident sel
fish motives, that the reve
nues from trade, the occu
pancy of the country, its
physical features and pro
ductive possibilities, might
be known and availed of
only by themselves
CAPT. JONATHAN CARVER. ** J
A careful perusal and consideration of Capt. Carver's
visit to the savage tribes occupying the territory adjacent
to the present site of the City of St. Paul, Minnesota,
demonstrates that there was but little or no information
touching the source of the river, which he describes as
being within thirty miles of the source of the St. Lawrence
and Bourbon rivers, the "Origan," or river of the West,
having its source rather farther to the west.
Capt. Carver's sojourn among the Sioux Indians, his
acquirement of a knowledge of their language and his

EARLY TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. 117
extended observations and the geographical information he
gained of the territory to which he was a visitor, resulted in
his constructing a map of the locality of much interest at
the time it was published, following his voyage to the
northwest. Carver County, Minnesota, formed of territory at or near
where he spent the winter of 1766, with the Sioux Indians,
permanently inscribed his name upon the geography of
Minnesota. David Thompson, an English Astronomer, entered the
service of the Northwest Company in 1797. In the per
formance of the duties required of him, he passed from the
north shore of Lake Superior to Manitoba and the
Mandan villages on the Missouri and prepared to "connect "
the waters of the Red river and the Mississippi. He left
the Mouse river February 25, 1798 with a dog train. He
successively reached and passed the mouth of the Assin-
iboine and Pembina rivers, passed up the Red river
of the North to Red Lake river, and on the 17th
of April arrived at Red lake. Passing to the south
ward, he reached Turtle lake, April 27th, from which flows
"Turtle Brook." He was accredited, to some extent, as the
discoverer of the source of the Mississippi at Turtle lake.
He descended Turtle river to Cass lake, and thence down
the Mississippi through "Winnipegoos" lake to the north of
"Sand Lake river" and thence across the divide to Lake
Superior. Notes of his travels have been preserved and to
some extent published, making his voyage the first authentic
account of an examination of that part of the Mississippi
river between Cass lake and Sandy lake. His voyage from
the Mississippi river to Lake Superior at so early a date,

118 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
during cold and inclement weather, across what is now
North Dakota and Minnesota, and a part of Manitoba, was
regarded as a remarkable and hazardous undertaking.

^t^~w^ ~^^"V>^W

SUB-DIVISION SEVENTH.

THE FIRST KNOWN OF WHITE MEN AT ELK LAKE;
THE NAME DEFINED ; WILLIAM MORRISON; THE
ONLY RECORD OF HIS VOYAGE TO ITASCA LAKE
IN 1803 ; LOST NOTE-BOOKS.

In the detailed and intricate examination into the Spanish,
French, English and Indian occupancy of the territory now
comprised within the limits of Minnesota, more particularly
that portion at the headwaters and source of the Mississippi,
no reliable statement can be found, written or printed, show
ing or in anywise indicating that any person but the native
savage had, previous to 1803, visited that portion of it now
known as the Itasca Basin, the Omoskos of the Chippewa,
the La Biche of the French, the Elk of the English.
The topographical formation of the locality in its phy
sical features, — the shape of an elk's head with the horns
representing the east and west arms, — no doubt gave it the
name "Elk." It may be a fact, recently demonstrated by
the discovery in the bed of one the creeks there, of a large
pair of elk antlers, that the locality was formerly the breed
ing place of that animal, and as a hunting ground, was
known as Elk lake, (Omoskos Sogiagon). The French, by

120 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
translation, followed the same name and even after the
change in the name by Schoolcraft and Boutwell. it still
attaches, by authority of action on the part of the United
States officials, and by enactment of the Legislature of Min
nesota, to one of the lakes of the locality.
An authentic writing, concerning the first discovery of the
Source in 1803, is that of William Morrison. The original
draft of his letter is extant, and for the first time appears in
print as an important document in the question of discovery
now under consideration, - of much interest in a deliberate
determination to state questions of fact, devoid of all pro
blematic embellishments.
Of William Morrison's life and times, and the causes of
his residence, in the then northwestern wilderness, a most
thorough inquiry has been made. The result of the inquiry
necessarily brought to the attention all the principal inci
dents of his life, — an eventful one among the traders and
tribes of the Northwest.
It was known that Mr. Morrison recorded a daily account
of his movements, and to Mrs. Georgiana Demaray, his
accomplished daughter, was assigned the labor of searching
for these records in Canada, — his last place of residence —
but it is now known that they were lost. 2 Mrs. Demaray
during her father's lifetime received from his lips a detailed
account of his visit to Elk lake, a description of his written
accounts noted down at the time, which were lost, except
those from 1824 to the close of his northwestern career, and

1. The Wm. Morrison letter, published in the collection of the Minnesota His
torical Society in vol. 1 p. 417 is a composite production.
2. Mr. Morrison lost his record books, by an accidental capsizing of his canoe,
and like the records of some of his French predecessors, definite information
found a watery grave. To replace, from memory, the notes of twenty years, was
an impossibility.

THE FIRST KNOWN OF WHITE MEN.

121

a detailed verbal statement of his residence of a quarter of
a century in the neighborhood of the headwaters of the
Mississippi. It is highly probable that Mr. Morrison was
the first known of white men who visited in 1803, 1804, 1811
and 1812, the Basin surrounding the source of the Missis
sippi. In those days of iso
lation and a consequent
carelessness, it is fair to
presume that Mr. Morrison
had no available opportuni
ty to make known his visits
there, unless in casual re
ports to his employers, and
then only in matter-of fact
communications, soon to be
laid away and almost as
soon forgotten, and relega
ted to an oblivion which
tests the patience of those
who now seek, with ill suc
cess, after the lapse of near
ly a century, to verify the mrs. georgiana demaray.
record of an important geographical discovery, with adverse
claimants in its history.
Mr. Morrison was elected a member of the Superior, Wis
consin, Historical Society, September 27th, 1855, on the rec
ord of his services and discoveries in the region of the head
waters of the Mississippi. His residence in the Northwest,
for a quarter of a century, should be regarded as of sufficient
importance to append a brief outline of his birth, and the
incidents of his lifetime, that, while there is yet an oppor-

122 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
tunity, mankind may be advised of him who consistently
claimed the honors of a first discovery of the source of the
Mississippi. Mr. Morrison's correspondence upon this question during
the last years of his life, was had with his brother Allan
Morrison of Crow Wing, Minn., in 1856, more than fifty
years after the occurrence of the events described, yet the
remembrance of circumstances seems to have been fresh in
his mind, and undoubtedly from the fact that he had always
considered himself the first of white men at the source of
the river. Of this fact, Mrs. Demaray is a living witness,
and Mr. Alexander H. Morrison of St. Joseph, Michigan, a
member of William Morrison's household, as a ward, remem
bers the fact that, as early as 1837, and prior to that time,
the circumstances of this first discovery were freely dis
cussed and related to himself and others by William Mor
rison. This is the best evidence at hand. It is certainly a matter
of regret, that the memorandum book, written from day to
day in 1803-4, by Mr. Morrison, during a long winter's resi
dence near the source, cannot now be produced. That book
may have contained a sketch of the locality. It certainly
would describe the route of travel and the particular points
of location, facts now beyond the reach of those who seek to
perpetuate in definite form the first discovery of Itasca
lake, if such it was.
Among several letters1 written by Mr. Morrison on this

Berthier, 16th January, 1856.
1"My Dear Brother:— Your letter of the 26th ultimo has come to hand. We
were happy to hear from you and yours. George's letters likewise are received.
Fanny will answer him and his mother also.
You do not say a word about your trip to the States this winter and your in
tended visit to see us. Will not the treaty take place this winter?

THE FIRST KNOWN OF WHITE MEN. 123
subject, one is given in full, and just as written and signed
by himself, and addressed to his brother, Allan Morrison.
Mr. Morrison was born in Canada in 1763, and died there
August 7th, 1866; the records indicate, however, that he be
came a citizen of the United States by naturalization.
It is but right and proper that, to commemorate the event
of his visit to the Basin, his name should be inscribed there
upon its list of geographical designations, a recognition
which has been awarded.
Concerning the presumable fact, that, antedating the first
known visit of white men at Lac La Biche, French voyageurs
may have reached the Basin, no reliable statement in writing
is known to exist, describing such visit. In the absence of
any known record as to the movements of the French fur
traders and voyageurs who first established themselves in
I note what you say concerning the source of the Mississippi. You wish to
know who was the first person who went to its source. For the information of the
H. Society, I willstate to you all about what came to my knowledge, by which you
will perceive that H. R. Schoolcraft is in error and that he was not the first person
who made the discovery of the source of the Mississippi.
I left the old Grand Portage, July, 1802, landed at Leech lake in September.
In October, I went and wintered on one of the Crow Wing streams near its source.
Our Indians were Pillagers; in 1803-4, 1 went and wintered at Lac La Folle. I left
Leech lake, passed by Red Cedar lake, up river Lac Travers to the lake of that
name, then up river La Biche or Elk river, to near Lac La Biche, when we made a
portage to fall into Lac La Folle. Lac La Biche is near to Lac La Folle. Lac La
Biche is the source of the Great River Mississippi, which I visited in 1804, and if
the late Gen. Pike did not lay it down as such when he came to Leech lake it is
because he did not happen to meet me. 1 was at an outpost that winter. The late
Gen Pike laid down on his book Red Cedar lake as the head of the Mississippi
river. I did not trace any vestige of white men before me. In 1811-12, 1 wintered
again at Lac La Folle near to the plains. We went down river La Folle some dis
tance. I then overtook a gentleman with an outfit from Michilimackinao, Mr.
Otepe, with whom I parted only at Fond du Lac. He took the south towards
Mch'a and I north to our headquarters, which had been changed to.
Fort William north of the Grand Portage. This I expect will explain that I visi
ted in 1804, Elk lake, and again in 1811-12. With respect to the first Fond du Lac
traders, we all came from Mackinac. Some came by Lake Superior and others up
by Prairie du Chien, up to Crow Wing and some went to Lac La Que de l'Outre—
Otter Tail lake— Messrs. Reaume, Cotton, Casselais, Sayers, Letang and several
others, some came by Lake Superior and others up the Mississippi by way of
Prairie du Chien. These persons were persons who preceded us. The French had

124 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
lines of trade and traffic with the Indians, across the north
ern portion of the territory which now constitutes the State
of Minnesota, no definite record can be found concerning a
mere probability that they may have reached Elk lake.
To the writers of the future must be left the task of discov
ering the record of the manner in which "Lac La Biche"1
first became known to the French and of any visits they may
have made to the locality, if any such record exists, which
now seems doubtful. Certain it is that Mr. Morrison's
letter is the only record of the first visit to the source of the
Mississippi of which we have any knowledge.
trading posts on Lake Superior, but not in the interior of F. D. L. that I could
ever discover. The late Mr. Sayers returned from Mckina and found
that his bands of Indians had died by the smallpox— 1780— I think.
Perhaps it is not amiss to mention that I went to the Indian country engaged
to Sir Alexander McKenzie & Co., who had joined stock with the X. Y. Co., form
erly the Richardson & Co.
I went into the country in opposition to the old N. W. Co. I found in Fond du
Lac, N. W. traders, Messrs. Sayers at Leech lake, Cotton at Fond du. Lac and
Bousquai at Sandy lake. My party were Michel and Antoine Cheniers— brothers,
John McBean and Messrs. Bouvin and Grignon.
We opposed all the N . W. posts until 1805, wh^n a coalition took place between
McKenzie and N. W. Co. The trade was carried on jointly until after the late war
in 1816. J. J. Astor of New York, bought out the whole stocks of the company
which was within the U. S. territory. J. J. A. gave the name of his concern the A.
M. F. Co., who extended their trade from the old Grand Portage to the Lake of the
Woods. Their route was up the St. Louis to the heights of land and then down the
Rainy lake river to Lake of the Woods. Our grandfather Waddin was killed by
Pierrepont and Lesiur in 1780 and buried at Lac Le Rouge.
I have not McKenzie's travels before me for the precise years of his voyage.
Francheu is pretty correct in his statements. Mr. Bond, your writer, must
have seen these gentlemen's travels.
I will send you enclosed a letter from my old friend Geo. Nelson, who wintered
at Folle Avoine in 1802-3-4.
I have had the honor of having been named a member of the H. S. of Superior,
who have a just right to claim any information they may require that I can give
them. Your affectionate brother, WILLIAM MORRISON."
1. Itasca Lake.

SUB-DIVISION EIGHTH.

LIEUTENANT Z. M. PIKE'S EXPEDITION IN 1805-6; HE
REACHES THE MOUTH OF TWO RIVERS AND
ERECTS BLOCK HOUSES; BUFFALO, ELK AND
DEER HUNT; SLEDGE JOURNEY TO LEECH LAKE;
THE BRITISH FLAG; INDIAN WARFARE; KILLED
AT YORK.

The cession of
Louisiana, (alter-
nately Spanish and
French territory, ) in
A. D., 1803, to the
United States,
brought a very im-
p o r t a n t territory
under the dominion
and ownership of
this government,
with a conservative
policy, but active
and energetic oper
ations for its control
and welfare.

GEN. Z. M. PIKE.

126 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Lieut. Z. M. Pike was dispatched from St. Louis to explore
and examine the Mississippi and tributary country to the
headwaters. He sailed from St. Louis in keel- boats up the
river, August 9th, 1805, at the head of a detachment of
twenty men. With varying hardships, conferences with the
Indians and traders, subsisting in part on game and fish,
the detachment reached the Two Rivers of Morrison County,
Minnesota, on the west bank of the Mississippi at the begin
ning of winter, erecting a fort of block-houses. The south
branch of Two Rivers was named Pine creek, and the other
Second creek. From November 1st to December 10th,
Lieut. Pike and his detachment erected the fort, hunted the
buffalo, elk and deer, then in great numbers at the points
now known as Rice's in Benton County, and Brockway in
Stearns County, Minnesota.
Lieut. Pike commenced a sledge journey with a detail
from the detachment from his block fort December 10th,
cached provisions underground above Little Falls, passed
the De Corbeau ( Crow Wing) river, and on Christmas day
was encamped a short distance above the point where is now
situated the City of Brainerd, reached the mouth of Pine
river December 31st, and January 3rd, 1806, discovered the
British flag floating at an Indian encampment. On the night
of January 4th, the party lost their tents and portions of
their wearing apparel by accidental conflagration, barely
escaping from an explosion of the ammunition supply.
Bringing to their use a supply of snow shoes and toboggans,
the detachment arrived at Leech lake on February 1st, ex
hausted and worn out by cold, hunger and exposure. Pike
says: "I will not attempt to describe my feelings on the
accomplishment of my voyage, for this is the main source of

PIKE'S EXPEDITION. 127
the Mississippi," and on February 12th, he wrote, after a
march to Red Cedar lake: "This may be called the upper
source of the Missippi river. "
-->vAl<'//,# $_„,,.„«¦

CecLai-ZaKe*

fills o-£ T?a tfaaato-a.

EXTRACT FROM LIEUT. Z. M. PIKE'S CHART NEAR SOURCE OF THE
MISSISSIPPI, 1805-6.
The Red Cedar lake of Pike's map is the Cass lake of
the State Map of Minnesota of the present time. Examin
ing the surrounding locality, taking observations for his
position which he gave as "Lat. 47°, 38'; Long. 95°, 08'."
Conferring with the Indians who designated him and his de
tachment, "neither Frenchmen nor Englishmen, but white
Indians," advising the traders of the supremacy of the
United States over that portion of the public domain, mak
ing extraordinary efforts to curtail and suppress Indian

128 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
warfare between the tribes, the return march was, after
many hardships and sufferings, accomplished, to the block
house at Two Rivers, in March, 1806, and spending some
days in the hunt for subsistence, at the opening of spring,
the boats on the river were resumed, and on the 30th of
April, after an absence of eight months and twenty-two
days, the detachment reached St. Louis.
Of Lieut. Pike it may be said that he was constituted, and
his physical and mental energies peculiarly fitted him for,
the leader of a hazardous trip into an unknown country.
Surrounded by the dangers and sufferings of a northern
winter, beyond civilization, with no facilities for communi
cation, and warring tribes of savages on either hand, sub
sistence only for four months, and that partly destroyed,
and, in his absence, squandered by the sergeant of the de
tachment, he accomplished a task certainly requiring the
ability he so successfully displayed. He successively re
ceived promotion as Captain, Major and Colonel, and as
Brig. General led the American forces in 1813 against York
(now Toronto) Canada, where he fell mortally wounded from
the explosion of the British magazine.
He was born at Lamberton, N. J. , January 5th, 1779, was
twenty-six years of age at the time of his expedition to the
source of the Mississippi, and was but thirty-four years of
age at the time of his death.
In 1806, it was believed that Pike had actually penetrated
to the source of the river, and it was a misfortune that he
did not meet at that time William Morrison, from whom he
could well learn many facts of geographical importance.
Mr. Morrison, at the time of Pike's expedition, it will be
remembered, was at an outpost.

PIKE'S EXPEDITION. 129
That Pike believed that he had penetrated to the source
is certain, but one consideration above all others predomi
nates. His information was entirely hearsay and he took
for granted the stories told him of the Turtle lake source.
That locality then had a considerable population of Indians
and white traders from the Canadian provinces. No actual
exploration in the field along the upper branches of the Miss
issippi was had by him, the whole country, lakes, rivers and
streams being covered with ice and snow, and to all the
points visited by him he was guided by the inhabitants of
the locality. His voyage at the time was considered as suc
cessful as it was remarkable. Certain it is that exposure
and want of knowledge of the country made it a hazardous
undertaking. Pike says nothing whatever of Itasca (then
Elk) lake.

-9

SUB-DIVISION NINTH.

THE LEWIS CASS EXPEDITION; THROUGH LAKE
SUPERIOR; CAMP AT SANDY LAKE; VOYAGE
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI FROM CASS LAKE.

October 9th, 1782, at Exeter, New Hampshire, Lewis Cass
was born. His father was a major in the Revolutionary
Army. In 1799, he was stationed at Wilmington, Del., where
his son Lewis secured employment as a teacher. Removing
to Ohio in 1800, Lewis Cass took up the study of law, was
two years later admitted to the bar and was elected a mem
ber of the legislature, where he became prominent in active
consideration of the designs of Aaron Burr. He was an offi
cer in the war of 1812, Ohio Volunteers, and was promoted
to the rank of Brigadier General.
In October, 1813, he was appointed Governor of Michigan
Territory, a position he held for eighteen years, acting also
ex-officio, as Superintendent of Indian affairs of his terri
tory. In his capacity as governor, on November 18th, 1819,
he addressed a communication to Hon. John C. Calhoun,
Secretary of War, proposing an expedition to and through
Lake Superior and to the sources of the Mississippi, for an
examination of the principal features of the Northwest, trib
utary to Lake Superior and the Mississippi river. The
Hon. Secretary of War, January 14th, 1820, sanctioned the
proposed expedition and gave instructions for its equipment,

CASS EXPEDITION.

131

departure and route for observation. This expedition em
barked in canoes at Detroit, Michigan, May 24th, 1820,
accompanied by a detachment of soldiers, Henry R. School
craft as mineralogist, Capt. D B. Douglass as topographer
and astronomer, and a number of boatmen and Indian hunt-

GEN. LEWIS CASS.
ers. Governor Cass' expedition ascended the St. Clair
river, coasted Lake Huron and reached Sault Ste. Marie in
safety after much delay on account of head winds. Gov.
Cass by his intrepidity and fearless action, compelled the
Indians to relinquish designs against him, negotiated the
treaty of June 16th, 1820, and on the morning of the follow
ing day, proceeded on his voyage. At the end of the forty-
third day (July 5th) the expedition reached in safety the

132 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
mouth of the St. Louis river, at the western extremity of
Lake Superior. Passing up the St. Louis river, Gen. Cass
and his party accomplished a difficult portage across the
summit dividing the waters of Superior from those of the
Mississippi valley, reaching Sandy Lake station, a trading
post of one of the fur companies, July 15th. Lieut. Pike
had reached this station fourteen years before them on his
winter voyage to the sources.1
Here Gov. Cass encamped his principal force and in two
canoes proceeded, with Mr. Schoolcraft, Maj. Forsyth,
Capt. Douglass, Dr. Wolcott and Lieut. Mackay, as attaches
of his sub- expedition, to discover and explore the sources of
the Mississippi. The party left Sandy lake July 17th, and
reached the upper Red Cedar lake the 21st, which Mr.
Schoolcraft named Cass lake2 in honor of the leader of the
expedition, and by this name it has since been known.
From the Chippewa Indians at Cass lake, the governor
learned that the source of the river was Lac La Biche, about
fifty miles to the "west-northwest" of Cass lake. Upon the
same information, he also learned that the water was very
low and that it was next to impossible to stem the currents
of the main stream, entering Cass lake at its southwestern
extremity, in their canoes, during the low water. Gov. Cass
submitted these items of interest to his associates and upon
consultation, it was determined to commence the return
journey to Detroit, via the Mississippi to St. Anthony Falls
and the Wisconsin river. He and his party embarked on
their return journey July 21st, 1820, and successfully
reached and passed St. Anthony Falls, Fort Snelling,Lake
Pepin, Prairie du Chien, thence up the valley of the Wisconsin
1. It is probable that Le Sueur ascended the Mississippi as far as Sandy Lake.
2. At first called Cassina lake.

CASS EXPEDITION.

133

and down the Fox river. Soon after, the expedition was di
vided for the purpose of coasting the shores of Green Bay
and of Lake Michigan. Gov. Cass arrived at Detroit, Sep
tember 15th, 1820, having crossed the southern, peninsula of
JieS JLaKt

Oaurcea «*y" tie. JVC iSS iSJi'Lht.
L JLaLeish. ^^ __» 7lt rt le Z.

'CtSiSinct.

iiee.cn It

L Jf\?7/?e73ec.

wf/.r ofJPastefa »

SECTION OF A MAP SHOWING THE TRACK PURSUED BY THE EXPEDI
TION UNDER GOV. CASS IN 1820. BY HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT.
Michigan in the saddle. His voyage occupied one hundred
and fifteen days. Subsequently, Gov. Cass attained a
national reputation, was sent abroad, and May 22nd, 1848,
he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for President

134 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
of the United States. His career as United States Senator
from Michigan, and as Secretary of State under President
Buchanan, is a part of the history of the Federal Republic.
He died at Detroit, June 17th, 1866, at the age of eighty-
four years.
The Cass expedition of 1820 to the source of the Missis
sippi, upon a different and more extensive route, and under
more favorable circumstances than that of Lieut. Pike,
proved to be an important event in the history of the north
west, and paved the way in enabling Mr. Schoolcraft to
easily reach, twelve years later, the Itasca Basin.
The highest point reached by Gov. Cass and his party,
was at the north shore of Cass lake, west of the mouth of
Turtle river. The map of the route traversed by the Cass
expedition, prepared by Mr. Schoolcraft and published in
1821, is the first definite chart establishing the existence of
Lac La Biche, at the Itasca locality of the present day. The
direction, however, was erroneously given as northwest, .
instead of southwest, from Cass lake.
Cass County, Minnesota, was named in honor of the leader
of this expedition, and the nomenclature of the Upper Red
Cedar lake soon gave way upon the suggestion of Mr.
Schoolcraft, since which time it has gone down on the maps
as Cass lake.
When Gov. Cass abandoned his purpose to ascend the
Mississippi, to its source, he was within an easy distance,
comparatively speaking, to the goal sought for. Less tim
idity had often been displayed in canoe voyages, even in the
face of low water, and an O-za-win-dib, or a Keg-wed-zis-sag, 1
would have easily won the battle of the day for Gen. Cass.

1. Gay-gwed-o-say.

BELTRAMI.

SUB-DIVISION TENTH.

J. C. BELTRAMI; CIVIL, MILITARY AND JUDICIAL
PURSUITS; THE COUNTESS OF ALBANY; AN
EXILE; HERO WORSHIP; VOYAGE TO AMERICA;
THIRST FOR GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY; VOY
AGE UP THE MINNESOTA AND DOWN THE RED
RIVER; AT PEMBINA; BELTRAMI REACHES RED
AND TURTLE LAKES; LOCATES THE SOURCE OF
THE MISSISSIPPI AT JULIA LAKE; DOE LAKE; SUC
CORED BY CHIPPEWA INDIANS; RESEARCHES
OF MR. ALFRED J. HILL; BELTRAMI COUNTY

J. C. Beltrami, known in his native land as Giacomo Con
stantino Beltrami, was born in Bergamo, Italy, in 1779, his
father being a custom-house officer of the Venetian Re
public. A family tradition indicates the derivation of the
name from Beltrand des Goths, refugees from Paris in 1572.
The subject of this review was a student of the law, like
wise acquiring a mastery of the languages. He was
attached to the army of his native country as vice-inspector.
Returning to civil pursuits, he was made 'a judge of the
Civil and Criminal Court at Macerata. Retiring in 1812 to
Florence, he formed relations with the Countess of Albany1

1. Madame La Comtesse Compagnoni, nee Passeri.

136 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
and others of high rank, and was commended for appoint
ment to the chair of the President of the Court of Forli, sub
ject to the imperial sanction of France. The disturbed condi
tion of his native country changed the entire life of young Bel
trami. He appears to have been a man of high aspirations,
peculiar abilities, a partisan, standing upon the question of
honor rather than emolument, for his country as well as for
himself. Thus we find him in 1821, when, suffering from the
effects of an injured thigh, he was compelled to leave the
Romagna and go into exile.
That he was a hero-worshipper, with but one hero, and
that himself, regretting his own misfortunes and those of
Italy, which seemed to prosper without his presence, are
opinions forced upon a student of history in a careful
examination of his writings.
In a voyage across the ocean to the shores of America, he
experienced a stormy passage, with resultant indisposition
and a great want of sympathy on the part of the officers of
the ship and the passengers — a portion of whom he thought
to be pirates. He reached the American Republic in a half
starved condition, thankful that he was still alive, after a
voyage of three and one half months.
It appears he took upon himself the task of geographical
discoveries in America, proceeding to Philadelphia, thence
to St. Louis and to Fort Snelling, from which place he
addressed a characteristic communication to "The Countess"
on May 24, 1823. He remained at Fort Shelling until the
following July- when he asked and secured permission to ac
company Maj. Long, who was in charge of an expedition for
the United States government, on a journey up the Minnesota
river to Big Stone lake and down the Red river of the North

BELTRAMI'S VOYAGE. 137
to Pembina. He wrote: "My first intention, that of going
in search of the real sources of xthe Mississippi, was
always before my eyes. "
The causes of the contempt in which Major Long held
Beltrami, the journey up the Minnesota and down the Red
river, buffalo hunts, conferences with the Sioux Indians and
the refusal of Major Long at Pembina to further permit
Beltrami to remain with his detachment, are well known to
readers of events occuring at that time.
At Pembina, Beltrami undertook to accomplish the dream
of his existence — the discovery of the source of the Missis
sippi river, — and with two Chippewas and one mixed blood,
he started on his voyage to Red lake, but before reaching
that place, his guide returned and he was deserted by his
Indian companions, after an attack from a body of Sioux,
and he was left alone to propel his canoe up the stream to
Red lake. Not knowing how to manage a birch canoe, it
capsized, throwing him into the stream, but he finally pro
ceeded on his journey up the river by wading in advance of
his canoe, and, with a tow line, carrying it by main force
against the current. He reached Red lake and engaging a
guide and interpreter, proceeded, considering himself in a
country "where no white man had previously travelled."
Now commenced what Beltrami regarded as a rapid advance
ment to the pinnacle of fame. He was guided to different
lakes in the locality, to which he attached names. He pro
ceeded upon the theory that ' 'the sources of a river which
are most in a right line with its mouth, should be considered
as its principal sources, and particularly when they issue
from a cardinal point and flow to the one directly opposite."
He left Red lake August 26th, 1823, and proceeded by well

138 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.-
known portages under the direction of his guide, . toward
Turtle lake, attaching names to the different lakes he passed
on his route, subsisting on game and wild rice. On the 28th
of August, he was guided to a spot he describes as the
highest land of North America, and casting his eye around,
he perceived the flow of waters, south, to the Gulf of Mexico;
north, to the frozen sea; east, to the Atlantic; and west,
towards the Pacific Ocean.
The language used by Beltrami in describing this spot
is so extraordinary that it is well worth a careful study. It
is a key to the character of the exile who came to America
to perform feats in discovery sufficient to astonish the
world, and as a specimen of his writings the following
quotation is given:
"A vast platform crowns this distinguished supreme
elevation, and what is more astonishing, in the midst of it
rises a lake. How is this lake formed? Whence do its
waters proceed? This lake has no issue! And my eyes
which are not deficient in sharpness cannot discover in the
whole extent of the clearest and widest horizon, any land
which rises above it. All places around it are, on the con
trary, considerably lower."
Beltrami proceeded to examine the surrounding country,
its characteristics, searched for volcanic action, sounded the
lake to find it bottomless, named it "Lake Julia," and pro
nounced it the Julian sources of Bloody river and the Julian
sources of the Mississippi. This, without even investigating
whether the waters of Lake Julia, so-called, found their way
into the Mississippi or not. He accepted the statement of his
guide that they did — that seemed to be sufficient, and Lake
Julia was published to the entire civilized world as the source

BELTRAMI'S VOYAGE.

139

of the Mississippi river. His claims to original discovery were
variously commented upon, to some extent accepted, prin
cipally in Europe, but the active explorations of American
geographers soon superceded him in actual discoveries and
the fanciful "Julian Sources" were exploded to give place
to the real source. It is a singular coincidence that Bel
trami wrote of his lake:' "It is formed in the shape of a

JRai)^. Z

TAehcfest t-ar'^- "**— » y ..
Sources rfn-tAftssisslftji >- e " "' '

W source. oj'tke.Mississirt

Leech-

EXTRACT FROM BELTRAMI'S CHART, 1828.
heart, and it may be truly said to speak of the very soul. "
There appears, later on, another heart shaped lake in the
history of the source. His guide advised him of the exist
ence of Lac La Biche, and he placed it upon the chart as
"Doe lake, W. source of the Mississippi."
It is a fact that the astronomer Thompson had, twenty-
five years previous to Beltrami's visit, surveyed the Julian

140 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
lake region with somewhat different results, and certainly
with less exaggerated claims to discoveries, without Pike's
map to guide him.
Beltrami found his way into the waters of Cass lake, vis
ited Leech lake and after varying hardships and privations,
reached Fort Snelling, Fort St. Charles on the Missouri,
and New Orleans. At the time of his arrival at Fort Snell
ing, his raiment had been entirely exhausted, his apparel
now being only such as had been supplied him by the In
dians — with a piece of bark for a hat.
A copy of his map *- is given herewith, showing Lake
Julia, upon which also, will be noticed Doe lake, now known
as Itasca. This map has a pointed similarity to that of
Lieut. Pike's— 1805-6.
Beltrami found his way to New Orleans, where he pub
lished LA DECOUVERTE DES SOURCES DU MISSIS
SIPPI, in 1824. It would appear that he was severely criti
cised by American newspapers at that time.
The researches of Mr. Alfred J. Hill have brought to the
attention of Minnesotians, Beltrami's personal history, from
the records of, and correspondence with, the authorities
of Bergamo. a He embarked at New Orleans for Mexico,
which country he traversed from the Gulf to the Pacific
Ocean and returning reached London about A. D. 1827,
where he published his ' ' Pilgrimage in Europe and
America " in two volumes, a work from which is taken, in
connection with the publication of Mr. Hill, these brief
facts of Beltrami's history and assumed geographical dis
coveries. That he was an adventurer of considerable note,
will be readily admitted. His career during the remainder
1. Beltrami's map should be compared with that of Lieut. Pike.
2. Beltrami's native town.

BELTRAMI'S VOYAGE. 141
of his life from 1828 to 1855 was of no special interest. He
died at the age seventy-five at Filotrano. Two portraits
of Beltrami appear — one in his Indian costume while he was
at Leech lake, produced in his " Pilgrimage " and a repro
duction of Prof. Scuri from the former, supplemented by
traditionary information — the latter portrait, a conspic
uously imaginary production, is given herewith. Prof.
Scuri, no doubt, drew largely upon his fancy, inasmuch as
the facts point with an unerring certainty to Beltrami's
abject condition, with but little food and scanty apparel
while he sojourned near the head- waters of the Missis
sippi, and but for the kindness of the charitably inclined
Chippewas who accompanied him from Leech lake to Fort
Snelling, he would probably have perished. Due credit is
given Beltrami in placing upon his map, ' ' Doe lake, west
source of the Mississippi, " afterwards named Itasca, though
of its existence and name, Gen. Cass' Expedition of 1820
gave the first published information.
He gathered and transported to Europe many Indian curi
osities, which are now in the possession of the authorities
of the city of Bergamo, commemorative of his voyage
through the lines of hostile and warring tribes of the
Northwest at so early a date, and of his claims to the dis
covery of the Julian sources.
Beltrami County has been inscribed upon the geography
of Minnesota in honor of his memory, and singularly
enough, the Itascan as well as the so-called Julian source,
are both situated within its limits.

SUBDIVISION ELEVENTH.

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT ; HE ACCOMPANIES
GEN. CASS IN 1820 ; PROCEEDS TO LAC LA BICHE IN
1832 ; SELECTS THE NAME ITASCA ; DISCOVERS
THE LAKE ; SCHOOLCRAFT ISLAND ; OZAWINDIB.

The peace of Utrecht, 1713, controlled the destinies of
an English gentleman of education and refinement, who
came to America during the reign of Queen Anne. He
settled in Albany County, New York, establishing an Eng
lish school, and his descendants continued their residence
there for a hundred years. One of the descendants of
this family was Col. Lawrence Schoolcraft, a Revolu
tionary soldier, and commanding, in the war of 1812, the
first regiment contributed by his locality. He was united
in marriage with Miss Barbara Rowe, of German parentage.
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the subject of this portion of
the present inquiry and examination, was the seventh of
a large family, the issue of this union. Enjoying the
advantages of an early education, he pursued an advanced
course at Union College, Schenectady, and Middlebury,
Vermont. At the time the attention of this country was
drawn to the resources of the Mississippi valley, he ac
cepted the offer of De Witt Clinton, at the age of twenty-

#'

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT. 143
four, to engage in an exploration of the country west of
the great river, spending two years in the territory now
comprising the states- of Missouri and Arkansas, publish
ing on his return two treatises, which brought his ca
pabilities as a geologist and geographer before the public,
and his services were called for as geologist and miner
alogist to the expedition of Lewis Cass, from Detroit,
Michigan, in 1820, to the sources of the Mississippi.
Leaving New York city by stage, March 5th, 1820, vis
iting Niagara with horse and buggy, embarking for Detroit
on the steamer Walk-in-the-Water, he arrived at his des
tination on May 8th. The Cass expedition, with School
craft as a scientific attache, left Detroit May 24th, 1820,
and by an extraordinary canoe voyage, memorable in the
history of the Northwest, proceeded to the great lakes,
to the west end of Superior, up the St. Louis river,
portaging to the Mississippi, and up the great river to
Cass lake ; thence down the river by way of Fort Snell-
ing, visiting Carver's cave, proceeding to Prairie du Chien,
across the territory of Wisconsin, arriving at Detroit,
September 23d.
During this extraordinary canoe voyage, Mr. School
craft made daily observations of geologic formations and
mineralogic deposits through the entire region traversed,
including the copper mines of Superior, the lead mines
at Galena, and the clay deposits at Milwaukee, making
a detailed report to the Secretary of War, accompanied
by charts, of all his observations.
The Cass expedition failed to discover the ultimate
Basin at the headwaters of the Mississippi. However,
the peculiar capabilities of Mr. Schoolcraft, indicated by

144

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

his scientific report to the authorities at Washington,
placed his services in demand, and in 1830, as United
States Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Michigan,
residing at Sault de Ste. Marie, he received instructions
from the department at Washington to visit the North
west in charge of an expedition, ostensibly for confer
ences with the Indians, but in reality to determine the
true source of the
Mississippi. Not until
1832 did the School
craft expedition make
its final and successful
discovery. The Rev.
W. T. Boutwell, repre
senting a Board of
Commissioners forFor-
eign Missions, accom
panied this expedition.
The Lac La Biche
was already known to
exist, and Mr. School
craft was determined
to reach it, carrying
out his other objects
of observation while en route by canoe voyage through
Lake Superior. Messrs. Schoolcraft and Boutwell
were personal associates, voyaging in the same canoe
through Superior, and while conversing on their travels
along the south shore of the great lake, the name "Itasca"
was selected in the following manner, in advance of its.
discovery by Schoolcraft's party.

REV. W. T. BOUTWELL.

•v^.C-A'v.n

Tiav^crse.

Luke Plan tape

/iascamxe-Tfci'S''"'™ earfeWsszrsij/fi river.

*<2

***** *es WeS

3% *>

SKETCH OF THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. DRAWN TO ILLUSTR.
SCHOOLCRAFT'S INLAND JOURNEY TO ITASCA LAKE, 1832.

' .7 &'-¦ ¦'- ¦iSv

M>^J:

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT. 145
Mr. Schoolcraft, having uppermost in his mind the
source of the river, expecting and determined to reach
it, suddenly turned and asked Mr. Boutwell for the Greek
and Latin definition of the headwaters or true source of
a river. Mr. Boutwell, after much thought, could not rally
his memory of Greek sufficiently to designate the phrase,
but in Latin selected the strongest and most pointed
expressions, "Veritas", and "Caput," — Truth, Head.1 This
was written on a slip of paper, and Mr. Schoolcraft struck
out the first and last three letters, and announced to Mr.
Boutwell that "Itasca shall be the name."
However, Mr. Schoolcraft says: " Having previously got
an inkling of some of their (Indian) mythological and
necromantic notions of the origin and mutations of the
country, which permitted the use of a female name for
it, I denominated it Itasca." From Rev. W. T. Bout
well2 in person, a vivid description of the naming of
Itasca as above given was secured.
The party passed over nearly the identical route tra
versed by the Cass expedition, reaching Cass lake July
10th, 1832, and upon the advice, information and guidance
of Ozawindib, a Chippewa Indian, proceeded in birch
canoes, up the main tributary of Cass lake, up the smaller
fork of the Mississippi, thence by portage to the east
shore of the east arm of Itasca lake, and to an encamp
ment on Schoolcraft island. During the day, Mr. School
craft traversed the shores of Itasca, erecting the Stars
and Stripes on the island, and returned to Cass lake;

1 The first words given by Mr. Boutwell, however, were "Verum", "Caput." and
Mr. Schoolcraft chose the last words given.
2 Recently deceased.
-10

146

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

thence to Leech lake, down the Crow Wing river, and
to his destination upon the return voyage.1
For nearly fifty years
Mr. Schoolcraft was in
the service of the gov
ernment of the United
States as geologist,
mineralogist, and geog
rapher, and his reports
and communications are
voluminous, and for the
period of time during
which his observations
were made, were con
sidered highly valuable
and creditable, as well
to himself as to the au
thority he represented.
We must judge of Mr.
mrs. jane schoolcraft. Schoolcraft as of the time
in which he lived— geology, in its infancy in the western

1 In 1823, while at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Mr. Schoolcraft became acquainted
with John Johnston, Esq., and his attractive familv. Mr. Johnston was an Irish
gentleman, in fact, an aristocrat, of superior education and courtly manners, who
claimed among his kinsmen the Bishop of Dromore and Mr. Saurin, Attorney Gen
eral of Ireland. Mr. Johnston was attracted by the beautiful daughter of one of
the renowned Indian chief s of the Ojibways, Waubojeeg, and married her. Their
eldest daughter, Jane, was sent in her early childhood to Dublin, to be educated
under the supervision of Mr. Johnston's kindred there. Mr. Johnston's means
enabled him to dispense a hospitality almost princely, and Mr. Schoolcraft was
among those who shared in it, and when Miss Jane Johnston returned home, Mr.
Schoolcraft was immediately captivated, not only by her personal attractions, but
by the grace and culture of a mind that added to the advantages of education and
accomplishments the refinement of a poetic nature. After her marriage with
Mr. Schoolcraft, she was a true sympathizer in all his pursuits and a valuable
helper. The romantic pride which she felt because of her descent on the mother's
side from one of the native kings of the country, Induced her to perfect herself in

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT. 147
country, geographic discovery incomplete, and a School
craft, young and ambitious to sieze the opportunity offered
for exploration and topographic examination, commissioned
with authority, endowed with energy, enlightened in his
younger years by civilized contact, sensible of his sur
roundings and opportunities — the educated gentleman,
representing his country in an important field of labor.
He has given us "Itasca," and the name will live until
the end of time — a monument to those who so uniquely
constructed its name.
Mr. Schoolcraft wrote :
"Within a beauteous basin, fair outspread
Hesperian woodlands of the western sky,
As if in Indian myths a truth there could be read.
And these were tears indeed, by fair Itasca shed."
It is not proposed herein to express any opinion as to
what purpose Mr. Schoolcraft had in withholding from the
public the manner in which this name was seleeted, nor
to discuss the inference drawn from the record he has
left us, in which he plainly intimates that the name was
that of a female, mythological, necromantic or otherwise ;
it is but of small consequence. Certain it is, the word was
never heard of or known in Ojibway mythology. "There
is no such word nor even any remotely resembling it in the
Ojibway language, " writes Rev. J. A. Gilfillan, for sixteen

the Indian language, and thus she became of eminent service in promoting her
husband's knowledge of and influence among the tribes. She is credited by some
as being the authoress of a portion of Mr. Schoolcraft's "Archives of Aboriginal
Knowledge", and other works.
Mr. Schoolcraft was retained in government service at Sault Ste. Marie for some
ten years, when he was assigned to the ''Agency " at Mackinac where his home was
a social center, and where many travelers of distinction found a generous hospital
ity under his roof. About the year 1840 he returned to his native state. In 1812,
he made his long desired visit to England, and while he was absent his wife died.

148

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

years a student of the language1. Prejudices existed to
some extent against Mr. Schoolcraft, for it was but natural
that voyageurs in those early
days should deride the ex
ploits and successes of others
in whom they had no interest,
and of whose labors they
heard but to condemn.
As to Mr. Schoolcraft's sojourn
at Itasca and the manner in
which he reached the lake,
much might be said. The tale
is a simple one of ordinary
occurrences and extraordinary
results. The Ojibway, Oza-
windib, residing with his tribe
at Cass lake, had his hunting
grounds in the direction of the
Basin and knew the locality
well, in fact it was his home
and field of subsistence, and he,
an uncrowned king of the forest,
with an undisputed title to a do-

Schoolci*/^-'

?SOURCES OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER,
DRAWN TO ILLUSTRATE
SCHOOLCRAFT'S DISCOVERIES,
BY CAPT. S. EASTMAN,
U. S. A.
1855.

1. During an interview with Rev. W. T. Boutwell, by the writer, a few months
previous to his death, he made the following statement :
"Mr. Schoolcraft and myself were personal friends and at his instance I
became a member of his party in 1832. We proceeded on our westward journey
along the south shore of Superior in the same canoe, as companions. I
think it was at a point west of the Pictured Rocks, while we were voyaging in
our canoe, that Mr. Schoolcraft suddenly turned to me one day and asked the
question, 'what is the Greek and Latin definition of the headwaters or true
source of a river?' After much thought I could not rally my memory of Greek
sufficiently to designate the name ; but in Latin, I selected the strongest and
most pointed expressions. The first words given by me were Verum Caput. But I
told Mr. Schoolcraft, if he wanted stronger words, he could take Veritas, Caput,
which meant, , Truth ' 'Head.' I wrote the words on a slip of paper and Mr.

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT. 149
main since squandered for a mess of pottage. His distinguish
ed guests were given the liberty of his domain and as their
guide and host, he led the party into the wilderness, up the
main stream, to the head of the lesser branch, across the hills
and valleys and swamps of the intervening country to the
east shore of the east arm of Itasca, near the mouth of the
southeastern affluent, on July 13th, 1832. At the summit of
any considerable hill there, the outlines of the Basin with its
distinct blue lines of curvature can be seen resting against
the shadows of the horizon. Thus Schoolcraft viewed the
Basin. He hurriedly — almost carelessly — examined the
shores of Itasca lake from Ozawindib's canoe, noted his ob
servations in botany and geology, and accepted his Indian
guide's suggestion that there was a small brook entering
the arm of the lake immediately to the south of Schoolcraft
island. There is no evidence that he saw that brook. Dr.
Houghton, Lieut. Allen and Rev. W T. Boutwell, his com
panions, busied themselves in as hasty an accomplishment
of their requirements as did Schoolcraft himself, and within
twenty-four hours after their arrival they were all far on
their return journey down the main stream. Mr. School
craft's map indicates the haste with which he delineated the
shores of the lake, and Ozawindib was undoubtedly his prin
cipal draughtsman at that time. The camp on Schoolcraft
island attached its name to the place by common consent as
Schoolcraft's camp — hence the name of the island. No rec
ord, except Lieut. Allen's, is found as to any definite action
Schoolcraft told me he should strike out the first and last letters of Veritas, Caput,
and that ' Itasca shall be the name.' "
This interview was a very iuteresting one, had at Mr. Boutwell's home, during
which he related many circumstances concerning the voyage of 1832. He said no
religious cermonies were held at Itasca lake at that time. Being a missionary he
was known among the Indians as "The Black Coat."

150

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

naming the place. They had the right to place these names
there and that right is amply recognized. As to the charac-

SCHOOLCRAFT'S MAP OF ITASCA LAKE, THE SOURCE OF THE MISSIS
SIPPI RIVER. 3160 MILES FROM THE BALIZE. a MISSISSIPPI
RIVER, b. ROUTE OF EXPEDITION. C. SCHOOLCRAFT ISLAND,
AS MODIFIED IN 1855 FROM MAP OF 1832.
ter of Ozawindib — the real leader of Schoolcraft's party from
Cass to Itasca and return, directing all their movements,
pointing out the route of passage, controlling the footsteps
of the ambitious explorers, discovering to Schoolcraft the
real lake and its importance — he appears to have been a
characteristic red chief of the forest, as competent as he was
undeceiving, and without him, or some other Indian as well
equipped in knowledge and canoes, the Schoolcraft party
would have wandered into the wilderness to an unsuccessful
conclusion. With the intelligent aid of Ozawindib, the party
were led to their discoveries, and within the calendar week
were on their way to Leech lake, down the Crow Wing river
in canoes to attend a council of Chippewas appointed to
be held, long before. Itasca was reached for a specific date.

HENRY ROWE SCHOOLCRAFT.

151

Thus, the haste of the expedition to leave the Itasca Basin,
without judicious exploration, is accounted for.
It is presumed, reasona
bly, that Mr. Schoolcraft
would have been astonished
to learn that nearly one
hundred bodies of water1
existed within that basin,
and that the principal
affluents came from beyond
the lake he so artistically
named, chiefly from Greater
':'W(lil '" ' ^ fHv ^•"'XHBM^" an(^ Cesser reservoirs, the
7 •^^^^SfW^^/W//J.' ultimate water-shed of na
ture's formation, there.
On the return journey,
Mr. Schoolcraft separated
himself from his escort,
mrs. jane Schoolcraft Howard, under command of Lieut.
Allen, by going forward at a rapid rate, occasionally in
the darkness of night.

1 In Miss Bishop's " Floral Home," 1857, p. 27, she says : " We believe,, on good
authority, that the reported source of the Mississippi is not the correct one.
Captain Eastman of the U. S. Army, and others having equal facilities for making
a correct opinion, with whom I have conversed, assert its origin to be a hundred or
more lakes, of which Itasca is one, all centering in one point to form the mighty
river." A statement not very far from the truth.

SUBDIVISION TWELFTH.

A MILITARY ESCORT ; LIEUT. JAMES ALLEN AND
DETACHMENT ACCOMPANY SCHOOLCRAFT ; HIS
OBSERVATIONS AND REPORT.

At Washington city, May 9th, 1832, Gen. A. Macomb,
Major General commanding the army, ordered a detail
of one officer and ten or twelve men from the garrison
at Fort Brady, to accompany Mr. Schoolcraft into the
Indian country.
The detail consisted of Lieut. James Allen,1 one cor
poral and nine privates. Lieut. Allen was directed to keep
an accurate journal and report at length a description of
the country, a topographic map of the route, and points
of importance, the character and manners of Indian tribes,
subsistence, game, fish, and mineral and geologic observa
tions, and his views upon questions of natural history.
Lieut. Allen was subject to the orders of Mr. School
craft, so far as his escort duties were concerned, and
proceeded with that gentleman to the Itasca Basin. By
placing a compass in the bottom of his canoe, Lieut.
Allen was enabled to note down extensive observations
as to topography, keeping a very accurate record of dis-

1 Appointed to West Point military academy, July 1st, 1825, from Madison, Jeffer
son county, Indiana; graduated in 1829, and assigned to duty as 2d Lieutenant,
5th Infantry.

A MILITARY ESCORT. 153
tances and directions. Arriving at Itasca lake, July 13th,
1832, with Mr. Schoolcraft, having encamped his detach
ment at Cass lake, he says the party spent a couple of
hours at Schoolcraft island, and after raising the Stars
and Stripes, they coasted nearly the entire shores of the
lake, which was about seven miles long and from one
to three broad, having but one small creek entering the
west arm, not of sufficient size to admit of the use of
even a small canoe. He noted on his map the position
of Itasca lake as follows :
Latitude 47° 10'
Longitude 95° 54'
It would appear that the name of Schoolcraft island
was selected by Lieut. Allen, as described in his journal.
Mr. Boutwell, however, remembers the name of the camp
there as "Schoolcraft camp", which by common consent
of all present attached also to the island. As memory
may be more at fault than a well noted journal of each
day, possibly Lieut. Allen gave the name, though the
difference is of no special consequence.
Lieut. Allen found the Mississippi at its outlet from
Itasca, to be twenty feet broad and two feet deep, cur
rent two miles per hour. The statement in his journal
of July 17th, is made, that Mr. Schoolcraft, by the pres
entation of a medal, constituted his guide, Ozawindib (Yel
low Head) a chief of his band.
Lieut. Allen's name has been geographically attached
to one locality of the Basin, remembered for a most in
telligent and detailed journal, of more than ordinary
interest. With his report to his commanding officer, he

154 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
transmitted a map of different proportions than that of
Mr. Schoolcraft.1

1 Lieut . Allen's military service commenced with his regiment in 1829, at Fort
Brady, Michigan. On detached service, June 6th, 1832, up Lake Superior and to the
source of the Mississippi. Also on detached service, engineer duty, at Chicago,
1837-8. Promoted successively to 1st lieutenant, March 31st, 1835, and as captain,
June 30th, 1837. He died at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, August-23d, 1846.
The Kev. Jeremiah Porter, of Beloit, Wisconsin, states, in answer to a communi
cation concerning Lieut. Allen, addressed to him by the commissioner: " It would
give me much pleasure if I could meet your wishes concerning Lieut. James Allen,
though in Mr. Schoolcraft's family when he and Dr. Houghton and Lieut. Allen
discovered Lake Itasca, and on their return they told me how they had named so
beautifully the lake from the two Latin words. In English they do not exactly
express "Itasca." I am glad the name is retained by your commission. There was
no harbor at Chicago when I rea-hed that little village in 1833, Lieut. Allen, was
one of the party engaged to survey that city now so full of attractions. I do not
now find his name in the history of early times there, and regret I cannot give you
additional facts of a later date than 1833. How wonderful the progress of our
country since the naming of that lake!"

&?12*M£ZA*£~~

SUB-DIVISION THIRTEENTH.

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS; ASTRO
NOMICAL ABILITIES; AN EXILE FROM FRANCE;
MAP OF THE SOURCES; EMPLOYED BY THE
UNITED STATES; DETAILS OF HIS VOYAGE TO
ITASCA LAKE ; DISCOVERS FIVE CREEKS; DE
SCRIBES THE LARGER AS THE INFANT MISSIS
SIPPI; A CRADLED HERCULES; DISCOVERS
THREE LAKES; CONFUSION OF LOCATION; IDEAS
AS TO THE SOURCE OF A RIVER.

During his lifetime, Jean N. Nicollet was a very import
ant factor in discoveries touching the source of the Missis
sippi. He was born of poor parentage at Clauses, Savoy,
in 1790, and was in his youth a musician. Apprenticed to a
watchmaker, he remained with him until 1808, when he re
moved to Cambray, where he subsisted upon the emoluments
of his occupation, prosecuting at the same time studies in
mathemathics. He afterwards appears as an instructor in
mathematics in his native town, pursuing studies in Latin
and the languages. His natural abilities and ambition soon
guided him to the opportunities of higher courses and he
removed to Paris, where he was admitted to the senior class
of L'Ecole Normale, soon succeeding to a professorship in
the college of Louis Le Grand. Judging from the results

156 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
which followed, he must certainly have possessed natural
ability to an extraordinary extent. Publications by him
upon mathematical deductions as to the probable duration
of human life, upon probabilities, and one upon assurances,
soon placed him where he commanded the respect of finan
ciers and admitted him to the higher circles of society, His
astronomical studies, afterwards so conspicuously employed
in the Mississippi valley, commenced in 1819, and he soon
gained a reputation by his observations and the computa
tion of the parabolic elements of several comets, one of
which he discovered, which placed him in an honorable
position in the "Bureau des Longitudes." He now entered
upon a most successful career, rapidly advancing in fame,
knowledge and financial success. As a natural conse
quence, in cases of great opportunities, the goal of ambi
tion is not always easily reached and the ambition of Nicol
let, to become wealthy as well as learned, proved disas
trous. Acting as the financial agent of trusting friends, he
met with losses. Admiring associates became implacable
enemies, and he was rejected as an applicant for member
ship in; the Academy of Sciences, probably on the . views
entertained by Dominique Francois Arago, the perpetual
Secretary. With financial ruin and disaster as his unwel
come companions, Nicollet left France in 1832, an exile,
never to return. Landing upon the shores of America,
with only the learning of a polished scientist and astrono
mer, an entire stranger, he may have keenly contemplated
his position, but he became the master of his circumstances
and by the force of character and the manliness of a refined
nature, he rose above the difficulties of his position and
imprinted upon American geography during but a brief

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS. 157
period, a name that will endure the ravages of time; not,
however, without exposures and hardships that resulted in
an early and untimely demise.
He visited the Alleghany range, the Gulf of Mexico, as
cended the Red, Arkansas and Missouri rivers, for purposes
of astronomical and geographic observations, and elected to
construct a topographical map of the sources of the Mississ
ippi and North Red river, from actual astronomical observa
tions and surveys in the then remote Northwest. This ardu
ous labor was performed in the field during the years 1836-7.
Retiring to Baltimore for rest and recuperation, the atten
tion of the government of the United States was called to
his valuable and scientific labors, and by invitation, he ac
cepted the patronage of his adopted country, in the final
construction of his map, with Lieut. John C. Fremont ars a
detailed assistant. He continued in the active service of the
government, but before the completion of his elegantly
written report, exhausted by exposures, blighted by the
failure to attain his early and most honorable ambition, in
the year 1843, he died, respected by every American who
enjoyed the honor of his acquaintaince.
That portion of 1V1 r. Nicollet's labors having reference to,
and especially connected with the source of the Mississippi,
are considered at length.
He was at Fort Snelling when he decided to visit the
Itasca Basin. On the 26th of July, 1836, he bivouacked at
the Falls of St. Anthony, where he was robbed by Sioux
Indians of his canoes and provisions. Major Taliaferro, the
Indian agent at the fort, supplemented his losses .that he
might continue his voyage. His party consisted of himself,
a Frenchman named Desire Fronchet and a number of mixed

158 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
bloods and Ojibway Indians. On the 29th his flotilla of
canoes laden with his supplies, arms, ammunition, bows and
arrows, ' -sticks to notch down the days and the chronometer
to measure time, " was fast ascending the Mississippi above the
falls. He noted particularly the character of the country
to the mouth of the Crow Wing river, passed up the latter
to the mouth of Gull river, which he named from the Ojib
way word "Gayashk;" thence up its channel and portaging
to Pine river, he reached the Little Boy, and thence by
canoes he arrived at Leech lake, where he remained for a
week's observation. Francis Brunet was his guide, whom
he describes as a man over six feet in height, a giant in
strength and a natural geographer. At Leech lake he met
much displeasure from the Indians in the absence of pres
ents to give them, and his record indicates that he consid
ered his life imperiled, from which he was rescued by the
kindly offices of Rev. W. T. Boutwell, the missionary, then
residing at that point.
He proceeded from Leech lake with Messrs. Fronchet and
Brunet and a Chippewa Indian named Keg- wed-zis-sag,1 who
was well acquainted with the Itasca region, calling it his
hunting ground. The party under the guidance of Keg-wed:
zis-sag (Gay-gwed-o-say) reached Kabekona lake, thence
portaged to La Place river, or Schoolcraft's branch of the
Mississippi, a ascending the same to Assawa lake and again
portaged about six miles to Itasca lake, across what is now
known as the "Big Burning,"3 a territory to the eastward
1. Gay-gwed-o-say, anglicised, Trying-to-walk, erroneously given in Nicollet's
report, "Keg-wed-zis-sag.
2. Yellow Head river.
3. A strip of territory, commencing on the northeast shore of Mary lake and
extending northeasterly for many miles, narrow at its commencement, thence
widening.

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS. 159
from Itasca, denuded of timber by fire. Nicollet's instru
ments were a sextant, barometer, thermometer, chronome
ter, compass, artificial horizon, tape-line, etc. Reaching
Itasca lake, he ascertained the elevations of the surface to
be one hundred and twenty feet above the lake by barome-
" trical observation, and proceeded to Schoolcraft island
where he camped, discovering the flag-staff stationed by
Schoolcraft four years before, upon which he erected his
artificial horizon preparatory to locating his position.
His record of observations shows the following:
' 'Itasca lake, Schoolcraft island. Estimated distance by
water from the Gulf of Mexico, 2,890 miles. Elevation
above the sea, 1,575 feet. North Latitude, 47° 13' 35";
Longitude, west from Greenwich, 95° 2'."
He then proceeded under the guidance of Keg-wed-zis-sag1
to explore the affluents of Itasca lake. He found five
creeks that flowed into it, formed by innumerable streamlets
oozing from the clay beds at the bases of the hills, known
by the name "Hauteurs des Terres," (Heights of Land,)
covered by thick forests forming a semi- circular region south
of Itasca, all of these streamlets having boggy bottoms.
He says: "The waters supplied by the north flank of these
heights of land, still on the south side of Itasca lake, give
origin to the five creeks of which I have spoken above.
These are the waters which I consider to be the utmost
sources of the Mississippi."
He visited all of the five creeks mentioned, one entering the
east bay or arm of the lake, the four others into the west arm.
Among the latter, he found one remarkable above all the
others — its course longer and its waters more abundant; —
1. Gay-gwed-o-say or Trying-to-walk.

160 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
and in obedience to a geographical rule ' 'that the sources of
a river are those which are most distant from the mouth,"
. made the following declaration in his report: "This creek
is truly the infant Mississippi; all others below, its feeders
and tributaries. "
August 29th, 1836, he explored this principal creek. It
was found to be 15 to 20 feet wide and from 2 to 3 feet in
depth. He stemmed its brisk current until fallen trees
prevented the passage of his canoe, passed southward on
foot at the brow of the hills keeping in sight of the creek,
descending into the valley (Nicollet valley) and found num
erous streams oozing from the bases of the hills. He found
that the waters united at a short distance from the hills
whence they originated, forming a small lake (Nicollet's
Upper lake) from which he saw the Mississippi flowing
with a breadth of a foot and one half and one foot in depiih.
This stream uniting with others, forms another, minor
lake from which issues Nicollet's memorable stream the
"Cradled Hercules," forming sand bars, transporting the
branches of trees, widening, of higher temperature, sub
siding into another small lake, and trying its consequence
upon an additional mile or two, it empties into Itasca lake,
the principal reservoir of all the sources to which it owes
all its subsequent majesty.
The above, while not quotations, are almost the identical
words used by Mr. Nicollet. He considered the east branch
of the main river (Yellow Head) quite as long as the main
stream, but inasmuch as its waters were less abundant, it
could not be considered the main stream. He modestly
awards to Mr. Schoolcraft the honors of a first discovery ;
claiming only for himself a completion of the work neces-

BXTRACT FROM TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI AND
NORTH RED RIVER, FROM ACTUAL ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS AND SURVEYS
IN 1836 AND 1837, BY J. N. NICOLLET.

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS. 161
sary for a more perfect knowledge of the source, aided by
the use of astronomical instruments along the entire course
of the river.
He regarded Beltrami's claims as deserving a critical
review and a severe refutation. He found the outlet of
Itasca lake to be sixteen feet wide, fourteen inches deep,
current swift, water transparent, and, after having devoted
three days and portions of the nights in explorations and
astronomical observations, with his canoes and guides, he
passed down the main river to Cass lake, and thence re
turned to Leech lake, where he remained some time with
Rev. W. T Boutwell, as a guest. He then passed down the
Leech lake river and the Mississippi, accompanied by a
number of Ojibway Indians, to Fort Snelling. Thus ended
the explorations of Nicollet at the source. From Gen. H.
H. Sibley and Rev. W. T. Boutwell, who were Mr. Nicollet's
personal friends, much has been learned of his modest
virtues as a man, scientist and scholar. He rose above his
misfortunes and inscribed upon the pages of the geography
of his adopted country, an enviable reputation and name,
which will forever be known and quoted in the physical
geography of the commonwealth of Minnesota, constructed
from the territory with which he so closely allied his name.
Of his personal peculiarities but little need be said. His
patience and perseverance overcame almost insurmountable
obstacles. Of slight physical demeanor, he could not with
stand the ravages of exposure, and his early demise fol
lowed; a resultant expectation by himself as well as by the
friends who often admonished him without success.
He contemplated the publication of extensive observations
-11

162 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
concerning the valley of the Mississippi, but life was too
short to permit of the accomplishment of his designs. A
portion of his map and a copy of the only portrait of Mr.
Nicollet to be found in America, taken from a painting upon
ivory, are reproduced.
Many would award to Mr. Nicollet the honor of a first dis
covery of the true source, but he can hardly be credited
with this distinction in justice to the memory of those who
preceded him at the Itasca Basin. That he pointed out and
accurately described the principal affluent of Itasca lake,
there is no doubt whatever, nor can there be any doubt that
he visited Elk lake and laid the same down on his map as a
bay to Itasca, connected by a wide, short and sluggish
channel, which he denominated an affluent. The waters of
Itasca lake have, since Nicollet's visit, receded to some
extent and its surface is accordingly lowered, separating
itself from Elk lake, leaving it as waters gathered at one
side. A particular inspection of that portion of Nicollet's
map will admit of no other view.
The discovery of three small lakes by Mr. Nicollet, up
the channel of the main tributary, so graphically de
scribed by him, and the manner in which he located them
upon his map, without careful courses and measurements,
has misled observers of the locality as to his three lakes.
Mr. Hopewell Clarke was led to presume that his third
lake was a small body of water (now a dry bed) to the
eastward of his middle lake, while the casual examina
tion of 1888, 1 in the confusion of location in which Mr.
Nicollet placed these three bodies of water, indicated
that the third lake up the tributary, did not exist, and
1 See subdivision Twenty-sixth.

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS. 163
a belief accordingly was publicly expressed. No one
question has been more puzzling than the identity of
Nicollet's third lake,1 and after an exhaustive consider
ation of the question, it is believed that the underground
channel, now distinctly defined between Nicollet's upper
and middle lakes possibly might have been, in 1836, a
surface channel, and, accordingly, a declared determina
tion upon the question of the three lakes has been made
with much doubt ;3 not, however, without considerable
study and thought upon a mooted question, insufficiently
and hastily considered by Mr. Clarke in 1886, and the
parties to the casual examination of 1888.

1 There is a. probability that Mr. Nicollet in passing up the valley and affluent
discovered by him, became bewildered in the thickets of the locality, which pre
cluded the possibility of his correctly delineating the topography of the spot. It
is absolutely impossible to certainly and accurately trace his steps after he left his
canoe and passed along the brow of the hills, being careful to remain within sight of
the stream, that he might not become lost. It is possible, since it is certain that he
passed up the valley on the east bank of the stream, that he only saw two lakes,
for the peculiarities of the topography there, in passing up the valley on the brow
of the hills on the east side of the stream, brings the middle lake in sight first, and
continuing, the lower lake comes in sight, thence passing up the stream the middle
lake again comes to the view. Query: May it not have been that Nicollet, passing
the middle lake first, reaching the lower lake second, 'and then again arriving at the
middle lake, may have made the mistake of describing the two lakes asfliree, hav
ing arrived in sight of the middle lake a second time? Such a view is forced upon
the reader of his report, in the light of a survey in detail, of Nicollet's lower and
middle lakes; especially so, since it is known that the waters, in abundance,
ooze from the base of the hill immediately above Nicollet's middle lake, and unit
ing form astream of continued surface flowage to Itasca lake. It is very doubtful
if Nicollet ever saw the pool of water which has been designated as his third lake,
for purposes of correct geographical delineation. It, however, is the only pathway
out of a dilemma at this time. St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 18th, 1889.
2 After due deliberation,and with a copy of Nicollet's original map of the sources
of the Mississippi and North Red river before us, we conclude that the three lakes
noted by Nicollet on the principal affluent to Lake Itasca, as shown by his said
map, are the two lakes in the southeast quarter of section 21, and the small lake in
the southwest corner of section 22, township 143, range 36.
Signed: HOPEWELL CLARKE,
J. V. BROWER.

164 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
In honor of Mr. Nicollet, have been named the following:
The principal affluent to Itasca lake, discovered by Nic-
let in 1836— Nicollet's Infant Mississippi ;
The first lake up this stream — Nicollet's lower lake ;
The second lake — Nicollet's middle lake ;
The third lake — Nicollet's upper lake ;
The valley there situated — Nicollet's valley ;
The principal springs — Nicollet's springs;
The height of land — Nicollet heights.
There was erected at the summit of Morrison Taill by
the I. B. T. & Co. expedition of 1886, a wooden slab,
engraved to the memory of Nicollet, as the ' discoverer
of the source of the Mississippi in 1836. This slab, nailed to
a cedar post, is in a perfect state of preservation, and upon
its margin has been written many names of visitors to that
most sightly spot.
But little more need be said of Nicollet's visit and dis
coveries. His conclusion that the waters supplied by the
north flank of the Hauteurs des Terre, south of Itasca lake,
gives origin to the creeks found there, and that those
waters constitute the utmost sources of the Mississippi,
is eminently a correct one, and regret may well be expressed
that he failed to reach and make known the location of the
large body of water then and now existing near the summit
of that north flank, which supplies that never ending per
ennial flow found in Nicollet's "Infant Mississippi." Had
he done so, no uncertainty as to the true origin of the
Mississippi river would have been possible.
He did not know of or visit numerous lakes and streams
immediately above and beyond the waters which he found
oozing from the base of the hills, nor is it believed

NICOLLET'S SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS. 165
that he saw or knew of Howard and Demaray creeks,1 and
likewise he failed to note the existence of the Mississippi
springs.

1 These two perennial creeks do not appear on Nicollet's chart, and no reference
to them is made in his report.

SUB-DIVISION FOUETEENTH.

THE "DOLLY VARDEN" EXPEDITION TO ITASCA
LAKE ; JULIUS CHAMBERS VISITS ELK LAKE
AND DECLARES IT THE SOURCE OF THE MIS
SISSIPPI ; OBSERVATIONS AND EXPLORATIONS
BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NEW YORK
HERALD.

Representing the New York Herald, Mr. Julius Chambers,
in 1872, made a canoe voyage to Itasca lake, thence down
the Mississippi river to the Gulf of Mexico. His published
writings constitute contributions to the columns of the
paper he represented.
From an examination of these writings, it appears that he
contemplated a canoe voyage from the very springs near
Itasca lake to the mouth of the river at the Gulf. He
reached Oak Lake Station, four miles west of Detroit, on the
Northern Pacific railway, May 31st, 1872, with his canoe
which he had christened "Dolly Varden." Overland, he
reached White Earth, and by a series of portages reached
Itasca lake, via Wild Rice river and lakes, and encamped
upon Schoolcraft island, where he took observations for his
position with "ships instruments" and chronometer with the
following result:
Latitude 47° 12' 58".
Longitude, 95° 2' 1".

v>*

'^***«8W.*_»

>P

^hilcu^ Cnx^tufa^g

"DOLLY VARDEN" EXPEDITION. 167
Satisfied that all former explorers had stopped short of
the true source, he determined to make a thorough examina
tion of the vicinity. Leaving Schoolcraft island, in his
canoe he coasted the east arm, noted surroundings and
reached the mouth of the creek at the south end of the arm,
which he followed about fifteen hundred feet to a hill on one
side and a meadow on the other, concluding that the stream
could not be perennial in character, and that there were no
lakes up the stream. Returning to the island, he continued
a search for inlets, and at a southwestern angle of the west
arm, a small inlet was seen about four feet in depth, and
scarcely more in width, which the channel had cut through
the thick turf. Pushing his canoe through this channel,
reaching shallow water, dragging his canoe over sticks and
logs, at the end of "about one -third of a mile," he reached
a small round lake. Crossing to the opposite shore, he
found a floating bog with no creeks entering the lake. An
Indian had told him that the Red river and the Mississippi
took their rise from the same bog L , which he doubtless be
lieved to be the bog he had then reached. He says, ' 'Here
then is the source of the longest river in the world, in a small
lake, scarcely one quarter of a mile in diameter, in the
midst of a floating bog, the fountains which give birth to
the Mississippi. The greatest depth of the lake was found
to be only twelve feet."
Naming the lake "Dolly Varden," after his canoe, he
returned to Itasca lake and continued a search for other

1 The bog referred to is not within the Itasca Basin. It is at the head of Division
creek which comes in from the west, two miles down the Mississippi, north of
Itasca lake. This creek takes' its rise at the summit of the Hauteurs des Terre,
west of the great basin of the Mississippi. Waters at that summit also flow west
ward to the North Red river.

168

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

inlets, finding but one small one on the west shore. Record
ing the declaration that there was but one perennial stream
entering Itasca lake — that which connected it with ' 'Dolly
Varden" lake — he reached his camp at sunset, June 9th,
1872, and the next day proceeded upon his successful canoe
voyage down the Mississippi. It is certain that Mr. Cham-

SKETCH MAP
OF TBE
ITASCA LAKE REGION

ibwamji y-y _, _
-----t ::¦-.-: -„"_= Meadow
L^-'i'rt'-

"DOLLY VARDEN" EXPEDITION. 169
bers visited Elk lake, finding his way to that point up the
Chambers creek1 of the present time. The deepest sound
ing of but twelve feet, the tamarac swamp where stands
Morrison hill, and other apparent errors upon Mr. Cham
ber's map, are explained by the haste with which he con
ducted his explorations.
Mr. Chambers' absence in Europe during the better part
of 1889, and a disinclination to respond to a request for man
uscript discribing his visit to Itasca, places the information
derived, upon the basis of an examination of his letters to
the Herald, written in 1872. 2
When Mr. Chambers concluded that there were no lakes
to the southward from the end of the east arm, he was then
within seven hundred feet of one of the most picturesque
lakes3 within the basin, concealed from his view by a low
range of hills. As to the floating bog discovered by him, it
is probable heavy rain storms, then prevalent, were decept
ive to some extent, in connection with an examination of but
one day's duration.
It would appear that Mr. Chambers either did not visit
Nicollet's Infant river, or visiting it, failed to make a care
ful examination into the question of its importance. Upon
reaching Elk lake he found it much larger than he at first
supposed. M. Nicollet saw the same stream and lake, and
gave it no importance, whilst, vice versa, Mr. Chambers
failed to award due recognition to Nicollet's discovery.

1 The creek connecting Elk lake with Itasca lake, one thousand, one hundred
feet in length, has been recently changed in name from Elk creek to Chambers
creek, in recognition of its discoverer. This change still leaves an Elk creek flow
ing into the southwest angle of Elk lake.
2 These letters were written to the Herald during his sojourn at Itasca lake.
3 Mary lake.

170 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Such was the difference in the observation of the two explor
ers, that, although Chambers creek was sluggish and short in
1836, it had become somewhat longer in 1872, by the invincible
process of nature, whereby the surface of the water in Itasca
lake receded from its former and higher elevation.

SUB-DIVISION FIFTEENTH.

OFFICIAL ACTION BY THE AUTHORITIES OF THE
LAND DEPARTMENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
HOW ELK LAKE WAS FINALLY NAMED; OFFI
CIAL PLATS CERTIFIED AND APPROVED.

As Surveyor General for
the District of Minnesota,
representing in an official
capacity the United States
government, James H.Baker
assumed the duties of his
office May 1st, 1875, and by
limitation, retired in April,
1879. The Surveyor General,
among other official require
ments, is especially em
powered by statute, and the
regulations of the Interior
Department of the United
States government, to con
tract for the official sur
veys of the public domain within .the limits of his district.
During General Baker's term of office, he directed the

GEN. J. H. BAKER.

172 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
survey of Townships 142, 143 and 144, Range 36, west of the
5th principal meridian, placing the public contract there
for to the credit of Edwin S. Hall, in 1875. No special or
particular instructions were given relative to the meander
of Itasca lake or the examination of the Itasca Basin,
situated in the townships named, further or to any greater
extent than were the requirements concerning the public sur
vey of any other Government townships. Upon the comple
tion of the survey by Mr. Hall, the official plats were drawn
at General Baker's office at St. Paul, Minn. , and at that time,
upon enquiry as to the names of lakes within each township,
there were placed upon the official plat the names ' ' Lake
Itasca" and "Elk lake," pursuant to a requirement con-
tained in the general instructions of the Interior Depart
ment, which provides that the names of lakes upon the
official plats, should be the same as they had been .desig
nated previous to the public survey.
The original Elk lake, having been changed in name by
Mr. Schoolcraft to "Itasca," which action had received due
recognition by the authorities of the government, Gen.
Baker judiciously and very properly adopted the tradition
ary name of "Elk lake " for the body of water gathered at
the side of the west arm of Itasca lake, and under his
instructions the name was extended upon the official plats,
and certified by him February 3rd, 1876. He then submitted
these plats to the Commissioner of the General Land office
at Washington, who duly approved the same. Of the three
plats for each of said Townships, one is on file at the
General Land Office," one at the Surveyor General's Office
at St. Paul, Minn. , and one at the local Land Office, then
at Detroit, Minn., now at Crookston. Thus before the end

OFFICIAL ACTION OF THE AUTHORITIES. 173
of , the first half of the year 1876, the official requirements
of the public survey of the Itasca Basin had been com
pleted. Then followed the selection of swamp lands in
favor of the State of Minnesota, pursuant to Congressional
enactment, the withdrawal of odd sections subject to the
grant of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, forty
miles north of its definite location, which extended to within
a short distance from Schoolcraft Island, leaving the
balance open to settlement, excepting sections 16 and 36,
reserved for purposes of public instruction. For more than
fifteen years, the local land office has held the public lands
in those townships subject to disposal upon the applica
tion of qualified preemptors, homestead claimants and
beneficiaries under the Indian treaties and other statutory
privileges permitting the selection of public lands. Thus,
the casual observer may readily understand the official
recognition of Elk lake by the government of the United
States, its definite location and meander and in 1875, the
erection of official corners upon its shores in the same year,
which are still intact and plainly visible, an<l the approval
of the official plats in 1876. Thus ended the official acts of
the Government Survey.
General Baker in another capacity was connected with
the question as to the true source of the Mississippi in 1887,
which will be adverted to in the consideration of action
taken by the Minnesota Historical Society in another por
tion of this report.

SUB-DIVISION SIXTEENTH.

EDWIN S. HALL'S GOVERNMENT SURVEY; HIS
PARTY REACH THE ITASCA BASIN; MEANDER
OF ELK AND ITASCA LAKES; OFFICIAL COR
NERS AND LAND MARKS.

Mr. Edwin S. Hall, who made the official survey, for the
government of the
United States, for
Townships 142, 143 and
144, Range 36, West of
the Fifth Principal
Meridian, in the year
1875, .within which
Townships the Itasca
Basin is situated, was
awarded a public con
tract, by the authori
ties of the government,
to officially survey the
Townships hereinbe
fore described. Actual
service in the field as a
surveyor of public
mr. edwin s. hal' lands, endowed with

EDWIN S. HALL'S GOVERNMENT SURVEY. 175
qualities of judgment and decision, made the appointment of
Mr. Hall a good one. He dispatched his supplies and camping
outfit overland by ox teams in the month of September.
By stage, Mr. Hall joined his teams near Brainerd, on the
Northern Pacific Railroad. Crossing the Mississippi river,
the Hall party proceeded with their ox teams on the Leech
lake road to Fourteen Mile Creek, thence on the White
Earth road to Shell Prairie, where was found a standard
parallel line — the base of their operations.
Discovering an intermediate deficiency of six miles in
established lines, Mr. Hall returned to St. Paul and had
inserted in his contract, power to establish the township
line from the southeast corner of Township 141, Range 36,
to the southeast corner of Township 142, Range 36, where
his work commenced. The task of pressing his way north
ward with his teams through a dense wilderness, was no
light one. He maintained his northerly direction until he
feached Stony Ridge and the Little Man Trap lake, where
he commenced the construction of a rough road in a north
westerly direction towards the centre of- the tier of town
ships he surveyed. The direction taken brought him
immediately to the southern rim of the Itasca Basin, four
miles south of the south end of the west arm of Itasca.
Passing around the interesting lakes at the summit of the
hills, to which his party are the first known white visitors,
he encamped on the north shore of the most southerly lake,
opposite the island 1, and continued the establishment of
the township and section lines and sectional and meander
corners. Continuing the construction of his road to the
northward, he again encamped with his party on the north
1. Brower island in Hernando de Soto lake.

176 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE
side of " Spring brook" which he named by a scribing, still
visible near the centre of section 27, on the bank of the
creek. The endeavor to construct a road through the
swamps of Nicollet valley failed, but the signs of his chop-
pings are still visible there. He continued his road due north
and encamped on Morrison hill from which point the survey
was continued by supplying his force in the field through the
instrumentality of "packers." Mr. Hall's several camps
are still plainly to be seen, and his road, then made, has
become one of the highways of the locality. The rule of
the government which obtains in locating its official lines
by sections regardless of and ignoring interior topography,
paying a niggardly stipend for valuable, and what ought,
by all means, to be a correct work, placed Mr. Hall in the
same category of all other government surveyors of the
public domain, and he conscientiously and honestly made a
regulation government survey much better than the average
of his time, and after the lapse of fourteen years, all the
official corners and lines are plainly visible and easily found.
These several lines and official corners, recognized as of
binding and official force, have been found to be a very
convenient requisite in the location of the Itasca State Park.
At Mr. Hall's first camp within the basin on the north
shore of Hernando de Soto lake, was found the following
scribing: — "Ed. Hall's Lost Explorers.
Hazleton.

Ed. Hall's Camp,
October 9th, 1875."
Had Mr. Hall received instructions from his superiors at

EDWIN S. HALL'S GOVERNMENT SURVEY. 177
Washington to make at the expense of the government an
accurate hydrographic ,and topographic survey of the
source of the Mississippi, personal enterprise for geo
graphic facts would not now be necessary.
In the days of Hall's survey, the overpowering influence
was a grand rush for the possession of pine timber for
speculative' purposes, and that influence, widespread and
powerful, invisibly controlled the surveys of the public
domain in the Northwest, and notwithstanding the fact that
the Itasca townships contain magnificent tracts of pine
timber, not an acre of value remains the property of the
United States, all that portion of value, not included in the
odd section grant to the Northern Pacific Railroad or the
swamp grants of Minnesota, having passed to private
ownership for speculative purposes. In the days of 1875
and subsequently, that portion of Minnesota was overrun
with timber inspectors, commonly called ' ' Cruisers, " whose
sole and only object was the selection and acquirement of
all the valuable timber lands of the region they inspected,
for themselves and their employers, and it is safe to say
that at the end of the winter of 1880, every tract of timber
within the Itasca Basin had been examined by at least half
a dozen ' ' Cruisers, " oblivious to every fact connected with
the source of the Mississippi.
Many land marks and traces remain of the Hall survey,
old rafts and paddles at the crossing of lakes; the highway
now so useful, subsequently more extensively opened by
Henry Bohall and Peter C. Sweeney, from which it has
often been erroneously designated as the " Sweeney Road."
It appears beyond doubt that when Mr. Hall descended
-is

178 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
into the valleys of the basin with his party, he had but the
one purpose in his mind — that of the ordinary government
survey, — completed the same as fast as possible, and returned
from the wilderness to receive but a stipend for an impor
tant public survey of an historical locality, bedded in the
depth of the wilderness, which for nearly three hundred
years was unknown to the governments which exercised the
right of ownership by discovery, purchase or cession.

SUB-DIVISION SEVENTEENTH.

THE ROB ROY EXPEDITION; A. H. SIEGFRIED AND
COMPANIONS REACH ITASCA LAKE; THEY VISIT
ELK LAKE AND PHOTOGRAPH IT; THE PARTY
DESIGNATE ELK LAKE THE HIGHEST TRIBU
TARY TO THE MISSISSIPPI; WILLIAM MORRISON
DESIGNATED AS THE FIRST SEEN OF WHITE
MEN AT THE SOURCE.

The first of July, 1879, Mr. A. H. Siegfried, representing the
Louisville Courier-Journal,
accompanied by Mr. J. M.
Barnes, now of Georgetown,
and Mr. Lucien Wulsin of
Cincinnati, Ohio, projected
a visit to the Itasca Basin.
Leaving the Northern Paci
fic railroad at Detroit, Minn. ,
the party proceeded to
White Earth, and made pre
parations for their inland
journey to Itasca, and from
thence down the Mississip
pi river in canoes. Three
Rob Roy canoes, a store of

MR. A. H. SIEGFRIED.

180 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
provisions and camping material, a guide, interpreter, and
Indian "packers"1 were provided for the journey. With
varying hardships, the party reached the banks of the river
several miles below Itasca lake, accomplishing portages
across the Hauteurs des Terre from Rice lake. Dismissing
their guide and "packers," the party proceeded alone up
the river, discovering that they had reached the stream far
below the point promised by their guide, necessitating a
tedious amount of labor in propelling their canoes up the
rapids and over fallen trees and debris, through rushes and
across shallows, and it was not until after ten days of hard
ships that they reached Itasca lake, and camped on School
craft island, July 12th. They particularly examined the
lake, and searching for its principal affluent, passed up the
stream laid down by Nicollet, as the Infant Mississippi, until
their progress was impeded by fallen trees. Leaving their
canoes, and with aneroid barometer and photographic para
phernalia, they crossed the hills to the shores of Elk lake
which they thought to be the "Highest tributary to the Mis
sissippi. " Taking a photographic view2 of the place, they
returned to their canoes, sustaining the loss of their barom
eter. Mr. Siegfried estimated the distance between Itasca
and Elk lakes to be about one-half of a mile, requiring his
party to make a tiresome walk in the heat of the day through

1. The use of the word "packers" is introduced in this work, only in such places
as the same is quoted. It means, in common parlance, among woodsmen and voy
ageurs, the persons who carry, in packs upon their shoulders, the provisions, etc.,
for the voyage; usually by a "packstrap" across the breast or forehead.
2. In a letter Mr. J. M. Barnes, the photographer of the party, says: "Am sorry
indeed, to say that the plate exposed for Elk lake was light struck, and therefore
useless to print from." Mr. Siegfried states that the plate exposed for Elk lake
was ruined, in handling, before his party had reached a point where the same
could be developed . A desire to reproduce this plate of Elk lake is, consequently,
necessarily abandoned.

THE ROB ROY EXPEDITION. 181
the dense timber, consuming thirty-five minutes of time.
Thus, it is seen, that they did not visit Morrison hill, where
the distance between the lakes is less than five hundred feet.
The trip was not projected with a view of geographical dis
covery, but simply as a recreative "outing," the party con
sidering the valuable work of Schoolcraft and Nicollet, in
that regard, as paramount, and sufficiently definite to gainsay
the necessity of further exploiation for geographic facts,
although they thought Elk lake to be the highest tributary.
Upon examination the mouth of Chambers creek, as it enters
Itasca, was found by this party to be struggling through
bogs. Awarding to William Morrison the honor of the
"first seen of white men," in 1804, at the source, this party
of adventuresome explorers departed from Schoolcraft
island on the morning of July 15, 1879, to endure the hard
ships and adventures of a canoe voyage down the Missis
sippi to civilization. They designated their visit as ' 'The
Rob Roy Expedition of 1879" after the character of their
several canoes which they had named the "Betsie D,"
" Hattie " and " Kleiner Fritz." The party were particu
larly successful in all they had at first contemplated, disap
pointed only, in the hardships they were compelled to
endure. The photograph of Elk lake, taken by this expe
dition, was from a point at the west shore near the mouth
of the small stream now very appropriately named Siegfried
creek, in the absence of any other name recognized by
acknowledged authority. Siegfried creek is particularly
described in the consideration of the Elk lake locality.

SUB-DIVISION EIGHTEENTH.

GEOLOGIC AND BOTANIC EXAMINATION AT ITASCA
LAKE BY O. E. GARRISON; LOST AT THE LITTLE
MAN TRAP; HE REACHES ELK LAKE; PORTAGE
TO ITASCA; CAMP ON GARRISON POINT; ITASCA
LAKE COASTED.

June 28th, 1880, under the auspices of the 10th census of
the United States, Depart
ment of Forestry, and
incidentally representing
the Geologic Survey of
Minnesota, under Profes
sor N. H. Winchell, Mr.
O. E. Garrison of St.
Cloud, Minnesota, depart
ed from his home with
one assistant, for an ex
tended tour to and beyond
Itasca lake, and down the
Mississippi. Detailed re
ports of his examination
of that locality were made
which have become pub
lic documents. Mr. Gar-

MR. O. E. GARRISON.

GEOLOGIC AND BOTANIC EXAMINATION. 183
rison, who for many years was a Government Surveyor
of the public lands in portions of the northern part of
Minnesota, was also during his lifetime proficient as a civil
engineer, and pursued studies in botany and geology, and
he was admirably fitted to conduct the examination now under
consideration — hampered only by a want of breadth, caused
by almost total deafness.
Mr. Garrison passed down the Wing river from Verndale,
Minnesota, to the Crow Wing river. He passed up the last
named stream by canoe, variously noting geologic and
botanic examinations until on the 13th day of July, he
reached the neighborhood of the Little Man Trap lake, and
putting off in his canoe in search of a portage from the north
end of that lake, he became bewildered in the coils of the
well named Little Man Trap, near the southern edge of the
Itasca Basin and seeking a return from his difficulty, Mr'
Garrison spent the following thirteen days in a circuitous
route in reaching the southern portion of the Basin, only
four miles to the northwestward from his camp of the
13th. Here Mr. Garrison entered upon a most interesting
spot, the highest reservoir, the Ultimate Basin of the Mis
sissippi river; but intent upon reaching Itasca lake, he
seems not to have either considered or examined the im
portance of the locality he was visiting. Pushing by port
ages through lakes, over hills and across ponds, he noted
down very accurately the route from the lakes at the top. of
the hills to Whipple lake, to the west shore of Elk lake,
stranding his canoe in Chambers creek, between Elk and
Itasca lakes, in the absence of a sufficient depth of water to
permit of passage in his canoe. He reached the summit
of Morrison hill overlooking Itasca lake, July 30th, and by

184 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
portage, reached the lake, camping at the point opposite
the mouth of Chambers creek on the west shore of the west
arm. The following day, Mr. Garrison skirted the shores
of Itasca, examining the different kinds of timber, and
returning to camp, left the locality the next morning,
August 1st, for a continuance of his voyage down the Mis
sissippi. He places his record in two series, commencing his
second series, on the shore of Elk lake. His estimate of
the height of land south of the Greater Ultimate Reservoir,
and his subsequent notice of his visit to the beaver dam
with its running stream into Floating Moss lake, his port
age across the hills to Elk lake, the climbing of the tree to
view the locality, and his conclusion that "None of the hills
were wore than twenty or twenty- five feet high," place him
in the category of a stranger in a strange land, for he had
already descended into the valley of the Basin more than
one hundred and eighty feet in his advance toward Itasca
lake from the Heights of Land, less than three miles to the
southward from his camp on the west shore of Elk lake.
There is, however, let it be said to the credit of a faithful
servant of the government, a reasonable explanation of this
apparent error in regard to the height of the hills. Mr.
Garrison had reached the west shore of Elk lake from
Whipple lake by a descent of ninety-three feet, passing
through a heavy body of pine timber, many of the trees
standing more than one hundred feet in height, and in
endeavoring to view the locality at an elevation above the
surface, by ascending the tree, his view was obscured by
the height of the timber he had passed in reaching Elk
lake.

GEOLOGIC AND BOTANIC EXAMINATION. 185
Mr. Garrison's description of the outlet of Elk lake where
— "the water was low, and a few rods down from Elk lake,
the canoe stranded on the pebbly bottom of the brook " —
when he landed and portaged across to Itasca, is excellent
evidence of the condition of that stream on the 30th day of
July, 1880. Mr. Garrison's scientific research upon his
canoe voyage of sixty days and his reports thereon, contri
bute valuable additions to sources of information on the
various topics he discusses.
The point upon which he camped has been named Garri
son point.

SUB-DIVISION NINETEENTH.

EARLY VISITORS TO ITASCA; CHARLES LANMAN'S
CLAIM; ALLAN MORRISON.

Among the minor early visitors to Itasca lake, or those
who claim to have visited
the locality, are Charles
Lanman, in 1846, the Rev.
Frederick Ayer and son1, in
1849; Mr. Bungo,a represen
tative of the colored race, in
1865, who originally claimed
that he was ' ' the first white
man who discovered Itasca
lake;" the several employes
of Edwin S. Hall in 1875,
and several land cruisers
from 1875 to 1881.
Nothing has been found
to show that any of these
uk. .iuaklk i.a.vha;v. gentlemen performed any

1. Application was made to the Rev. Mr. Ayer's son for a detailed report of
his father's visit to Itasca, the reverend gentleman being long since deceased,
but no answer came. Application for this record being renewed though Mr. J. H.
Rhodes, the following reply was received:
"Yours came in due time. I saw Mr. Ayer, who said that he would look the
matter up. I delayed writing you, thinking that he would report tome. As so
much time has elapsed, I presume that he may have reported directly to you,
which I hope may be the case."

EARLY VISITORS TO ITASCA. 187
special or particular service or made any discoveries of
note, touching or in anywise affecting geographical infor
mation at the Itasca Basin.
There seems to be a disposition on the part of early set
tiers of Minnesota, to require some further light *- regarding
Mr. Lanman's visit to Itasca lake in 1846. As it does not
appear that he claims to have made any discoveries there,
information given by himself will probably be all that is
required. It has been stated that his voyage was the ' ' outgrowth of
a wandering tour from the sources of the Mississippi to the
waters of Lake Superior, performed in a canoe in the sum
mer of 1846, with a party of Ojibway Indians and piloted by
the Indian trader, Allan Morrison2.
"Knowing as Mr. Lanman did that his friend H. R.
Schoolcraft had long before explored the romantic region
as a discoverer, his own object was simply to describe what
he saw and heard from the standpoint of a landscape painter
and lover of the romantic in nature and frontier life."

1. A communication from Mr. Lanman is noted:
"Dear Sir:— I have your letter of the 15th inst.. and am sorry that I cannot
send you a more satisfactory reply. I cannot at this late date prepare a more
complete record about my visit to the headwaters of the Mississippi than the
one to be found in my 'Summer in the Wilderness ' and that you will please remem
ber, was written by a boy-tourist and landscape painter. As to the picture
which I enclose, it only represents a fellow who once shot a raccoon within the
limits of what is now the City of St. Paul. Very truly yours,
J. V. Brower, Esq., Charles Lanman."
St. Paul, Minnesota

2 Mr. Morrison is credited with the statement that he could claim the discovery
of the source of the Mississippi, having visited the locality before Schoolcraft, but
after his brother William, to whom he awarded the honor of a first discovery.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTIETH.

SOJOURN OF REV. J. A. GILFILLAN'S PARTY AT
ITASCA LAKE ; WHIPPLE LAKE NAMED ; FIRST
SERMON AT THE SOURCE; AN INTERESTING
EPISTLE.

In May, 1881, in company with Mr. W. W. Cook, now Pro
fessor of Chemistry in the University of Vermont, the Rev.
J. A. Gilfillan, an Episcopal missionary stationed at White
Earth, Minnesota, made a pilgrimage to Itasca lake, not for
the purpose of discovery as it is now understood, but purely
one of curiosity to visit and see the Itasca Basin. Their
guide was an Ojibway Indian, named Sha-wun-uk-u-mig.
Leaving the old Red River trail, the party walked due
north several miles over a level prairie, entering upon a
difficult country, extending thence to Itasca, considerable to
the northward, across swamps, over hills, through forests
and tangled thickets, until they reached a small lake one
mile south of Nicollet's chain of lakes, naming the same,
Whipple lake— in honor of the Bishop of the Protestant
Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota. This was the most impor
tant action had by the party, as it attached a name to the
locality that will endure to the end. Following their course
to Itasca lake, the party reached Elk lake and named the same
Lake Breck — not accepted by geographers and map makers,

REV. J. A. GILFILLAN.

SOJOURN OF REV. J. A. GILFILLAN'S PARTY. 189
for the reason that its proper name is Elk lake, so desig
nated by the legal authority elsewhere quoted, (An act of
the Legislature of Minnesota) and the action of the properly
constituted authorities of the United States in its public
survey, who placed the name "Elk lake" on the official
map in 1876.
The party pas'sed on to Itasca lake and for the first time
in its history, religious services were celebrated by a recita
tion of the Creed with surplice and stole, and a sermon from
"Then had thy peace been as a river."
The party visited Morrison hill, saw traces of Edwin
Hall's wagon road, examined the locality in a casual way,
but did not see or visit the outlet at the north end of the
north arm. The party returned after a tedious and tiresome
trip to the place from whence they came and resumed their
several avocations, spending but one day in their march to
and from Itasca.
An article mostly upon religious topics was published de
scriptive of this pilgrimage, in the Minnesota Missionary for
the month of July, 1881, (Vol. 4, No. 10, page 3). With the
exception of the name "Lake Whipple," the results of this
visit are not of sufficient importance to warrant further con
sideration. The common acceptance of the name "Whipple"
as applied to the locality, places Mr. Giffillan in the list of
those who have from time to time, constructed the geo
graphical nomenclature of the Basin by piecemeal. -
In this article referred to, the reverend gentleman erro
neously distinguishes the small stream which flows from the
north end of Whipple lake, as passing through Elk lake, on
its downward course. Such is not the case, as it passes
successively through Floating Moss lake, the unique Missis-

190 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
sippi springs, the upper, middle and lower Nicollet lakes,
and thence by the principal channel to the Gulf.
Mr. Gilfillan, in addition to his personal visit to Itasca
lake, has been an important factor, otherwise, in connection
with the investigation concerning the source of trie Missis
sippi. A man of spotless character and superior intelligence, a
residence of twenty years among the Ojibway Indians
makes the information he has given, coming from tribal
sources or otherwise, for the purposes of this report, the
most trustworthy and reliable.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-FIRST.

THE GLAZIER FIASCO; AN INDIAN MAP DIS
TORTED; HUNGER AND HASTE; A FICTITIOUS
SOURCE; PLAGIARISM PERSONIFIED; HIS
CLAIMS SHOWN TO BE FOUNDED ON FALSE
STATEMENTS ; DISCREDITED BY GEOGRAPHICAL
SOCIETIES AND THE CONGRES INTERNATIONAL.

In the light of all the historic and geographic informa
tion, upon which is predicated the foregoing sub-divisions,
which, it is hoped, succintly combine all the more material
facts concerning discoveries from the mouth of the Missis
sippi river to Itasca lake and its principal tributaries,
including Elk lake and its creeks, it is related in the pub
lished writings of Mr. W. Glazier1 that he regretted that
there was much uncertainty as to the true source of the
Mississippi river.
From Cleveland, Ohio, in May 1881, he proceeded to St.
Paul, Minnesota, where he was joined by George Glazier,
his brother, and Mr. Barrett Channing Paine, of Indianapo
lis, Indiana, employed as a newspaper correspondent and
otherwise. At St. Paul supplies were procured preparatory

1 Mr. George C Hurlbut, Librarian of the American Geographical Society, is
authority for the statement, that " the name Willard Glazier is not to be found in
the U. S. Array Register, nor in the list of Officers of Volunteers, 1861-1865, in the
records of the War Department, nor in the U. S. Navy Register.

192 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
to a departure over the Northern Pacific Railway, for
Brainerd, Minn. At Brainerd the party prepared to pro
ceed to the Itasca Basin by way of Leech lake, engaging an
overland conveyance. It is stated that on July 17th, 1881,
with an Indian guide he called Che-no-wa-ge-sic, Mr. Glazier
and his companions departed from Leech lake in canoes for
the headwaters of the Mississippi, over the identical route
traversed by M. Nicollet, forty-five years previously, from
the latter lake to Schoolcraft island.
Preparatory to this canoe voyage, the Indian guide had
been requested to prepare maps of the country, in the
absence of copies of the official plats of the government,
which, as subsequent events indicate, were not known to
exist by the Glazier party. Following the lead of their
Ojibway guide,1 depending upon him and his crude map as
a base of action, and seized with the idea that there was a
lake beyond Itasca, undiscovered and unknown, the party
left Leech lake in three birch- bark canoes, and by a series
of portages, ' 'in blissful ignorance of what a portage really
was," they passed to the westward from Leech lake, up
small streams, across lakes, over hills and through swamps,
attaching names to streams and lakes on the assumption
that no white man had preceded them. The party reached
the east shore of the east arm of Itasca lake on July 21st,
1881, precisely where Schoolcraft and Nicollet had arrived

IThenameas given by Rev. J. A. Gilfillan, a student of the Ojibway langu
age, is She-na-wi-gi-shiek. Mr. Gilfillan, than whom no more reliable individual
speaks the Ojibway language, interviewed She-na-wi-gi-shick, and credits this
Indian with the following statement:
"I well knew that Lake Breck, the Elk lake of the maps, was not the true head,
but only the place where the waters were gathered; I knew that the true head was
a little stream a mile or two to the west, running into the west arm of Lake Itasca.
Glazier never asked me to take him to the true head, and I well knew that I did
not take him there."

THE GLAZIER FIASCO.

193

more than forty years before, and where the stakes and
blazed lines of the public survey were in conspicuous view.

AN INDIAN MAP OF THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI, DRAWN BY
SHE-NA-WI-GI-SHICK, AN OJIBWAY INDIAN, 1890.

This map was drawn at the request of Eev. J. A. Gilfillan by the Indian
employed by Glazier in 1881, as a guide. The map is the same, in all
essential particulars, as the one drawn by the same Indian in 1881,
from which all the Glazier Maps have been taken.
-13

194 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
At this time, it had been discovered that after their four
days travel, their supply of provisions and ammunition was
about exhausted, the fishing tackle had been lost, and the
party considered themselves in imminent danger for want of
subsistence. In this condition, they reached Schoolcraft
island and camped for the night. On the morning of the
22d, after an equal distribution of a ration among the six
persons, the party, at about 8 o'clock A. M. , embarked for
Elk lake1, two miles to the southward from Schoolcraft
island. The party experienced great difficulty in propelling their
canoes through the rushes at the mouth of Chambers creek
and up its channel, removing logs and reducing diminutive
sand bars with canoe paddles, in order that their canoes might
pass up the creek between Itasca and Elk lakes, a distance
of but little more than one thousand feet. Reaching Elk
lake, they passed to the point1- indenting its southern shore,

i Mr. Gilfillan in a private letter, Sept. 29th, 1886, wrote: "The above (naming
his visit at the lake) occurred, as I have said, two months before Glazier's trip;
and it was well known to him before he started that I had been there before him
as I went from Lake Itasca straight to Leech lake where he started, and told the
people there I had been to Itasca lake, and he heard it from the resident clergy
man there and many others. * * * * * * But it was no feat anyway to go to
Lake Breck (Elk) as he did, nor was he or our party the first that had been there,
for we found a cleared place there near Lake Breck and the dung of horses and
other signs of white men's habitation for a considerable time, and an old wagon
road leading into it from the southeast. I have talked since Glazier's expedition
with Che-na-wi-gi-sic, as he called him, his guide and boatman, whom I have
known for years. All the speeches, etc., attributed to him, by Glazier, are fables
as might be expected, and never occurred. He speaks no English and Glazier no
Ojibway, and all ascribed to him comes from Glazier's imagination. Indeed, all
his book and claims, as you know, are a work of imagination, except that he went
to Lake Breck (Elk) which is a perfectly simple thing and can be done by any one
who would give a Leech lake Indian perhaps twenty dollars to take him there in a
canoe and back, and is nearly as simple and as little worth talking about as going
in a canoe from St. Paul to Hastings."
2 Julius Chambers reached this point June 10th, 1872. and then wrote: "Here.
then, is the source of the longest river in the world." See page 8, N. Y. Herald of
July 6th. 1872. Thus more than nine years previous to Mr. Glazier's alleged discov
ery, the work of Chambers gave to the world all there was to give, concerning Elk

THE GLAZIER FIASCO. 195
declared the lake to be the source of the Mississippi, and
named it "Lake Glazier." From the Indian map1 they
fixed names to small creeks entering Elk lake; returned on
lake, in the absence of an actual hydrographic survey, though as to its being the
source of the Mississippi, he fell into the same error as did A. H. Siegfried, who,
July 13, 1879, two years before the Glazier party reached this lake, stood upon its
western shore and declared it to be the "highest tributary to the Mississippi." See
Louisville Courier-Journal. August, 1879.
The discovery by Chambers must take precedence so far as Elk lake is con
cerned, owing solely to the fact that Schoolcraft and Nicollet made no statement
concerning it, it then (1832-6) being a bay of Itasca lake, since separated by natural
causes, as stated and believed to be the fact. Thus discoveries at Elk lake (so-
called Glazier) are 1st, Jean N. Nicollet, 1836; 2nd, Julius Chambers, 1872; 3rd, Ed
win S. Hall, 1875; 4th, A. H. Siegfried, 1879; 5th, O. E. Garrison, 1880; 6th, Rev. J. A.
Gilfillan, 1881, and two of these publicly proclaimed it the source of the Mississippi
river (erroneously) before- Mr. Glazier saw it or knew of its existence. His expedi
tion is consequently the 7th to reach Elk lake and the third in the order of declar
ing it the source of the Mississippi.
So he discovered nothing there, and then boldly plagiarized Schoolcraft's writ
ings in an endeavor to show that he did.
Subsequent events indicate, with an unerring certainty, the deep seated pur
poses and plans which were so adroitly made use of, in an egregious geographic
misrepresentation of natural conditions existing near the source of the Mississippi.
1 Concerning this Indian map Mr. Gilfillan wrote:
"I have just received a letter from my Leech lake friend, enclosing the within
map, drawn by She-na wi-gi-shick. He says: 'I had She-na-wi-gi-shick draw the
enclosed map. We had no map, nor was there any at the agency but the Glazier
map.' N. B. I told him to show She-na-wi-gi-shick on the good map which he
would find at the agency, the lakes you spoke of, quoting to him your description
of them, location, etc.
'I simply had to take that and go by your question . He says there are no two
large lakes besides the one called Glazier. The lake noted as Glazier is called
Ozh-a-wush-ko, meaning Green lake. The map in Glazier's pamphlet or book,
purports to be from the one he drew, but he says it has been deviated from. The
one enclosed is just such a one as he furnished Glazier. He said to me that the
party went around the lake, (Elk lake) but did not explore the streams flowing into
it from the south. They took no measurements of its depth, nor altitude above
the sea level.'
In reference to the Indian name of Breck (Elk) lake, given in the above extract
by She-na-wi-gi-shick as Green lake, I would say that he told me long ago it was
Pe-ke-gu-mag, anglicised Pokegama, meaning 'a water jutting off from another
water,' something as a finger from a hand. The explanation in my mind is either
that that lake, lying in a region, visited, until very lately, by but very few Indians,
had no very distinctive name, but was described in both the above ways, to make
those who did happen to know it, know what lake they were talking about, and so
described in two ways its two prominent characteristics, either as Green lake,
from its color, or its peculiarity of jutting, or being a sort of annex of Itasca lame.
I knew before that there would be no Indian names for the lakes you wrote
about. I hope that you now have all the information needed. If there be any
thing else in which I can help you please let me know and I will have it attended to.

196 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
the same day to Schoolcraft island, and hastily proceeding
to the north end of Itasca lake, passed down the Mississippi
about ten miles and camped for the night of July 22nd, 1881.
But one-half of one day, without the use of any instruments
for observations or measurements, was expended in an al
leged location of the source of the Mississippi river, years
after others had done the same thing, at the same place.
This brief statement is based upon the published report
of the Glazier voyage to Elk lake, which is accepted as the
action taken by him at that time. The party, racked with
the pangs of hunger, consumed the carcass of an otter, and
for days subsisted on whatever they were able to capture
without fishing tackle and on a short allowance of ammuni
tion, finally reaching the outskirts of civilization in an
exhausted condition from exposure and hunger, seeming to
have been entirely ignorant of the necessities of subsist
ence, until a bitter experience taught the party a necessary
lesson. It has been stated as a fact that Willard Glazier and Mr.
Paine performed a remarkable canoe voyage to the Gulf of

My friend paid She-na-wi-gi-shick $1.00, he writes me, for his trouble in draw
ing the map, etc., which very small contribution, it is a pleasure to me to make to
the cause of science.
If after you are done with She-na-wi-gi-shick's map, you do not care for it, I
would be glad to have it returned . I am Respectfully yours. J. A. GILFILLAN."
From this entirely trustworthy statement, it would appear that She-na-wi-gi-
shick never saw or knew of the large lakes south of Whipple lake, now first
named— either by Indians or whites— Morrison and Hernando de Soto lakes. She-
na-wi-gi-shick omits these lakes from his map. also Whipple lake, the Triplets and
several others. It is a curious fact that Sho-na-wi-gi-shick includes distinctly
the three Nicollet lakes upon his map, indicating the natural division between the
Upper and Middle lakes and the detached upper fork of the Mississippi, which he
very correctly delineated as being longer than any stream found there.

THE GLAZIER FIASCO. 197
Mexico1, which was in accordance with the plans contem
plated at the inception of the trip to Itasca lake,
Previous to their arrival at the Gulf of Mexico, there was
commenced a studied and thoroughly organized effort to
force upon an unsuspecting public the impression, that Elk
lake had been discovered by the Glazier party, and that it
was the principal reservoir at the source of the Mississippi.
Discovering that Elk lake had been definitely located and
duly named, showing its connection by surface flowage with
Itasca lake by the official surveys of the United States gov
ernment, Mr. Glazier subsequently receded from the posi
tion taken and substituted the claim that his party had dis
covered that Elk lake was the "primal reservoir" and they
the first to discover and make known its importance as such.
Imperfect and misleading maps were made to conform to
the several claims assumed, the last of which, placed a
fictitious length to the creek connecting Elk and Itasca
lakes, presumably that Elk lake might appear to be situated
much farther beyond Itasca lake than it really is, thus to
more effectually impress upon the public mind that Elk lake
is the source, preparatory to at least a tacit recognition of
a baseless claim.

1 Prof. T. II. Lewis, a well known archaeologist, whose scientific investiga
tions have made him familiar with the entire valley of the Mississippi, is authority
for the statement that there is much doubt concerning this canoe voyage, the
canoe itself, which he saw at St. Louis, not bearing upon its face any considera
ble signs of having been used for so long a voyage. Messrs. Glazier and Paine
undoubtedly became personally acquainted with the comforts of lower Mississippi
river steamboats during the continuance of their voyage.
In an interview Mr. Paine is reported as follows:
"I accompanied Mr. Glazier on his journey at a stipulated salary per week. Our
objective point was Itasca lake. Glazier had no idea of exploring any lake beyond
that. The idea first entered his head when we were part way between Brainerd
and Leech lake. There we met an old man who told us that Itasca was not the
farthest lake, and that there was another a little beyond Itasca. He had no more
claim to the discovery than you had. In Mr. Glazier's recent letter I see that he
puts forth the statements that the lake was named Lake Glazier contrary to his
wishes. That statement is not true."

198 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Books, magazine articles, maps, newspaper contributions,
paid advertisements, proceedings of informal meetings,
lectures, correspondence, garbled quotations from authori
ties, literary notices, and an incalculable amount of relevant
and irrelevant matter has been printed and published with the
one important result in view — to manufacture public sentiment
sufficient to secure recognition, that Elk 1 ake migh t be changed
in name and permanently fixed as the source of the Mis
sissippi. To this end public officials, map-makers, publish
ers of school-books, editors of newspapers, academies and
societies in Europe i and America, educators, professors of
colleges and citizens generally, were sought to confirm the
claim of alleged discovery. That this deep-seated and well-
managed scheme of deception failed in its purpose, is
owing to several causes2.

1 The Royal Geographical Society of London, seemed to have considered this
fictitious claim as worthy of notice and endorsement.
2 The Minnesota Historical Society, upon a consideration of the question, caused to
be prepared a report, by Gen. J. H. Baker, severely denouncing the attempt to change the
geography of Minn sota.
The Legislature of the State passed the following enactment:
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minn-sota:
Section 1. That the lake known for many years to the Indians and early explorers as
Elk lake, situated in Beltrami county in section twenty-two (22) of town one hundred
and foity- three (113) north, range thirty-six (36) west, fifth principal meridian, shall be
known and designated hereafter on all official ma s of the State and named in all the
County and State records referring to the same as "E k lake."
Sec. 2. No edition of any school geography published subsequent to January one
eighteen hundred and ninety, which contains any map giving any name to the lake
specified in section 1 other than "Elk lak°," shall be used in the schools of this
State. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage."
Approved April 24th, 1889.
There also appeared under the title of "Captain Glazier and his lake" a refuta
tion of his claims, under the auspices of Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor &. Co of New
York. Minor causes could be briefly stated, among which are the published claim that
Mr. Glazier discovered six creeks falling into Itasca lake— the sixth originating
in a lake about five miles south of Itasca lake, which is not true. Mr. Glazier dis
covered none of them, and his own account admits of his having visited but one
of them .

THE GLAZIER FIASCO.

199

ONE OF THE GLAZIER MAPS, 1881-6.

200 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Mr. Glazier caused to be published a book, entitled ' 'Down
the Great River," descriptive of his claims, which was
copied almost bodily, in its principal subject, from the pub
lished works of Henry R. Schoolcraft *¦ , without credit.
The plagiarism, so palpable, stamped upon his purposes
a true character, and its dedication did not save it from a
condign refutation.
1 From "Narrative of an expedition through the upper Mississippi to Itasca lake' '
by Henry R. Schoolcraft, 1832. Published by Harper and Brothers, 1834, page 40:
" My father, the country you are going to see is my hunting ground. I have
traveled with you many days. I shall go with you farther. I will myself furnish
the maps you have requested and will guide you onward. There are many rapids
in the way but the waters are favorable. I shall consult with my band about the
canoes and see who will step forward to furnish them . My own canoe shall be one
of the number."
From "Down the Great River" by "Captain Willard Glazier," published at Phila
delphia, 1887, by Hubbard Bros., p 49:
"My brother, the country you are going to visit is my hunting ground. I have
hunted their many years and planted corn on the shores of Lake Itasca. My
father, now an old man, remembers the first white chief who came to look for the
source of the great river. But my brother, no white man has yet seen the head
of the father of waters. I will myself furnish the maps you have called for and
will guide you onward. There are many lakes and rivers in the way but the
waters are favorable. I will talk with my friends about the canoes and see who
will step forward to furnish them. My own canoe shall be one of the number."

"Schoolcraft's Narrative,' 1834, p 52:
"Oza Windib soon pushed his canoe into the weeds and exclaimed "Oma
mikunna" ('here is the portage.') A man who is called on for the first time to
debark in such a place will look about him to discover some dry spot to put his
feet upon. No such spot ever existed here. We stepped into rather warm pond
water with a miry bottom. After wading a hundred yards or more, the soil
became firm and we soon began to ascend a slight elevation where the growth par
takes more of the character of a forest.
Glazier's "Down the Great River," p 60.
"Ohe-no-wa-ge-sic soon pushed his canoe into the rushes and exclaimed 'oma
mikunna' here is the portage. A man who is called on for the first time to debark
in such a place will cast about for some dry spot to put his feet upon. No such
spot, however, existed here. We stepped into rather warm pond water with a miry
bottom . After wading a hundred yards or more, the soil became firm and we began
to ascend a slight elevation where the growth partook more of the character of a
forest.

" Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, pp. 53, 54.
The portage from the east to the west branch of the river is estimated to be six
miles. Beginning in a marsh it soon rises into a little elevation of white oedar wood, then
plunges into the intricacies of a swamp matted with fallen trees, obscured with

THE GLAZIER FIASCO. 201
His statements are so devoid of truth and veracity that
his claim as a discoverer ignominiously subsides by reason
of the weight of its absurdity, repugnant to historical and
geographical facts.
The selections noted are so strikingly convincing of the
real character of the two writers of 1 832 and 1884-7, that it
moss. From this the path emerges upon dry ground. It soon ascends an elevation
of oceanic sand having boulders and bearing pines. There is then another descent
and another elevation. In short, the traveler now finds himself crossing a series of
diluvial sand-ridges which form the height of land between the Mississippi valley
and the Red river.
Glazier's " Down the Great River," 1887, pp. 64, 65.
The distance from the eastern to the western branch of the Mississippi is between
six and seven miles. Beginning in a marsh the portage soon reaches a slight eleva
tion covered with a growth of cedar, spruce, white pine and tamarack, thenplunges
into a swamp matted with fallen trees obscured by moss. From the swamp the trail
emerges upon dry ground, whence it soon ascends an elevation of oceanic sand
presenting boulders and bearing pines. There is then another descent and another
elevation. In short, this portage carried us over a series of diluvial sand-ridges
which form the height of land between the Mississippi and the Red river of the
North.

"Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, pp. 55, 56.
Every step we made in treading these sandy elevations seemed to increase the
ardor with which we were carried forward. The desire of reaching the actual
source of a stream so celebrated as the Mississippi— a stream which La Salle had
reached the mouth of a century and a half (lacking a year) before, was perhaps
predominant, and we followed our guide down the sides of the last elevation with
the expectation of momentarily reaching the goal of our journey. What had been
long sought at last appeared suddenly. On turning out of a thicket into a small
weedy opening, the cheering sight of a transparent body of water burst upon our
view. It was Itasca lake, the source of the Mississippi.
Glazier's "Down the Great River," 1887, p. 71.
Every paddle stroke seemed to increase the ardor with which we were carried
forward. The desire to see the actual source of a river so celebrated as the Missis
sippi, whose mouth had been reached nearly two centuries before, was, doubtless,
the impelling motive. * * * What had long been sougth at last appeared sud
denly. On pulling and pushing our way through a network of rushes similar to the
one encountered on leaving Itasca, the cheering sight of a transparent body of
water burst upon our view. It was a beautiful lake, the source of the Father of
Waters.

"Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, p. 58.
The height of this lake above the sea is an object of geographical interest, which
in the absence of actual survey it may subserve the purposes of useful inquiry
to estimate. From notes taken on the ascent it cannot be short of one hundred
and sixty feet above Cass lake. Adding the estimate of 1.330 feet submitted in 1820,
as the elevation of that lake, the Mississippi may be considered to originate at an

202 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
would seem prudent to believe that no statement made by
Mr. Glazier can in any way be considered reliable, and a
cloud is thrown about his claims, by his plagiarism, which,
in the several stages of his writings, have passed from un
deserved credit to doubt, and then to disrepute.
These facts are not considered other than as a criterion
upon which to base a comparison of character, for certainly
altitude of 1,490, say 1,500 feet above the Atlantic. Its length, assuming former data
as the basis and computing it through the Itascan or west fork, may be placed at
3,160 miles.
Glazier's " Down the Great River," 1887, p. 75.
Its hei_ht above the sea is an object of geographical interest, which in the ab
sence of actual survey, it-may subserve the purposes of useful inquiry to estimate.
From notes taken during the ascent, it cannot be less than three feet above Lake
Itasca. Adding the estimate of 1,575 feet, submitted by Schoolcraft in 1832, as the
elevation of that lake, the Mississippi may be said to originate in an altitude of
1,578 feet above the Atlantic ocean. Taking former estimates as the basis and com
puting them through its western fork, its length may be placed at 3,184 miles.

"Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, p. 59.
Its origin in the remote and unfrequented area of country between Leech lake
and Red river, probably an entire degree of latitude south of Turtle lake, which
still figures on some of the maps as its source, throws both the forks of this stream
out of the usual route of the fur trade, and furnishes, perhaps, the best reason why
its actual sources have remained so long enveloped in obscurity.
Glazier's "Down the Great River," 1887, p. 76.
The origin of the river in an untraveled and secluded region, between Leech lake
and the Red river of the North, not less than a degree of latitude south of Turtle
lake, which was for a long time supposed to be the source, removes both forks
of the stream outside the usual track of the fur-traders, and presents a good rea
son, perhaps, why its fountain head has remained so long enveloped in uncertainty.

"Schoolcraft's Narrative" 1834, pp. 80-81.
I went to his residence at the proper time accompanied by Mr. Johnson. I
found him living in a comfortable log building of two rooms well floored and
roofed, with a couple of small glass windows. * * * There was no other
person admitted to the meal, but his wife who sat near him and poured out the
tea, but ate or drank nothing herself.
Tea cups and tea spoons, plates, knives and forks of plain manufacture, were
carefully arranged, and the number corresponded exactly with the expected
guests. A white fish cut up and broiled in good taste, occupied a dish in the center
from which he helped us, A salt cellar in which pepper and salt were mixed in un
equal portions allowed each the privilege of seasoning his fish with both or neither.
Our tea was sweetened with the native sugar and the dish of hard bread seemed
to have been precisely wanted to make out the repast.
Glazier's "Down the Great River," 1887, pp. 43-44.
I went to his residence at the appointed hour acoompanied by my brother. I
found him living in a comfortable log house of two rooms, well floored and roofed-

'the GLAZIER FIASCO. 203
our geographic history should not be constructed from other
than reliable data, and that construction can only be predi
cated upon the reliability and character of the men who have
heretofore given cause for researches concerning discoveries
— now considered.
with a couple of small glass windows. A plain board table Btood in the centre of
the front room upon which the dinner was spread. * * * The wife of
Flat Mouth sat on his left and waited upon him and those whom he had invited.
Tea cups and teaspoons of plain manufacture were carefully arranged, the num
ber corresponding exactly with the expected guests. A large dish of bass and
white fish cut up and broiled in good taste was placed in the center of the table
from which we were served. A birch bark salt cellar in which pepper and salt were
mixed in unequal proportion allowed each the privilege of seasoning his fish with
both or dispensing with it altogether. Our tea was sweetened with maple sugar.
A dish of blue berries picked on the shore of the lake completed the dinner.
"Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, p. 81.
This chief brought me a letter from the interior, some years ago at St. Mary's, in
which he is spoken of as "the most respectable man in the Chippewa country."
And if the term was applied to his mental qualities, and the power of drawing just
conclusions from known premises, and the effects which these have had on his
standing and influence with his own band, it is not misapplied. Shrewdness and
quickness most of the chiefs possess, but there is more of the character of common
sense and practical reflection in the Guelle Plat's remarks than, with a very exten
sive acquaintance, I recollect to have noticed in must of the chiefs now living of
this tribe.
Glazier's " Down the Great River," 1887, p. 44.
I was much gratified on this occasion by the presence of White Cloud, whom I had
frequently been told was the most respectable man in the Chippewa country, and
if the term has reference to his intellectual faculties, and the power of reaching
correct deductions from known premises, and the effect which these have had on
his standing and influence with his own tribe, it is not misplaced. Shrewdness and
quickness of perception most of the chiefs possess, but there is more of the charac
ter of common sense and practical reflection in White Cloud's remarks than I
remember to have noticed in any of the chiefs of my acquaintance.

"Schoolcraft's Narrative," 1834, p. 53.
Having followed out this branch of the Mississippi to its source, it may be
observed that its existence as a separate river, has hitherto been unknown in our
geography. None of the maps indicate the ultimate separation of the Mississippi
above Cass lake into two forks.
Glazier's "Down the Great River." 1887, pp. 60 and 63.
Having ascended this fork of the Mississippi to its source, it may be noted that it
has not as yet been given a place as a separate river in our geography. None of
the maps* indicate the ultimate separation of the Mississippi above Lake Bemidji
into two forks.

* (N. B.: See Schoolcraft's map, 1832; also Lieut. Allen's map, 1832; Nicollet's map,
1836; the government surveys, and all the State maps of Minnesota, each of which
shows the two branches of the Mississippi.— J. V. B.)

204

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS' SOURCE.

A REMARKABLE CLIMATE.
Observations on the sources of the Mississippi river, from
Schoolcraft's "Summary Narrative," 1834, p. 423.

<

a<

&< 5146606873 ,0
74

aCI 766463
80868882
87

a
p*

aOj'00

aCM o

July 17 ..
" 18...
" 19....

80667084
889088
8085818076
7476 81
83 *

7953
5575857778
787461
75 61
52
"70

7850
"74 "63 69

Morning rainy, then fair.
Fair.Night rainy, morning cloudy, then fair.

" 20....
" 21....

" 22....
Cloudy, some thunder.
" 23
Night and morning rain, afternoon thunder.
Fair.
" 24....
" 25 ..
Fair.
" 26
61
626250
Moraine f air.evening cloudy and rain, clear.
" 27
" 28....
" 29
" 30...
60656772
" 31....
Aug. 1....
" 2
Wind W., weather clear.
Fair. Fair.
*Broke instrument.
Meteorological observations at the headwaters of the Miss
issippi, from Glazier's account "Am. Met. Journal," 1884,
p. 328.
a <
a <
a <QO
a 766163
8086888287
ar*HOI 80 6670
84889088
80858180 76
74
a oo 795355758577 78
7874 61
71(il 5-'
a&ai 78
50
"74 "63 69
July 17 
" 18....
51 46
6068737074
" 19...
Night rainy, morning cloudy, then fair.
" 20.. .
• 21.,
" 22....
" 23....
Night and morning rain, afternoon thunder.
Fair.
" 24....
" 25...
" 26
616262
50
Morning fair, evening cloudy and rain.clear.
Morning fair, evening fair.
Morning fair, rain in afternoon.
" 27,
" 28...
" 29...
" 30
" 31....
Aug. 1....
60
656772
76 ....
8X| —
83 70
Wind N. W., weather clear.
Wind W., weather clear .
Fair.Fair.
!
The plagiarism is so apparent, that consideration availeth
nothing, and further comment is deemed unnecessary; the
THE GLAZIER FIASCO. 205
quotations, though limited in number, bearing witness to
facts as they have been found to exist.
Notwithstanding these conclusive facts which have come
to light concerning Elk lake, its discovery and measure of
importance, the Glazier absurdity is persisted in, but its
fraudulent character has finally become well understood 1 .
Mr. Glazier was charged2 with falsifying the record of
discoveries at the source of the Mississippi, for self-lauda
tion and pecuniary gain, to such an extent, that, if not true,
the charge was a libel, yet he has remained silent in the pres
ence of a remedial offer, if he were wrongfully accused.

1 In Vol. VII, p. 553, Justin Winsor's Narrative and Critical History of North
America, is given the following :
" 'Still further detailed examinations as made(1855-56 and 1875-76) by the engineers
of the United States lake survey and Surveyor General of Minnesota show that
the principal feeder broadens into a small lake, called Elk lake, and it is this lake
that Oapt. Willard Glazier visited at a later day (1881) and claims to have first
discovered in it the source of the Mississippi.' {Royal Geog. Soc. Proc. Jan. 1885).
The claim is considered audacious."
Mr. Winsor's authorityis in error concerning the principal feeder, which does
not fall into Elk lake, but through Nicollet's lakes to Itasca lake and the Gulf.
From the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society for October, 1891, the
following extract is q uoted :
i. * * * * n would seem that Captain Glazier was premature in arriving at
the conclusion that he was the real discoverer of the source of the Mississippi.
and that, as a fact, the map he prepared does not show the sources of that great
river." AN OPEN' LETTER.
2 St. Pauc, Dec. 22nd, 1888.
To Willard Glazier, Sir: You have published to the world that on or about
the 22nd day of July. A. D., 1881, you made the original discovery of the true source
of the Mississippi river. You have designated that source and platted and pub
lished the same as being Elk lake, Minnesota. You have, for self-laudation, pub
lished to the world a false map of said lake and source, designating the same as
"Lake Glazier." You have falsely, and with shameful erroneousness, endeavored
to appropriate to yourself the honor and fame justly due o'her and more distin
guished gentlemen who preceded you in the accurate and conscientious discovery
of the source of said river. You have endeavored to this end to wrongly and falsely
pervert the correct history of the discovery of the true source of said river for pur
poses of self-laudation and personal gain. I challenge the correctness of your
assumptions in that behalf, and for the purpose of testing the genuineness of your
claims relative to said lake, source and river, I admit in case my above statements
are found to be false by the proper judicial tribunal, that I am indebted to you in
any sum found by an impartial court and jury. I now demand as a proper test of
the question of discovery, that you file your bill of complaint against me in the

206 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The falsification of the state map of Minnesota, by these
means, became so notorious that the governor of Minnesota
requested a report1 from its state park commissioner, on the
application of citizens, correcting the errors.
The Congres International at Berne, on the 12th of Aug
ust, 1891, upon a consideration of a paper2 prepared by Mr.
George C. Hurlbut and presented by Mr. Francis A. Stout,
respectively, librarian and vice president of the American
Geographical Society, appointed Sir George Bowen, Maj.
Post, U. S. A., Messrs. Napoleon Ney, A. de Claparede and
E. v. Hesse- Wartegg, a committee of the Congrfis, upon a
report of which, August 13th, the claim of Mr. Glazier was
declared without foundation, and an award of original dis
covery in favor of Schoolcraft, Lieutenant Allen and Nicol
let, was accorded unanimously.
Definite action, of this nature, seems not to have lessened
the ardor, nor thwarted the purposes of Mr. Glazier, for
United States Circuit Court for the District of Minnesota. Each party to have
until the December term, 1889, to produce evidence; that the case shall be adjudi
cated before the court in December, 1889, or as soon thereafter as counsel can be
heard, and that the undersigned will offer no technical objections to your suit, but
that the same shall be tried on its merits. I propose and offer to pay any judg
ment you may obtain against me, and to give good and sufficient bond therefor.
You are thus publicly charged, to the end that you may have an ample opportunity
to adjudicate your rightful claims, if you have any, or to forever hereafter stand
pu blicly branded as a false and fraudulent claimant of the rights of others. The
eminent and impartial jurist* before whom the case can he tried, warrants the
statement that an unprejudiced and impartial trial on its merits can be had.
J. V. BROWER.
(Note: This challenge has been corrected by adding the word "original" in the
fourth line after the word "the" and immediately preceding the word "discovery.")
"The eminent jurist referred to is Judge Brewer, recently elevated to the
Supreme Bench of the United States.
1 See report entitled "Official Folder," "The Source of the Mississippi River,"'
on file with the librarian of the American Geographical Society, Harvard College,
the Royal Geographical Society and other geographical societies throughout the
world. 2 See George C. Hurlbut's paper upon page 378, Bulletin of the American Geo
graphical Society, Vol. XXIII, and proceedings of the Congres International des
Sciences Geographiques, August, 1891.

THE GLAZIER FIASCO.

207

immediately following the action of the Berne Congres, he
called about himself a few of his personal friends, two or
Mississippi

THE GLAZIER MAP OF 1891.
three of whom had for years strenuously advocated his
claims, and engaging the services of an obscure and con-

208 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
venient person to act in the capacity of a surveyor, the party
proceeded to Elk lake, the latter part of August, 1891, re
maining encamped there six or eight days, during which
time they claim to have surveyed the locality, and, of course,
endorsed the Glazier claim. Protracted rainstorms and the
density of the flora there, in August, 1891, made it abso
lutely impossible to accurately survey the locality at that
time. It appears that they reported the longer streams
there, short; and the short streams, the longer; in order to
carry out their purpose, for certain it is, they report Nicol
let's Infant Mississippi several thousand feet shorter than it
really is, and attempted to broaden out the Elk lake locality
to an undue proportion, plagiarizing Nicollet's report by
purloining the name "Infant Mississippi," which they at
tempted to attach to Chambers creek, conspicuously ignor
ing other important hydrographic conditions. Upon their
return, the 3rd of September, a map of their operations was
published. Mr. Glazier and his personal friends were the moving
spirit in this last geographic farce.
Two or three members of the party1, however, have

1 Mr. Henry R. Cobb, in a letter dated September 11th, 1891 says:
" While I enjoyed the very pleasant companionship of the Glazier party, all the
observations which our brief time allowed us to make only confirmed the accuracy
of J. V. Brower's work in that region."
Mr. C. D. Cutting, who accompanied the Glazier party, says under date of Sept.
7th, 189.1:
" I have recently visited Lake Itasca' and Elk lake and the largest and longest
stream entering Lake Itasca is the stream called Nicollet creek "
Mr. J. 0. Crane under date of Sept. 29th, 1891, admits the correctness of J. V.
Brower's Detailed Hy drographic Chart as follows :
¦' I will say thai; the map sent me, is an excellent one. The location of the lakes
I believe are correct and I see no reason as yet to think otherwise."
Another member of the party wrote:
" The only other important feeder of Lake Itasca is Nicollet creek which enters
Itasca about a quarter of a mile west of the outlet of the creek from Elk lake.
This was carefully explored and measured from mouth to source ; near its mouth
it carries about twice the volume of water which leaves the Glazier lake."

THE GLAZIER FIASCO. 209
admitted that the Nicollet stream was found to be the larger
and longer.
Mr. Cyrus C. Adams, as the editor 'of Goldthwaites Geogra
phical Magazine, has» conspicuously and ably exposed 1 the
pretensions of this last distortion of geographical facts, by
this so-called second Glazier expedition of 1891.
It seems an evil to burden a record with a sub -division of
this nature, but since the facts are to be stated, they have been
given, in as short a space as possible, convenient for a proper
understanding of deceptive practices, which, too easily,
obtained recognition in geographical quarters, where better
things might well be expected, in Europe as well as in
America. It cannot be claimed, with any degree of veracity, that
any further or more extended measurements were made by
Mr. Glazier and his selected friends, in 1891, than are shown
on his map, herewith given, as it was published September
3rd, nor can it be successfully denied, that those measure
ments are false ones.
The map, as may be readily noticed, is worthless, as a
basis for correct information.
Of the man who has reveled in such dishonorable prac
tices, what more need be said, unless — Asinus ad lyram.
1 P. 719, Vol. 11. GoldthwaitCs Geographical Magazine, November, 1891.

-14

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-SECOND.

PIONEER SETTLEMENT AT ITASCA LAKE; PETER
TURNBULL AND FAMILY; THE SECOND COMING
OF CIVILIZED OCCUPANCY.

Mr. Peter Turnbull, formerly a surveyor and civil engineer
under the Dominion Government of Canada, made the first
actual permanent settlement at Itasca lake, with his family,
in the month of September, 1883 1.
Mr. Turnbull had prospected for a favorable location,
and selected the east shore of the east arm of the lake, a
short distance north of the point where the Schoolcraft
Expedition had reached the lake more than fifty years
before. With a force of assistants, he constructed the ' 'Turnbull
road" which leads from Stony Ridge to the east shore of
Itasca lake, through Mary valley. That road has become
the main throughfare to and from the Itasca Basin.
A Post-office was established, since discontinued, and in
rapid succession, different portions of the locality were
marked by the cabins of settlers. Mr. TurnbuU's family

1 Charley F. Turnbull, the first child born of white parentage at Itasca lake,
June 5th, 1884, survives his mother, Mary J. Turnbull who died at Park Rapids,
Minn., in May, 1889.

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PIONEER SETTLEMENT AT ITASCA LAKE. 211
were permanent residents upon the lake shore about two
years, during which time, roads were opened through the
forests to different localities, by I. N. Marsh and others,
and the wilderness assumed the appearance of a first indica
tion of advancing civilization. Of the long list of settlers
who have resided at or near the source, from Mr. TurnbuU's
inception of actual occupancy, the records of the Land
Department of the United States, at Washington, contain
an official history 1 .
It is proper to state that the character of the locality is
a forest, and with its hills and valleys and streams it is pic
turesque, and a natural wilderness, unsuited for agricultural
pursuits, and as soon as title is secured by the proofs of
settlement and occupancy, the land is abandoned by most of
the settlers for more inviting homes nearer civilization.
Mr. Turnbull removed to Park Rapids, Minnesota, where
he was Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of
Hubbard County. His services, secured in 1889, while an
examination was being had in the field, were of inestimable
value, faithfully and carefully rendered by the man who had
resided at the Itasca Basin, and was willing to tender the
benefit of his skilled labor, and his personal knowledge of
the locality.
The cabins of the locality, as a rule, remain but empty
shells, no longer the habitation of former owners. The
reason for this is that the land is valuable, principally for

1 Among the numerous claim holders, the names of the following are noted
from the record:
James H. Blake, John C, Ryie, A. M. Benham, Lottie E. Mead, E. M. Shelly,
W. H. Naylor, P. C. Sweeney. Cearles Lowe, George D. Mandigo, Albert N. Tull,
F. A. Kribs, E, Trask, Albert Sample, Samuel McClure, S. M. Ronning. Ida May
Blair, Eugene Williams, Wm. H. Green, H. C. Willfams, P. A. Vanderpool. Wm.
MoMullen, J. H. Mattoon, James Parks, Wesley Gill, D. S. Patterson and T. S.
Finney.

212 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
its pine timber, and the claims, for a consideration, have
passed to a non-resident ownership.
The second coming of civilized occupancy will follow the
construction of railroads to and beyond the source, and not
until then.

MR. HOPEWELL CLARKE.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-THIBD.

THE RELATION OF HENRY D. HARROWER, AND OF
TVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR AND CO. ; SURVEY
OF THE BASIN BY HOPEWELL CLARKE.

In Science, an illustrated journal published in New
York City, there occurred in 1886, a discussion concerning
discoverers and discoveries at the source of the Mississippi.
The first communication to that journal was signed by
Russell Hinman, who had noticed that the Glazier accounts
of the source revealed the now apparent fact that the
descriptive narrative of Henry R. Schoolcraft of 1834, had
been, to a very great extent, silently appropriated and
incorporated, without credit, into the Glazier writings, as
original matter, with but a slight change in the verbiage.
Following this communication, there appeared another in
which it was stated that the distance between Itasca and
Elk lakes, was about five miles, etc. (The actual distance
across the brow of Morrison Hill is 393 feet and by the
channel of the creek, 1,100 feet.)
Following this in the same journal is the reply by Henry
D. Harrower, pointedly stating the case of Glazier and its
absurdity. At this time Mr. Harrower seems to have taken

214 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
up a careful consideration of the case for and on behalf of
Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co.1 He carefully compared
the Glazier writings with those of Schoolcraft, publishing an
account of his researches in an Extra Educational Reporter,
in October, 1886.
The final announcement in this publication was the organ
ization of The Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co. , Expedition
to supplement the work of Nicollet and Edwin S. Hall by a
careful examination of the Itasca Basin.
This expedition was placed in charge of Mr. Hopewell
Clarke who was connected with the Land Department of the
Northern Pacific railroad and is now Land Commissioner
for the St. Paul and Duluth railway at St. Paul, Min
nesota. HOPEWELL CLARKE'S SURVEY.
Mr. Clarke selected two assistants, proceeded to Motley,
Minnesota, and thence by team and stage to Cat creek,
Park Rapids and to the south end of the east arm of Itasca
lake. His equipment consisted of a camping outfit, pocket
sextant, aneroid barometer, drainage level, thermometers,
hand level, surveyor's chain and compass, levelling rod
and pocket compass.
The party arrived at Itasca lake October 13th, 1886, and
at once embarked for the west arm without making any
special examination of the Mary creek and valley. They
camped between Elk and Itasca lakes and for five days
labored incessantly to discover the facts connected with the
source of the Mississippi. A critical examination of the
locality between Elk and Itasca lakes was had; Nicollet's

1 Publishers of School-books at the City of New York, who had refused to
incorporate, in their publications, that Elk lake was the true source.

SURVEY OF THE BASIN.

215

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HOPEWELL CLARKE'S MAP, 1 8ec6.

216 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Infant Mississippi was found to be the principal affluent
and it was carefully explored to its source, which Mr. Clarke
determined to be at the lake in the northwest quarter of
section 34, township 143, range 36, (Whipple lake), with no
connection with the lakes to the south. Underground pas
sages forming artesian springs at lower levels were distinctly
noted, and a puzzling search for Nicollet's upper lake,
ended in the expressed opinion that it was over a hill on the
east side of his middle lake, at a basin of water then exist
ing, but now a dry bed. The feeders of Elk lake were
critically examined and traced to their sources. An exami
nation of Mr. Clarke's map and a careful purusal of his
valuable report, impresses the reader with his anxiety to
secure and present nothing but the facts, and it is to be
regretted that the natural ability and readiness of percep
tion so conspicuously demonstrated by him upon this
survey, were curtailed by the diminutive limit of five
days time. Under circumstances of that kind, it is not a
matter of surprise that he erroneously placed the summit of
the Hauteurs des Terres on his map immediately border
ing the south end of Whipple lake.
On December 7th, 1886, Mr. Clarke made a detailed report
of his survey to Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co., who pub
lished it in pamphlet form 1.

1 In his report Mr. Clarke says:
" Our little party of three was fully satisfied that fifty years ago Nicollet had
discovered all there was to discover of the sources of the Mississippi, and that if
he had lived to complete his report on the sources of the Mississippi and the
North Red rivers and to give to the world his unpublished map, there would have
been no chance for any Glazier to confuse the geographical world or to play tricks
upon the learned societies of two continents."
This pamphlet is entitled "The Source of the Mississippi."

SURVEY OF THE BASIN. 217
The action2 taken by Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co.,
appears to have been for the purposes of educational inter
ests and publications.

2 Mr. Henry Gannett, Chief Topographer, United States Geological Survey,
it has been claimed, first suggested the consideration given to the question by this
company.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-FOUETH.

THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC IN
STRUCTION FOR MINNESOTA AT ITASCA; HE DE
SCRIBES THE LAKE AND ITS AFFLUENTS.

In 1887, a public institute was to have been held at Park
Rapids, Minnesota, under the auspices of the Department of
Public Instruction for Minnesota, but was abandoned.
Prof. T. H. Kirk, now the Assistant State Superintendent
of Public Instruction, who was to have been conductor of the
institute, then proceeded to Lake Itasca upon a tour of ob
servation. In response to a request for detailed information as to the
results of his observations there, Prof. Kirk submitted the
following interesting paper: "St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 18th, 1889.
On the 9th day of May, 1887, I was at Park Rapids, Hub
bard county, with a few days of leisure at my disposal. This
fortunate circumstance of time and place enabled me to
carry out a cherished purpose; namely, to explore Lake
Itasca. An intense interest awakened during a historic re
search in which I had followed the movements of Morrison,
Schoolcraft and Nicollet, gave zest to the undertaking1.
1 Professor Kirk is the author of a School History of Minnesota.

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ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT AT ITASCA. 219
I invited Mr. F. A. Vanderpool, and a young man named
Patterson to accompany me. A span of horses, a light
spring wagon, an axe, a revolver, a Winchester rifle, to
which we added another of the same kind while in the woods,
made up our equipment, mechanical and defensive. A few
rations, mainly hard bread, constituted our food supply; for
we were to depend for subsistence upon game and such
supplies as one is able to purchase at a settler's cabin.
We began our journey about noon of the 10th, following
the single trail that leads toward Itasca. This trail extends
over ridges covered with jack pines, through tamarac
swamps, and anon over the stony summits of the Hauteurs
des Terres.
At Hay creek, a brace of the wagon tongue broke and a
mile farther on the other. The tongue itself was soon
pulled out of the cross bar. With great difficulty, we
reached Lowe's cabin four miles farther on and half a mile
north of the trail. Here we found Mr. Green who had come
down from Lake Itasca to visit his daughter, Mrs. Lowe.
This was fortunate for us; for he was something of a car
penter and promised to repair our wagon, as well as he
might with a few wood working tools and no blacksmith to
aid him.
After supper, with nothing to impede us but our fire arms
and scant rations, we pushed on foot through the dark
woods, whose silence was only broken by such sounds as the
occasional cry of a wild animal, and the tireless exhortation
of the whip-poor-will. Oar route was still over the summits
of the Hauteurs des Terres, which in this section seem to be
composed of little else than boulders that, frequently crop
ping out, obstruct the trail. We made only five miles that

220 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE
night and lodged in a cabin which belonged to a bachelor
friend of Vanderpool. We accepted, in the owner's absence,
the mute invitation of his blankets and bed of pine boughs.
In the morning, we breakfasted on boiled rice and black
coffee. Thus refreshed, we continued our journey.
We soon crossed the southeast divide of the Itasca Basin,
not f ar from the iron post1 which marks the northeast corner
of Becker county, and a corner of Beltrami county. From
this point, our course was northwest through a narrow
valley2 lying between fertile ridges, for the most part
heavily timbered. In the center of the valley is a chain of
small but beautiful lakes more or less definitely connected
by water courses. The last of the water courses8 empties
into the southeast arm of Lake Itasca.
My survey of the valley was quite cursory; but the max
imum volume of water pouring into Itasca, an apparent lack
of connection in the chain, the possibility, therefore, that
those farthest southeast are related to the drainage system
on the other side of the divide alluded to above, made it to
my mind an interesting problem in the final determination
of the source of the Mississippi.
We found Mr. Green's cabin on the summit of the hill
which is situated on the west side of the extremity cf the
southeast arm of Itasca. A note tacked to his door directed
one to look for the key at the southeast corner of the cabin
under the shakes, and was a sufficient invitation to all, save
Indians and other illiterates, to accept his hospitable shelter
and whatever of good cheer was to be found within. We

1 At Sibilant Lake.
2 Mary Valley.
3 Mary Creek.

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT AT ITASCA. 221
were not slow to accept, and for two days made the cabin
our base of supplies.
On the swampy shore at the foot of the hill, we found an
• old, leaky scow, and two broken paddles which when
mended served us for oars. In this uncertain craft, we
made the complete circuit of Lake Itasca.
Our first objective point was Schoolcraft Island where we
landed to bail out and take observations. We next visited
the Mississippi where it leaves the lake, roughly estimating
its width, depth, and volume of water, and observed the soft
alluvial character of its bed. We then pitched our camp on
the northeast shore. While we were here, the wind rose
and the white caps began to roll in the lake and threaten to
end our explorations for the day. But time was precious to
us, so we carefully ajusted our load in the scow, prepared
for swimming in case of need, and pushed out. The scow
shipped a part of every wave, and threatened momentarily
to capsize, but,, by dint of bailing and persistent rowing, we
made the lee of points on the western shore and finally that
of Schoolcraft Island, coming out at length in the smoother
waters of the southwest arm. We landed half way down
the eastern shore, then at the mouth of the outlet of Elk
Lake. This lake is only a few rods from Itasca, and is separated
from it by a hillock * which is the extremity of a spur
of the Hauteurs des Terres. The outlet of the former lake
winds tortuously along the eastern base of the hillock
through the edge of a swamp. I determined to pole up
this stream. Vanderpool and Patterson both declared it

1 Morrison Hill.

222 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
impossible to do this, but goodnaturedly labored to please
me. And labor it was, as much like crossing a portage as
sailing. In most places, the real channel was very narrow,
making it difficult to turn the curves, and so shallow that"
two had to get out and drag while the other remained in the
stern and pushed. Another difficulty was to get under the
trees that had fallen across the stream. I doubt if a boat,
unless an Indian's canoe at flood water, ever ascended it
before. By one standing at the summit of the hillock, both lakes
are seen near at hand; and it has been many years, if ever,
since the forest trees were heavy enough to obstruct the
view. Only a short distance from Elk Lake, and separated
from it by the spur of the Hauteurs des Terres, to which the
hillock belongs, flows Nicollet Creek2 where it debouches
into Itasca. We measured the volume of water in this
stream a few rods above the mouth, and .estimated it to be
five or six times greater than that of Chambers Creek.
Taking these facts into consideration, together with the
statement of Nicollet and others, that the ultimate source of
the creek bearing his name is four or five miles from Itasca,
much farther indeed than the ultimate sources of the Elk
lake inlets, I reached these conclusions:
First, if mere hydrographical observation is to determine,
to Nicollet belongs the honor of having discovered the
ultimate source of the Mississippi; because his map of 1836
is but a record of his personal explorations, showing all
these lakes and streams in relative topographical positions
and degree of importance.
Second, if priority of judgment is to determine, then too
2 Nicollet's Infant Mississippi river.

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT AT ITASCA. 223
the honor of discovery is his; because he fixed upon the
source of the stream which bears his name.
Respectfully submitted,
T. H. KIRK."
The examination of the streams at Lake Itasca, by Profes
sor Kirk, bears relation to the source to such an extent,
that the results of his examination are given in full.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-FIFTH.

THE DEFINITE ACTION OF THE MINNESOTA HIS
TORICAL SOCIETY AS TO THE SOURCE OF THE
MISSISSIPPI; REPORT BY GEN. JAMES H. BAKER
ADOPTED; APPOINTMENT OF A COMMISSIONER
ORDERED TO DEFINITELY SURVEY AND LOCATE
THE SOURCE.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a co-ordinate branch
of the State government, having been, by statutory enact
ment, constituted a State institution, with its library, offices
and council rooms located at the State capitol. On the 8th
of February, 1887, this State institution adopted a report,
written and presented by a committee of its members, pur
suant to the requirements of a resolution of December 13th,
1886, which report1, rendered by Gen. James H. Baker, ex
haustively presented facts then known to exist concerning
the source of the Mississippi. This report, which forms
part 1 of vol. VI of the historical collections, upon motion
of ex- Secretary of War Alexander Ramsey, was adopted.

1 In his report Gen. Baker says: "The bold assumption of the man Glazier is
without a parallel in the annals of geographical history. His conduct is a total
disregard of all the rules and dignities of a true scientist. Scientific knowledge
has scarcely before been made the prey of a charlatan. The measure of his as
tounding fraud has not yet fully penetrated the public mind."

ACTION OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 225
Subsequently, February 11th, 1889, the Historical- society
authorized an accurate survey of the source of the Mississ
ippi river, and for that purpose issued, under seal, a commis
sion, directed to the present Commissioner, requiring an
accurate survey of Lake Itasca and its surroundings, with
the view of determining by a thorough examination of the
spot, and of all its physical features, under all circumstances,
what is the true and actual source of the Mississippi river1.
Under the authority of this commission a hydrographic
exmination was conducted, 2 with results as noted in this
report to the society. The council of the society took effec
tive steps to create and establish a permanent park reserva
tion at the source of the Mississippi, 35 square miles in
exent. 1 A committee of the society was appointed to confer with the Commissioner
concerning the honor of a first discovery and to designate proper geographical
names. 2 The society, having received a report from Mr. Willard Glazier in the form of
an unauthorized, voluntary communication, concerning the hydrographic condi
tion of Elk lake and neighboring waters, appointed a committee to examine the
commnnication, and the following report thereon was adopted:
" The special committee appointed by you to consider the communication of
Capt. Willard Glazier relative to his alleged discovery of the source of the Missis
sippi river, has to report as follows:
First— His charts are hydrographic and topographic misrepresentations.
Second — His claim that among his assistants were noted geographers and expert
engineers is a bold fiction apparently devised to mislead the credulous.
Third— Many of his assertions are willful perversions of well established geo
graphic and historic facts, and others betray a gross, and in the light of his claims,
culpable ignorance concerning the country surrounding the head- waters of the
Mississippi. Fourth— In tone Capt. Glazier's statements are discourteous to this society and
its representatives; to the faithful living engineers and explorers who preced 3d
and followed him, and a dishonor to the memory of Morrison, Schoolcraft and
Nicollet. Fifth— Throughout, Capt. Glazier, as on all other occasions when he has discussed
this matter, seems to seek a cheap notoriety, the only thing in the light of real dis
coveries and explorations that is left to him.
For the reasons cited, your committee would respectfully recommend that the
communication of Capt. Glazier be tabled as in every sense unworthy of your
adoption. T. H. Kirk,
John B. Sanborn,
N. H. Wincheli,,
—15 Committee."

226 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
During the period of time, when the controversy, touch
ing the relative importance of Itasca and Elk lakes, was at
its height, no member of any society in the world took
greater interest in the matter than J. Fletcher Williams, the
secretary of the Historical Society of Minnesota. As a re
sult of his watchful care, there has been deposited with the
society all the available literature and clippings, from every
clime, having special reference to this matter, and his ser
vices in creating the Itasca State park and securing a public
grant of lands from the government therefor, have demon
strated his conspicuous interest in the matter. The society
as a body has continuously depended upon Mr. Williams to
superintend the care of whatever it has done in the matter as
a society and the corresponding membership of similar
bodies throughout the world have found in him a preferable
reference for information and knowledge, always correct in
statements of fact.
Concerning the history of the explorations of Morrison,
Pike, Cass, Beltrami, Schoolcraft and Nicollet, Mr. Wil
liams' accurate knowledge coupled with a ready memory, is,
in itself, almost an invaluable reference. It seems unneces
sary to say that he has a supreme contempt for those who
have so persistently misrepresented the historical and geo
graphic facts concerning Itasca lake and the region be
yond it.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-SIXTH.

THE CASUAL EXAMINATION OF J. V. BROWER
AND COMPANIONS; THE GREATER MAN-TRAP
BASIN; THE PARTY ARRIVE AT ITASCA LAKE
AND EXPLORE THE SOURCE.

On the 2d of October, 1888, the writer of this report in
company with Mr. W. A.
Avery J , of Frankfort, In
diana, and Mr. John Leyen-
decker, formerly of the
Adirondack mountains, New
York, determined to make
an unostentatious visit to
the Itasca Basin 2 . Reach
ing Park Rapids, Minne
sota, soon after, and visit
ing Sand lake and the
greater Man-Trap basin
with its flowing stream and
no visible outlet, a char
acteristic of the Hauteurs
des Terres, the party reach
ed the north end of Itasca lake

JOHN LEYENDECKER.
October 19th, with no

1. Recently deceased.
2. Mr. N. W. Rice joined the party in the month of November and remained
in camp at Green's cabin several days.

228 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
instruments for observation more than a pocket compass,
steel tape and general outfit of a party away for pleasure
and recreation. The Itasca Basin w'as selected as the
destination of the party, pursuant to a determination to
visit the scenes at the headwaters of the Mississippi river.
Very naturally, the historic locality brought memories of
its discovery, and jealousies and disputes as to the true
source, and, without the hope of reward, other than a
personal knowledge of facts, the writer of these pages
commenced a personal examination of the Basin with no
other instruments than hereinbefore stated, for personal
satisfaction and information. The great river, on its
course northwest from Itasca lake was visited and found to
be an ordinary stream of no special pecularities, with
willow thickets, balsam-fir groves, a range of hills on either
side and the surroundings ordinarily attendant in a pine
region. Fire had materially destroyed the growth of pines
and many hills were nude; underbrush, old fallen and burnt
timber, and a general air of an uninhabited wilderness pre
vailed. Next was visited in a comfortable boat, Schoolcraft
island and the east arm of the lake; camp was then moved to
the south end of the east arm; the west arm was visited,
Elk lake and its creek, the Nicollet's Infant Mississippi and
lakes, Whipple lake, and the creek running north from it;
Boutwell creek, the dense forest south of Elk lake and its
creeks; Mary valley and its creeks and lakes; the numerous
springs of the Basin, the surrounding hills — and every day
from October 19th until November 17th, 1888, some portion
of the Basin was examined in a casual way, until a very
good general idea of the more prominent features of the
locality was gained. Running water was accurately meas-

A CASUAL EXAMINATION.

22'.)

%-^-|5 j"^-h, '¦_) Hens' e. ' ^= ;

%«feyv*^'««tf j^

L-UKC- £

" -A -i t _ , _f

w >

'>,..¦ U-.

k M * A lf\

m

±p

'^mSsi'i-.

J. V. BROWER'ft SKETCH MAP OF ITASCA LAKE, 1888.

230 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
ured and its flowage timed and the preponderance of Nicol
let's Infant Mississippi over all the other streams at that
time, ascertained beyond any doubt on the part of those
present. A detailed memorandum of these explorations
was noted down from day to day, and on the 17th 'of
November, 1888, the party broke camp and returned to
their respective homes.
A correspondent of the Daily Pioneer Press, communica
ting with that paper from a distant part of the State, mis
stated the facts of this visit to Itasca lake, and it became
necessary to correct the errors so appearing by a communi
cation to the columns of that paper under date of December
1st, 1888.
With this communication appeared a small sketch map,
made only from observation in a casual way, with no more
extended measurements than a careful test of the current,
depth, width and flowage of the several streams supplying
Itasca lake.
This map was re-drawn at Philadelphia or elsewhere,
grossly distorted, and in the latter form, published by Wil
lard Glazier as an argument in his own behalf, and the com
munication was criticised by individuals having for an appar
ent purpose the setting aside, or rather an appropriation of,
the honors of discovery due Wm. Morrison, Henry R. School
craft and Jean N. Nicollet.
An open letter was published challenging the correctness
of Mr. Glazier's claims to original discovery, in which was
formulated proper and reasonable avenues for redress, in
case his claims were genuine and true.
No reply has been made to the challenge, after a lapse of
several years.

A CASUAL EXAMINATION. 231
Following this visit to Itasca lake, application in person
was made to the Minnesota Historical Society for authority
to definitely examine and survey the source of the Missis
sippi river.
The application was granted and the commission issued .
On the 8th day of March, following, all arrangements for
an expeditionary examination having been consummated,
the survey was proceeded with, partly upon the frozen sur
face of the lakes, and continued after the rainfall of the
spring season, and during the summer and autumn months,
which presented opportunities for extended observations
and measurements.
The results of this examination, with a detailed hydro-
graphic chart, were reported to the historical society. The
chart was published in 1891.

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-SEVENTH.

THE ITASCA STATE PARK; THIRTY-FIVE SQUARE
MILES OF TERRITORY AT THE SOURCE OF THE
MISSISSIPPI FOREVER DEDICATED TO THE PUB
LIC; A COMMISSION APPOINTED, AND A TOPO
GRAPHIC SURVEY COMPLETED; A FINAL CHART.

It has been known that the lake region of Minnesota, a
large portion of which is called the ' 'Park region, " owing to its
elegant lakes, picturesque groves of timber, forests, fertile
prairies, and flowing waters, afforded many opportunities
for a public State park, but no organized effort for a State
park seems to have been made until 1890, when Mr. Emil
Geist, of St. Paul, submitted to the State Historical Society
a suggestion in writing, 1 that the region about the source
of the Mississippi be secured and set apart for that purpose.
It was also recommended by Professor N. H. Winchell of
the Geological and Natural History Survey. The location
is remote from and outside of the Park region of the State.
There seems to be some doubt as to the identity of the
first suggestion of the creation of the park, but the first
definite suggestion that can be found, was made by Mr.
1 Mr. Geist's letter to the society, enclosed an editorial from the pen of Mr.
Joseph A. Wheelock, ably advocating a measure of that kind, in the St. Paul
Daily Pioneer Press.

GEN. JOHN B. SANBORN.

THE ITASCA STATE PARK. 233
Alfred J. Hill, March 28th, 1889. Mr. Hill says he does not
know that his suggestion was the first one made.
The Historical Society appointed a committee from its
council membership, which reported, and the matter was
finally placed in the charge of Gen. John B. Sanborn, as a
Senator, in the State legislature. Gen. Sanborn introduced
a measure establishing and creating "The Itasca State
park," to be composed of thirty-five square miles of ter
ritory at Itasca lake, to be forever dedicated to the public,
and the measure passed and became a law. The Governor,
by executive appointment,1 selected the Commissioner of
the Historical Society, to also act as the Commissioner of
the State park.
One of the duties imposed by law upon the Commissioner,
was the preparation of a detailed chart of the park, and in
performing the duties required by the law, a special topo
graphic survey and examination was made during the year
1891, the results of which show that practically all the

1 STATE OF MINNESOTA, I
Executive Department. f
William R. Merriam, Governor of said State, to J. V. Brower of Ramsey county,
sends greeting :
Reposing especial trust and confidence in your prudence, integrity and ability,
I have appointed you, the" said J. V. Brower, as commissioner of the Itasca State
park, pursuant to an act of the legislature of this State, approved April 20th, 1891.
You are therefore by these presents appointed and Commissioned Commissioner
of the Itasca State park, as aforesaid, to have and to hold the said office, together
with all the rights, powers and emoluments to the said office belonging or by law
in anywise appertaining, until this commission shall be by me or other lawful
authority superseded or annulled, or expire by force or reason of any law of this
State. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my name and caused the Great
Seal of the State of Minnesota to be affixed at the Capitol, in the City of St. Paul,
this fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and ninety-one and of the State the thirty-third.
By the Governor, WILLIAM R. MERRIAM.
r. „ -, F. P. Browtst,
L*-" s-l Secretary of State.

234 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
lakes and streams within the Itasca Basin are included in
the designated territory.
The hydrographic survey of 1889 and the topographic
examination of 1891, made by the same Commissioner, have
been combined, from which has been prepared a final chart x
of the source of the Mississippi river, so far as the present
examination is concerned. It is claimed for this final chart
that it excels in correctness of detail and the location of
lakes and streams, elevations, topography and physical
features, any chart of the locality that has ever been made,
and it is herewith reported, with the complete results of the
two surveys combined, so far as the same relate to the geo
graphical question as to what particular waters constitute
the source of the Mississippi river.
The Hon. J. N. Castle, member of Congress from Minne
sota, by conspicuous ability and tact, has secured the pas
sage of a bill by the Congress, granting to the State the gov
ernment lands situated within the park to be forever used
for park purposes.

1 See Detailed Hydrographic and Topographic chart of the Itasca State Park,
1892, facing frontespiece

SUB-DIVISION TWENTY-EIGHTH.

THE DETAILED EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS OF
THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, CON
DUCTED UNDER THE PERSONAL DIRECTION AND
SUPERVISION OF J. V. BROWER, COMMISSIONER.

The drainage basin of the Mississippi fiver extends from
the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the river, to an ultimate
limit above and beyond Itasca lake. This great basin, more
than 1,000,000 square miles in extent, is bordered on the
east by the Alleghany and other ranges, and on the west by
the Rocky mountains, and contains about 100, 000 rivers and
streams, which flow toward and finally discharge their
waters into the Mississippi, principally through the mouths
of the larger and more important confluent and affluent
tributary rivers. These waters are entirely supplied by the
copious precipitation characteristic of the fertile basin
drained, from north to south, by the Mississippi as its
principal and most important river.
To follow the proper rule in ascertaining, under com
mission, the true and actual source of this principal river,
for geographic purposes, European and American geo
graphers, scientists and authorities, were consulted and the

236 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
following varied information as to what constituted the
source of a river was gained:
"That the main stream of a river is that which flows
along the lowest depression of the basin, and that a tri
butary which, descends into it from a higher elevation, even
if longer, is not to be considered the main stream. "
"A river cannot have a source, but many sources."1
' ' All our rivers have their source in the clouds. " 2
'* The head of the longest continuous channel."
' ' The sources of a river which are in a right line with its
mouth, particularly when they issue from a cardinal point
and flow to the one directly opposite."3
' ' The true source of a river is a point at the remotest
distance from its mouth, but the largest lake must not be
rejected to accept one of less magnitude."4
Other authorities, some remote, and but a few reliable,
suggest that the source must be a lake; must be the largest
lake; should be the inner flanks of the heights of the land
surrounding it; should be the source, because it was next
to the historic pass, by which one river had, from ancient
times, been left to reach another; because it was farthest
from the mouth of the system; because it led down to the
axis of the general valley of the basin; because it was at the
head of the stream of largest volume; because it was geol
ogically oldest, etc.
This widespread variance of authorities, good, bad and

1 Should this be the proper rule, the Mississippi would have a hundred thous
and sources, more or less.
2 This is from a standard educational work, given as a basis for theoretical
deduction. 3 The rule followed by Beltrami in locating the Julian source.
4 This rule, if followed strictly, would place the source in Winnibigoshish lake,
the largest lake through which the main river passes.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 237
indifferent, gave but little comfort, in an interesting geo
graphic and historic research, the source of no two princi
pal rivers of the world being alike.
The conditions and peculiarities of the more important
drainage basins of the earth, are so varied and widely dif
ferent, that geographic terminology in respect of the term
"source" is at fault, and until some more definite and con
clusive understanding is reached as to the term ' 'source of
a river" in geographic science, it would seem that there was
a necessity to follow" and adopt the literal meaning of the
word, for this present time and occasion; in the absence of a
more explicitly defined propriety and signification. The
standard authority gives the meaning of "source" as "to
spring forth or up." "The place from which. anything pro
ceeds." "That from which anything rises or comes forth."
' 'Especially, the spring or fountain from which a stream of
water proceeds, or any collection of water within the earth,
or upon its surface, in which a stream originates." "A
spring." "Fountain." An original beginning of the stream
is sought, and nature presents its own best method and law,
and that method and law do not in any sense dictate that a
lake must be selected as the source, for the word does not in
any sense whatever mean, the body of a lake. The great
majority of the rivers of the world have no lakes at their re
spective sources. Then we must discover, know and de
scribe "the source" of the Mississippi. The river originates
in a swampy, lacustrine region, and the location of the
source has not been an easy task. All of the facts are now
given, from which theoretical deductions are eliminated.
Theorists may select a choice of location, while the senti
ment of a widely acknowledged recognition in favor of

238 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Itasca lake still continues. But it must be acknowledged
that "the springs" from which Itasca draws its principal
supply are above and beyond it, and they are likewise above
and beyond Elk lake.
For these reasons, and in the absence of any fundamental
term upon which to proceed, a reliable rule of no uncertainty,
the rule dictated by nature, in ascertaining where the waters
were gathered which form the remotest source of the Miss
issippi, was adopted, and for that purpose the length of the
main river in statute miles, up through the valley of the
basin, was ascertained from the official records of the United
States government and otherwise, by these combined sur
veys and measurements from the Gulf to the Itasca Basin.
THE LENGTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
The length of the principal rivers of the terrestrial globe,
always interesting and instructive, has, from time to time,
been ascertained and given, usually from estimates based
upon astronomical observations for the position of the mouth,
the source, and principal intermediate points.
To accurately ascertain the length of a river would require
the adoption of some rule for the measurement, either:
1st. A shore line.
2nd. A line along the center of the stream equi-distant
from each bank of the river, or —
3rd. A line along the thread of the main channel of water.
The proposition of measurement contained in the 2nd and
3rd rule, if adopted as a base of operation, would require a
system of stationary floats the entire length of the river,
and for that reason is deemed impracticable, though the
third rules lays down the correct manner of ascertaining the

THE ITASCA BASIN.
LOOKING NORTH-WEST FROM THE SUMMIT OF RHODES HILL.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 239
true and actual length of a stream of running water, subject
to natural or mechanical changes.
From the time of the first discovery of the Mississippi to
the present date, various estimates have been made as to its
length. With a view to a more concise and accurate statement
than has hitherto been possible to make, especial efforts
have been made to ascertain and state its true length, based
principally upon shore-line measurements.
It has not been thought advisable, however, to take into
account as regards the upper part of its course at least, the
ine made by the thread of the current in the main channel,
even if obtainable, for the reason that it would be subject to
constant revision and would have to be taken with that un
derstanding, and, therefore, be practically useless as a basis
for popular comparison.
The length of the lower portions of the river, as ascer
tained by the authorities of the United States, is adopted
as a true length, for the purposes of this report, founded as
it is upon scientific principles of civil engineering, and
painstaking action thereunder.
By combining the distances derivable from three con
nected surveys, the total length of the channel'of the river in
all its windings, from the Gulf of Mexico to the foot of
Itasca lake, can now be given:
From the Gulf of Mexico at S. W. pass to New Orleans. . Ill .00 miles
Thence to the mouth of the Ohio river  965.50
Thence to the City of St. Louis  182. 00
Thence to the mouth of the Illinois river  39 . 00
Thence to Hannibal  102.25
Thence to Quincy bridge  20.00
Thence to Keokuk  41.00
Thence to Burlington  46.50

240 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Thence to Rock Island  *.  82. 50miles.
Thence to Dubuque  107.25 "
Thence to Prairie du Chien  62.00 "
Thence to La Crosse  72.25 "
Thence to St. Paul  156.00 "
Thence to Falls of St. Anthony (Minneapolis)  13.00 "
Thence to outlet of Winnibigoshish lake  432 .50 "
Total by U. S. Engineers  2,432.75 miles
Thence to Government meander, at intersection of
Eange 36, West of 5th Meridian by U. S. Deputy
purveyors  96.50 "
Thence to Itasca lake by J. V. Brower, Com'r  17. 27
Total from Gulf to Itasca lake  2546.52 miles
Thus it appeared that the main river of the Mississippi
basin extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Itasca Basin, a
limited, permanent depression upon the surface of the earth
at the ultimate source of the river, subsidiary to the main
basin below it.
The geologic and natural features predicating this con
clusion, are so well known and established, that no reference
to them seems necessary in this connection, excepting the
possibility that the Missouri river, remotely suggested by
occasional inquirers, might be called the main river; but in
asmuch as it is a confluent branch of the main stream, com
ing in at one side, similar to the Ohio and Red rivers, there
is no good reason for discussing that question at this time.
The historic data, which have brought to our notice and
knowledge the existence of the main river extending from
the Gulf to the Itasca Basin, where it takes its rise, indica
ting the discovery of the Mississippi, by piecemeal, is co
extensive with the discovery of the coast line of North
America, and the facts are indisputable, in consequence of
which the question as to the ultimate source of the main

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 241
river, must be based upon the facts as they have been found
to exist at, above and beyond Itasca lake. To definitely de
termine those facts it became a necessity, to ascertain
whence came the waters of Itasca lake. That necessity re
quired a definite line of levels in the field, to ascertain ele
vations above the sea. The official reports of the United
States government give the elevations to and including Cass
lake, and an actual line of levels across the country from
the railroad system of Minnesota to Itasca lake, run in 1889,
and corrected by a second actual line, run from Park Rapids,
Minn., in December 1891, demonstrates its actual elevation
above the sea at its outlet. The railway levels connect with
the government levels, and these ascertained elevations used
in connection with this examination are believed to be, as
corrected, very reliable, as great care has been exercised,
recently, to perfect them.
The tabulated elevations, showing the sea levels, are not
only as interesting, but deemed to be just as necessary, as
the ascertained distances from the Gulf:
THE SEA LEVELS.
Elevation at the surface of the water at:
Gulf of Mexico  0.0 feet.
City of St. Louis  384. 8
Mouth of the Illinois  399.4
Hannibal  444. 9
Quincy  ,  453.8
Keokuk  472.3
Burlington  505.1
Rock Island  s  533.7
Dubuque  578. 2
Prairie du Chien  597. 5
La Crosse  621 .2
St. Paul  680 . 5
-16

242 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Above St. Anthony Falls  782.0 feet.
Below Pokegama Falls  1248.0 "
Above Pokegama Falls  1269.8 "
Winnibigoshish Lake  1292.8 "
Cass Lake  1302.8 "
To Itasca lake by a preliminary line in the month of
April, 1889, from the Great Northern Railway system,
at a located, but unconstructed railroad line, near
Craig's crossing upon the Mississippi, nine miles north
of Itasca lake, and a test line from the end of the track
of the Great Northern branch line at Park Rapids,
Minn., to the surface of the water at Itasca lake, defi
nitely run in the month of December, 1891, determines
the correct elevation to be  1457.0 "'
The test line from Park Rapids to Itasca lake, is believed
to be entirely trustworthy and reliable.
With the distances and elevations ascertained, the survey
of the ultimate source, commenced in March, 1889, upon the
frozen surface of Itasca lake, at the center of the channel of
the river, at its debouchure, from the extreme north end of
the lake.
At a remote age, the Itasca Basin was formed, obtaining
an existence from the lap of nature, an indenture upon the
surface, oblong, irregular and limited, nearly surrounded
by the summits of the Hauteurs des Terres, properly belong
ing to, and a part of, the extensive basin, containing a
thousand lakes and streams, which forms, above Pokegama
Falls, and north of the Itasca moraine, an upper or head
water drainage basin of the Mississippi. The subsidiary
1 Great Northern Railway Line, St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 2, 1892.
J. V. Brower, Esq.— Dear Sir:— In answer to your letter to Otto, would say, the
bottom of the tie at depot at Park Rapids is an elevation of 1428 feet above sea level.
N. D. MILLER, Chief Engineer.
Adding the thickness of tie, surface modification, and elevation of water sur
face at Itasca lake gives— 1456.86, a corrected elevation of 1457 feet above sea level,
correcting the error, appearing on chart of 1891, as 1470 feet, caused by commen
cing at the wrong bench-mark, near Craig's crossing, by a careless employee, who
was discharged for wilful neglect and incompetency.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 243
basin at Itasca lake, is nothing more than the extreme limit
of the upper drainage or headwater basin, the most remote
and the most elevated above the sea level.
At that unknown age the limited Itasca Basin, about seven
miles long and less than five in width, was probably the
bed of one lake, with bays and islands and beaches. That
this is true, is beyond the inference of a mere conjecture,
although it is not probable that its waters extended nearly
to the summits of tne heights of land found there, where
there may have been other lakes. The Geological and
Natural History Survey of Minnesota, may be able to solve
an interesting problem as -to what waters then constituted the
source. Was it Lake Upham?1
From this one lake of unknown ages, by erosion, the
waters, probably having been increased by copious precipi
tation, cut their way through the ice formation and alluvial
stratum, to a natural condition of the river bed, as it now
exists, immediately below Itasca lake. This process of
nature, the waters passing to lower levels, has given us
numerous lakes and lakelets, within the Itasca Basin,
systematically divided apart, each of a different elevation,
up the inner flanks of the Hauteurs des Terres, surrounding
the whole, from the summits of which the waters are
returned to the oceans, through Hudson's bay and the Gulf
of Mexico.
Lines of measurement to ascertain correct distances, and
of levels to determine elevations, were extended to and up
through the trough of these localities, and to all other locali-

1 In June, 1891, this extinct lake was named Lake Upham, by Prof. Geo. B.
Aiton and J. V. Brower in honor of Prof. Warren Upham who has so carefully
demonstrated the former existence of the extinct Lake Agassiz, at the valley of
the North Red river.

244 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
ties, on either side, where was found surface drainage,
regardless of how unimportant the smaller brooks and
streamlets might appear, carefully bearing in mind the
preeminent fact, that the examination of headwater rivers
and streams, and topographic surroundings, not simply some
one or other particular lake of the locality, constituted the
principal and paramount object, that the question might be
carefully considered, and a correct answer, definitely stated,
from ascertained hydraulic conditions, during a continuous
period, covering the spring, summer, autumn and winter
months, carefully noting all changes caused by meteorolo
gical influences. BASE LINE ESTABLISHED.
Noted in the daily record of this examination is found
written, at Patterson's cabin, the fact that the northwest
corner of Hubbard county, Minnesota, the official corner of
four government townships, thence west along the township
line between Township 143, Range 36, and Township 144,
Range 36, (west of the Fifth Principal Meridian) which
crosses the north extremity of Itasca lake, should be
adopted as a base line of operations, from which all
measurements at and above Itasca lake, should be made
and computed. EQUIPMENT.
The following instruments and material were selected and
used, during the continuance of this survey and examina
tion: One solar compass, one sextant, one chronometer, three
thermometers, four aneroid barometers, one nautical
almanac, 1889, one ephemeris, one theodolite, one transit,
one chronograph, one large field level, one field glass, one

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PATTERSON'S CABIN. NORTH END OF THE LAKE. MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
THE NORTH EXTREMITY OF ITASCA LAKE, LOOKING EAST.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 245
self-reading leveling rod, one steel tape, two surveyor's
chains, two cameras, one drafting table, one row boat and
one canoe, drafting paper, vellum, tin tubes, official govern
ment plats and field notes, surveyor's engraving tools,
pocket compasses, note-books, drafting scale, rules, large
tent, writing materials, journals of record and a miscella
neous list of necessary and convenient articles ,
DATES AND TIME OCCUPIED.
The casual examination, which was the foundation for
subsequent official examinations, occupied the time from Oc
tober 2d, to November 17th, 1888.
The present official examinations and surveys were initia
ted March 4th, 1889, and continued without interruption, in
the field and at St. Paul, Minn., until completed.
The actual time spent at the Itasca Basin and the dates
are as follows:
October 19 th to November 17th, 1888  Thirty days.
March 12th to May 1st  1889  Forty-eight days.
August  1889 ...... Five days.
September  1889  Five days.
June and July, 1891, as State Park Com'r. .Forty-one days.
October and Nov., 1891, " " ..Twenty-five days.
December, 1891, " " ..Six days.
Making a total of more than five months time of actual
surveys and examinations in the field. The time occupied
in the preparation of reports and charts, covered a much
longer period.
No Indians or guides were employed.
EMPLOYMENT- OF INDIVIDUAL SERVICE.
During the continuance of the surveys and examinations,
the following persons were employed from time to time.

246 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
J. V. Brower, Commissioner in Charge . . St. Paul, Minn.
Peter Turnbull, Civil Engineer and Sur
veyor  Park Rapids,
Maj. Charles Wanzer, Civil Engineer. . . .St. Paul,
Charles A. Hunt, Civil Engineer  St. Paul,
E. Hayes, Surveyor  Minneapolis,
Frederick Kribs, Surveyor  Park Rapids,
W. A Hayden, Topographer  Detroit,
Henry Bohall, Rodman  Park Rapids,
Andrew Lange; Axman and Chainman .... Itasca Lake,
B. McMullan, " " "  Itasca Lake,
Wm. McMullan, " " " .... Itasca Lake,
Benjamin Inman, " " " .... Park Rapids,
E. Trask, " " "  Elk Lake,
William Parks, Transportation  Park Rapids,
John Eddy, "  Verndale,
John Meguire, "  Park Rapids,
H. C. Mead, "  Park Rapids,
Prof. D. C. Rhodes, Photographer  Verndale,
F. J. Haynes, "  St. Paul,
E.S.Hill, "  St. Cloud,
Miss Beulah V. Bryden, Stenographer ... St. Paul,
R. B. Brower, " . . .St. Cloud,
Miss Minnie Dassel, " . . .St. Paul,
W. H. Frisbie, Landscape Artist  St. Paul,
C. F. Jewett, Draughtsman  St. Paul,
And several others for brief periods of time.
Specific duties of a portion of the employes, were per
formed elsewhere than at Itasca lake.
CORRESPONDENTS.
During the time occupied in this examination, numerous
officials and individuals were consulted, and from the list,
the following are noted:
The Hon. Secretaries of State for Michigan, Wisconsin,

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 247
Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mis
sissippi, Louisiana and Minnesota, for records, maps, etc.
A committee of the Minnesota Historical Society, consist
ing of Captain R. Blakely, Hon, I. V. D. Heard and Mr.
Charles D. Elfelt, appointed by request, for consultation as
to original discovery, sources, and the selection of proper
geographical designations for unnamed lakes and streams
within the Itasca Basin, and to harmonize designations for
lakes bearing more than one name, and to eliminate names
improperly applied.
Hon. Alexander Ramsey  Ex-Sec'y of War.
Gen. H. H. Sibley  St. Paul, Minn.
Rev. W. T. Boutwell  Stillwater,
Rev. J. A. Gilfillan  White Earth,
Mrs. Jane Howard  Richmond, Va.
Mrs. Georgiana Demaray  St. Paul, Minn.
A. H. Siegfried, Esq  New York City.
Julius Chambers, Esq  New York City.
Hopewell Clarke, Esq  St. Paul, Minn.
Prof. N. H. Winchell  State University "
Prof. Warren Upham  Boston, Mass.
Geo. S. Frost, Esq  Detroit, Mich.
Edwin S. Hall, Esq  Sauk Rapids, Minn.
Charles Lanman, Esq  Washington, D. C.
Hon. Cushman K. Davis  U. S. Senate.
The Register U. S. Land Office  Crookston, Minn.
The Surveyor General's Office  St. Paul, ¦ '
The General Land Office  Washington, D. C.
Hon. S. G. Comstock, M. C  Washington,
The War Department  Washington,
Office of Chief of Engineers  Washington, "
Alfred J. Hill, Esq  St. Paul, Minn.
Rev. Edward D. Neill, D. D  St. Paul,
Mrs. O. E. Garrison  Garrison, ' '

248 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Prof. T. H. Kirk, Dept. of Public Instruc
tion  St. Paul, Minn.
J. H. Rhodes, Esq  Little Falls,
Mrs. B'elen Hulbert  Detroit, Mich.
Hon. W. H. C. Folsom  Taylors Falls, Minn.
N. D. Miller, Chief Engineer  GreatNorthernRyOo
Wm. A. Truesdell, C. E  St. Paul, Minn.
The West Point Military Academy  West Point, N. Y.
The Land Department of the Northern
Pacific Railway  St. Paul, Minn.
The Chicago Historical Society  Chicago, 111.
Messrs. J. M. Barnes and LucienWulsin, of Ohio.
She-na wi-gi-shick, an Ojibway Indian. .Leech Lake.
Rev. Jeremiah Porter  Beloit, Wisconsin.
The American Geographical Society  New York.
The Royal Geographical Society  London.
Mr. Cyrus C. Adams  New York.
Mr. Geo. C. Hurlbut  New York.
Prof. W. M. Davis  Harvard College.
Prof. Gee. B. Aiton  Minneapolis, Minn.
The Goldthwaites  New York.
The Wisconsin Historical Society  Madison, Wis.
Prof. T. H. Lewis  St. Paul, Minn.
Gen. James H. Baker  Garden City,
Hon. J. N. Castle, M. C  Washington, D. C.
Emil Geist, Esq  St. Paul, Minn.
Rev. W. E. Hopkins  Park Rapids,
Prof. L. J. Curtis  Park Rapids, "
A. T. Warner, Esq  _ . . .St. Paul,
Henry R. Cobb, Esq  .Park Rapids, "
Mr. J. C. Crane  West Millbury, Mass
Hon. C. D. Cutting  Riceville, Iowa.
John Leyendecker, Esq  Sauk Centre, Minn.
Col. W.P.Clough  St. Paul,
Hon. T. F. Oakes  New York.
Rev. Stanley A. McKay  Owatonna, Minn.

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SCHOOLCRAFT ISLAND.
ITASCA LAKE, FROM THE WEST SHORE.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 249
Mr. Henry Gannett  Washington, D. C.
And a large number of others
INCEPTION OF. THE OFFICIAL SURVEY.
Distances were found as follows from the northwest. cor
ner of Hubbard county, Minnesota, along the base line
adopted, to the east shore, north arm of Itasca lake :
U. S. Government Survey  8,350 feet.
True distance, by direct transit line  8,476 "
The Government line officially established in 1875, is plain
and distinct over a rough, broken and brushy region. On
the east shore of Itasca, are located the Government witness
trees and meander corner on the township line mentioned,
and immediately across the north point of the lake on the
west Shore, the official meander corner and one witness tree.
At this meander corner on the township line, on the west
shore of the north arm of Itasca lake, was erected an oak
land-mark, bearing a sufficient inscription.
From this land-mark, north, 3° 45' west 208.7 feet is
found the center of the main channel of the Mississippi
river as it proceeds from Itasca lake. In the centre of that
channel, below the bed of the stream, was placed another
oak land- mark, properly engraved.
From this post, imbedded in the centre of the main channel
of the river at the north end of Itasca lake, the measure
ments commenced, and thence were continued to the utter
most parts of the Itasca Basin, containing lakes, bodies of
water, springs, pools and running streams.
ITASCA LAKE.
The formation of Itasca lake is a small body of water at
and around Schoolcraft island, and three long, narrow arms

250 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
projecting— one to the southeast, one to the southwest, and
one to the north — from the last of which the waters of the
Mississippi pass out from the lake. From the southeast
and southwest extremities of the lake, picturesque valleys
extend, denominated Mary valley and Nicollet valley, re
spectively, and up these valleys numerous lakes exist, each
at a higher elevation as you pass up the respective valleys,
than the one below, and each valley is drained by a stream
of perennial flowage.
Nature's unerring law constitutes these two streams, by
reason of their length and importance, its principal surface
channels, through which, the inflow to Itasca lake is the
most abundantly supplied, with a minimum fluctuation and
an unyielding certainty. These are Nicollet's Infant Missis
sippi river and Mary creek.
All others come in at the side, are shorter, and less im
portant. SOUNDINGS.
The soundings taken, wTere not sufficient upon which to
base an accurate calculation of the cubic gallons of water
contained in the lake. The depth of water varies from four
to fifty and sixty feet; an ordinary depth of from twenty to
thirty-live feet was sounded in numerous places. The
deepest sounding reported was off Turnbull point. The
width of the lake varies from one-sixth to three-fourths of a
mile. Many precipitous hills, covered with a growth of
pine timber, nearly surround it, among which it is deeply
imbedded. The shores are, in places, lined with boulders,
thickly bordered with overhanging flora, characteristic of
the locality, making it practically impossible to pass along
at the water's edge, on foot; at occasional points along the

TURNBULL POINT.
THE EAST ARM OF ITASCA LAKE, LOOKING SOUTH.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 251
shores, springs of pure, cold water appear, around which
cluster balsam, fir, spruce, the native tamarac, willow,
aspen, ash and birch, with pine groves higher up. In the
summer season, a narrow rim of rushes and water grass
extend, practically the entire distance around the lake.
There are no sand beaches there. A continuous drouth of
several years recently occurred, during which time precipi
tation was reduced to a minimum quantity, yet the lake re
mained stationary with a regular inflow and outflow, though
somewhat reduced in volume. The years 1888 and 1889
were two periods of this drouth, which afforded an ample
opportunity to notice and study its effect, and notwithstand
ing the absence of rainfall there, in the autumn months of
1889, the lake had risen in its surface elevation several
inches, as ascertained by land marks at the water's edge,
which were placed in position in 1888.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS.
The following streams of running water supply the lake
with an inflow equalling the outflow :
Nicollet's Infant Mississippi, at extreme southwest angle.
Mary creek, at extreme southeast angle.
Chambers creek, at the east side of the west arm.
Boutwell creek, at the west side of the west arm.
Island creek, on the west side, opposite Schoolcraft island.
Floating Bog creek, at Floating Bog bay.
Sha-wun-uk-u-mig creek, at southwest angle.
North of Garrison point, south of Ozawindib point, north
of Schoolcraft island and at the extreme north end of the
north arm, are small and uncertain creeks of no special
importance.

252 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Itasca lake has gradually receded from a former and
plainly distinct higher surface elevation since its first dis
covery in 1803. The indications of this recession are dis
tinct. Bear point was formerly an island, the waters ex
tending across from Floating Bog bay to the east shore of
the main body of the lake, where is situated Schoolcraft
island, its summit ranging from northwest to southeast, sev
enteen feet higher than the surface of the lake, and covered
with a dense growth of birch, basswood, aspen, fir and dia
mond willow, one stately white pine, and an occasional buir
oak. Its surface area is 2.62 acres.
A shoal of boulders has a permanent existence in the
main body of the lake a short distance west of south from
the island.
At the outlet of Itasca lake the Great River is scarcely
fifty feet wide at the first appearance of a current, is three
or four feet in depth in the centre of the channel, has
muddy shores, and as the current increases in rapidity to
the westward, the river narrows to an average of about
thirty feet, is filled with debris, shoals and boulders, and
for some distance down the stream, free passage with canoes
is impeded by reeds, flag and water grass.
The spurs of the Hauteurs des Terres, trending inward, and
extending to the shores of Itasca lake, dividing the waters
in sectional divisons, are numerous, and by this means, this
lake, situated at the lowest depression, receives and dis
charges all the flowing water found there, a characteristic
of the locality not applicable to any of its neighboring
lakes. One peculiar significancy is demonstrated by the fact that
Itasca lake has a flood plain of but little more than three

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 253
feet in elevation above the natural surface of the lake. The
flood plains of the lakes higher up are ten, fifteen and
twenty feet. Thus, while Itasca lake is always supplied and
sometimes rises during dry weather, the lakes at the sum
mit dry down rapidly to a lesser surface area, depending
upon rainfall to re-supply them.
MEASUREMENTS AND DISTANCES.
Itasca lake has a shore line of twenty-three thousand
yards and covers an area of 1 130 acres. Distances to speci
fic points were ascertained upon the ice, commencing at the
centre of the channel of the river, at the north end of the
north arm and thence to :
Mouth of Mary creek  22.639 feet
Mouth of Nicollet's Infant Mississippi  17. 926 "
Mouth of Chambers creek  16.727 "
Mouth of Boutwell creek  13.627 "
These are the four principal streams contributing a
perennial inflow to the largest lake at the lowest depression,
and the only streams which discharge their waters into
Itasca lake, worthy of especial consideration.
THE MARY VALLEY, LAKES AND CREEK.
From each extreme end of Itasca lake, there exists a well
defined valley, bordered by the heights of land. Sibilant
lake is situated at the summit of the Hauteur de Terre beyond
the southern extremity of Mary valley, which extends
south from the end of the east arm. Two small lakelets
exist north of Sibilant lake, yet south of the point where
the real characteristics of Mary valley are first observed in
passing north on the Turnbull road, which descends into
Mary valley at the north end of Josephine lake. At this
point, the examination of Mary valley was commenced.

254 f

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 255
Josephine lake is the head of the valley, is closely sur
rounded by high hills on either side, with a slight rise of
the surface dividing its waters from those of Ako lake.
The elevation of Josephine lake above the surface of the
water of Itasca lake is fifty-eight ( 58) feet. Thence in the
sharply defined valley descending to the north, were reached
and passed Ako and Danger lakes, and lower down through
a dry creek bed to the north a limited tamarac swamp was
reached, in the midst of which is situated The Twins — two
small connected lakes supplied by the waters higher up the
valley. This swamp is connected with the Clarke lake local
ity and Midway Reservoir by a small well-defined water
shed having a dry creek bed as one characteristic. The
swamp extends to the south or upper end of Mary lake, the
most important body of water in Mary valley, formed and
maintained by the gathering of the water from the upper
portions of the valley. From this lake flows Mary creek, a
perennial affluent entering the south end of the east arm of
Itasca. Mary lake is erroneously noted on the official plats of
the United States as two small lakes. The lake is one-half of
a mile long and covers an area of 75 acres, is 40 feet in depth
and its surface is 31.3 feet higher than that of Itasca lake.
During the most continued drouth, its surface elevation re
mains unchanged.
The distances from the main river to the head of Mary
valley are as follows:
From centre of main channel of the Mississippi at north
end of north arm of Itasca, to mouth of
Mary creek  22,639 feet.
Up channel of Mary creek to Mary lake  3, 658 ' '
Length of Mary lake  ,2,597 "

256 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
From Mary lake to the Twin lakes  2,222 feet.
Across the Twin lakes  320
From the Twin lakes to Danger lake  1, 183
Across Danger lake  1, 100
Danger to Ako lake  817
Across Ako lake  523
Ako to Josephine lake  275
Length of Josephine lake  1, 345
Total  36,679
Width of Mary creek near its mouth  6 feet.
Depth of channel  6 inches.
Rapidity of current per minute  60 feet.
Depth of Itasca lake off mouth of Mary creek . 25 and 35 feet.
The importance of Mary creek, lake and valley, as a per
ennial supply to the inflow of Itasca lake is augmented by
the fact that its length is greater than that of any other
valley, lakes and creek within the basin, excepting only the
principal stream draining Nicollet's valley and its branches
Upon a consideration of this importance it has been deter
mined that Mary valley with its lakes and creek, constitute
the Lesser Ultimate Reservoir bowl of the Mississippi river
system, distinctly separated and apart from the western arm.
Mary valley is a deep, picturesque depression, rising
gradually from Itasca lake to the summits where it reaches
a narrowing limit in the immediate neighborhood of Joseph
ine lake.
ELK LAKE AND ITS CREEKS.
An eroded surface, where formerly existed a narrow shoal,
has created the bed of Chamber's creek J, 1,100 feet long,
connecting Elk lake with Itasca lake. Previous to the erod-

1 Formerly designated as "Elk creek."

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THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 257
ing action of the waters, comparatively of recent date, Elk
lake was a bay of Itasca; in the language of the Ojibway —
"Peke-gu-mag" — "A water jutting off from another water.'
That it was, formerly, a part of Itasca lake, will be
readily admitted by the casual observer; an estuary, cast
asunder by the gradual lowering of the surface of the
parent lake, from protracted natural causes, leaving it 493
feet distant, and 12 inches higher, with a separating narrow
strip of land intervening, at Morrison hill. Elk lake covers
an area of 294 acres, is a mile in length, and seven sound
ings, through openings in the ice cut for that purpose,
gave an average depth of 32£ feet. Its general character
istics are indentical with those of Itasca lake, with these
exceptions: 1st. It is situated at the side of the west arm of Itasca,
not at an extremity.
2nd. It has no perennial stream, worthy of the name,
falling into it.
3rd. Only an average of T\ of the water passing out from
Itasca lake, is drawn from Elk lake, through Chambers
creek. 4th. Instead of having well defined valleys, drained by
perennial currents, it is imbedded iu hills, which nearly sur
round it.
5th. The small and narrow creeks which fall into it, are
of uncertain existence, and in March, 1889, all of them were
entirely closed by frost and ice, excepting only Elk springs,
situated on the east shore of the lake, and in the month of
August following, they were all dry.
In the summer of 1890, after copious rainfall, Lake Itasca
rose a foot or more above Elk lake, and Chambers creek
-17

258 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
flowed into instead of out from it, a certain indication that
Itasca lake draws its principal supply from beyond the nar
row limits of Elk lake. It will thus be noticed that Elk lake
has but limited characteristics of the locality, and is not
entitled to a greater or more extended importance than its
curtailed position will warrant. A dense forest borders it
on the south shore. Its miniature creeks fall into it from
that dense forest, while beyond and above rise the summits
of. the Hauteur de Terre. Elk lake is far below those sum
mits, and its creeks are far removed from an ideal standard,
and those who are induced to believe otherwise, are the
lambs of creation led to the slaughter. These streams
appear upon Nicollet's map of 1836, and for convenient geo
graphical designation have been named as follows:
Elk springs, At east shore of Elk lake,
Keg-wed-zis-sag1 creek, At S. E. extremity of Elk lake,
Clarke creek and pool, At southern extremity of Elk lake,
Elk creek, At S. W. extremity of
Siegfried creek, At west shore of "
The flood-plain of Elk lake is practically the same as t/hat
of Itasca, limited, and its surface elevation remains practi
cally stationary at all seasons of the year. The statement,
recently made, that the basin of Elk lake is larger than that
drained by Nicollet's Infant river, is erroneous, as may be
readily observed upon an inspection of the accompanying
chart. If the area of the limited drainage basin surround
ing Elk lake, was greater than that of Nicollet valley, the
outflow would be greater. It is admitted by all who have
examined the two localities, that it is much less.

1 As spelled by Nicollet. The correct nanio is Gay-gwed-o-say.

Oo

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 259
THE DENSE FOREST.
Immediately bordering the southern shore of Elk lake,
the dense forest of pine, fir, cedar, tamarac, birch, ash and
aspen is situated, intermingled with such mats of willow,
windfalls, swamps and underbrush as to constitute an exami
nation of it for topographic conditions, a difficult undertak
ing. For the purposes of an accurate survey, the section
and quarter-section lines were opened by axemen, making
a passage through and around the entire forest, and a
detailed examination of it an accomplished fact. The
miniature creeks formed there, are local in character, and
limited in length and capacity, indicating no existence of
any considerable and permanent surface drainage or arte
sian pressure.
THE DISTANCES.
From the centre of the channel at the outlet of Itasca lake,
on the surface of the ice:
Thence to the mouth of Chambers creek is  16,727 feet.
Thence up the channel of Chambers creek to
Elk lake  1,100 "

Total  17,827 "
At the time this measurement was made, in March, 1889,
diligent search failed to reveal any surface inflow to Elk
lake, through either of the small creek beds. Notwithstand
ing that fact Chambers creek discharged a slightly increased
volume of water from Elk into Itasca lake, than was dis
charged the previous November, and that fact indicated the
existence of a body of water above and beyond Elk lake, as
a reservoir supply, for no rainstorms occurred during the
intervening time1.
1 There is no doubt whatever but that Elk lake is supplied to some extent by
waters from the Greater Ultimate Reservoir bowl by tortuous ways through the
mediums which nature in her grandeur has provided.

260 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Subsequently, in April 1889, an attempt to ascertain the
true length of creeks south of Elk lake resulted as follows :
At Elk springs, a small brook  50 feet.
Gay-gwed-o say creek, to ice blocks in swamp . . 275 "
Clarke creek, from Elk lake to Clarke pool  875 "
Siegfried creek to Hall lake  4,355 "
Elk creek was still blocked with ice, and the thawing
snows disseminated its substance over the icy surface, while
in the following August the bed of the creek was entirely
dry.
CHAMBERS CREEK MEASURED AND CONSIDERED.
The measurements of water in Chambers creek, from time
to time, and the character of the creek as gathered from the
observations of others, who have visited the place upon dif
ferent occasions, give very accurate and concise information
as to its importance.
The facts are so cumulative and convincing that the
greater part of it is given, in order that the true character of
this creek may be thoroughly understood by those who de
sire information upon the question as to which is the main
stream within the Itasca Basin — Chambers creek or Nicol
let's Infant Mississippi,
The running water between Elk and Itasca lakes, through
Chambers creek, must be considered ' as being extremely
variable from apparent causes, wholly meteorological, the
maximum and minimum for 1889, being given as a basis for
the consideration of its importance.
Maximum depth, April, 1889  8 inches.
Minimum depth, September, 1889  1 inch.
Maximum width, April, 1889  5 feet.
Minimum width, September, 1889  3 feet.

DRY CREEK BED. VIEW AT EAST SHORE OF LITTLE ELK LAKE, LOOKING EAST.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 261
Velocity of current, per minute, April, 1889  60 feet.
Velocity of current, September, 1889  not perceptible,
the outlet from Elk lake being closed up with rushes,
flag and sediment, a dense growth extending far out into
the lake1.
Chambers creek has been examined from time to time, as
to flowage with the following results:
By the distinguished Nicollet in 1836, when it appears to
have been a short, sluggish channel.
By Julius Chambers in 1872, when he had much difficulty
in passing up the creek, to Elk lake, with his canoe.
By O. E. Garrison in 1880, when he failed in an attempt to
pass down the creek in his canoe, on account of low water,.
and portaged across the brow of Morrison hill, carrying his
canoe and provisions from Elk to Itasca lake.
By W. Glazier in 1881, when sometimes they "found it
necessary to lift the canoes over logs and occasionally to
remove diminutive sandbars from the bed of the stream
with our paddles. As we neared the head of this primal
section of the mighty river, we could readily touch both
shores with our hands at the same time." P. 70, "Down
the Great River."
By Peter Turnbull, 1883-4, when at one time he "walked up
the bed of the creek without wetting the soles of his shoes."
By Hopewell Clarke, in 1886, "when its depth varied from
two to eight inches. "
By Prof. Kirk, in 1887, when his party with great difficulty
ascended the stream, in their boat, and also upon measure
ment found Nicollet's Mississippi five or six times larger in
volume of water.

1 See view at Elk lake from a photograph by Rhodes.

262 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
By J. V. Brower, N. W. Rice and John Leyendecker, in
1888, when the brook midway between the two lakes was
thirty (30) inches wide and one (1) inch deep.
By John Leyendecker in November and December, 1889,
who reported that the stream was about dried up; and that,
on the other hand, Lake Itasca was several inches higher
than in the month of November, 1888, as ascertained by
land-marks made at the water's edge at that time and which,
in 1889, he found under the surface of the water.
By ' 'The undersigned, who on the dates set opposite our
names, visited the source of the Mississippi and on said
dates the creek connecting Elk with Itasca lake was much
smaller in volume of water, length, width, depth and cur
rent, than the principal stream known as 'Nicollet's Infant
Mississippi.
L. J. Curtis, principal, Park Rapids Schools, June, 1891.
W. E. Hopkins, paster Baptist Church, Park Rapids, June,
1891.
Robert Dunn, settler, near Itasca, 1890.
F. A. Vanderpool, att'y at law, Park Rapids, 1887-1890.
Anna C. Grant, teacher, " " June, 1891.
Carrie B. Jacobia, " " " June, 1891.
Henry R. Cobb, P. M. , Park Rapids, June and August, 1891.
T. S. Finney, settler, near Itasca, 1890.
Mrs. T. S. Finney, Park Rapids, 1891."
By Rev. Stanley A. McKay, Owatonna, Minn. , an eminent
clergyman, who in the month of June, 1891, celebrated the
ceremonies of baptism at Itasca lake, under date of Septem
ber 14th, 1891, wrote:
"Dear Sir: Since receiving your communication two
weeks ago, I have seen the newspaper reports of the late
Glazier expedition and have also received your excellent

* , V I *¦ V

NICOLLET'S INFANT MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOWING INTO ITASCA LAKE.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RHODES, 1889.
THIS IS A VIEW OF THE MOUTH OF THE LARGEST AND LONGEST STREAM FLOWING INTO ITASCA LAKE.

m

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 263
Hydrographic chart of the Ultimate Sources of the Missis
sippi, for which accept my thanks. I am sure that the chart
is lacking in nothing to enable any one to make an intel
ligent study of the question who had not visited the lake,
while for one who has, it is simply complete.
Granting that the question of the source of the river is
between the two streams, the inlet from Elk lake and the
stream entering from the west of this inlet, and it is my
opinion that but one answer can be given, and that in favor
of the stream you have called the 'Infant Mississippi. ' Mr.
Hopkins and I visited both streams and did not hesitate as
between them to consider the latter stream the larger and
in every way more entitled, so far as we could discover, to
the distinction you have given it. While we did not ascend
this stream very far, I met there, at Itasca, a Mr. Hayes, a
surveyor connected with a Northern Pacific R. R. land party,
who had only a day or two previous in his business been to
the trouble of visiting the head of the stream and had
traveled over the entire tract between Hernando de Soto
lake and the Nicollet lakes. He is a very intelligent man
and does not hesitate, after his personal inspection, to pro
nounce in favor of the 'Infant.' That this will be the ulti
mate verdict as between these two streams I entertain no
doubt whatever.
"There is one question, however, that I have not seen
brought forward in this discussion at all. It may have
little bearing, but I should be glad to have it cleared up for
my personal satisfaction. It seemed to me beyond question
that the volume of water flowing out of Itasca at the outlet
was far greater than the combined volume of all the four
inlets, viz : the East arm inlet, the Elk lake inlet, the Infant

264 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Mississippi inlet and the inlet marked Boutwell creek. If
actual measurement should prove this to be true, and it
seems to me to be probable, thus making the greater volume
of the outlet to come from springs in the lake, would not
that leave Itasca as yet the real source of the Mississippi?
Has this 'volume' measurement ever been made, or even
calculated? Have you any information that will settle this
question? If it should prove that the inlet volume came
anywhere near equaling the outlet volume then I should un
reservedly express the opinion that the 'Infant Mississippi'
is the stream, the head of which must be called the ultimate
source of the Great River.
Very truly yours,
i STANLEY A. McKAY."
By William McMullen, in 1890, who witnessed copious
rainfall sufficient to reverse the current of Chambers'
creek.
By the Glazier party of 1891, who reported on the 3rd day
of September that the Nicollet stream "carries about
twice the volume of water which leaves the Glazier (Elk)
lake1."
By Mr. A. T. Warner and companions, in 1891, who report
in favor of the Nicollet lakes.
Subsequent examinations in 1891, found Chambers creek,
practically unchanged, in its physical features.
It is believed that by this extended description, every im
portant feature of Chambers creek may be made known.
That its short and limited channel should not be designated
as the principal stream above Itasca lake, is a conclusion,

1 See Minneapolis Tribune, September 3rd, 1891.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 265
warranted by every hydrographic and topographic fact
existing there. Copious and continued rainfall in 1892 has
swollen all the streams at Itasca lake to an overflowage,
filled all the dry lake beds and re-supplied all lakes which
have been reduced by drouth, i
EXPLORATION OF BOUTWELL CREEK.
From the west shore of Itasca lake there is a gradual rise
in the elevation of the surface, for two or more miles until
the summit of the Hauteur de Terre is reached, which divides
the waters tributary to Hudson's Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico. The elevation of this summit above the surface
of Itasca lake averages about two hundred feet,
broken and hilly, irregular in formation, and is covered
with a dense growth of timber, principally pine of different
varieties. At the top of this summit, there are ponds, small
lakes and catch basins supplied entirely by precipitation.
From this source, come the waters of Boutwell creek, which
has its rise on the eastern slope, and in an easterly and
northeasterly general course, finds its way to the western
shore of Itasca lake, increasing its volume from numerous
small tributaries coming in from either side.
This creek was thoroughly examined and the general
impression that it takes its rise from the Crescent springs,
proved to be erroneous, though waters of those springs find
an outlet to a considerable extent, into and through its
channel. April 15th, 1889, its width, depth and flowage were ascer
tained:

1 This fact was ascertained in the months of May and June, during two separate
visits to Itasca lake.

266 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Width, near Itasca lake  13 feet.
Depth, at above date  13 inches.
Rapidity of current  60 feet per minute.
Its length and characteristics are as follows:
From outlet of Itasca lake to mouth of Boutwell
creek  13,627 feet-
Length of Boutwell creek  8, 700 ' '
Total  22,327 feet.
The locality drained by Boutwell creek is rough and
broken, and in some cases is difficult to penetrate because
of the fir, tamarac and cedar forests. The creek is rapid
and deep in its meanderings from the summit of the hills,
its channel often under the surface of a thatched covering,
making its course difficult' to trace in many places. Its
source is a series of springs near the center of a marsh sur
rounded by hills. THE CRESCENT SPRINGS.
Half-way up the valley drained by Boutwell creek is a
peculiar natural formation, originating from underground
currents, supplied by the waters at the summit of the hills
to the westward. These currents have forced up sand,
sediment and earthy substances, forming a hill about forty
feet above the bed of Boutwell creek. The summit of this
hill is crescent shaped, and from its numerous artesian
fountains at the top of the hill, flow very small streamlets
which soon disappear. Its waters find their way south as
well as north and contribute to the supply of creeks in
Nicollet's valley as well as to Boutwell creek. The time
occupied by the water pressure, artesian in character, in the
formation of this hill, has, no doubt, been many centuries.

THE COMMISSIONER S DETAILED SURVEY. 26/
Boutwell creek and the Crescent springs are distinctively
important factors in the supply of water to Itasca lake.
The Crescent springs are a natural curiosity, worthy of
an inspection by the adventuresome pedestrian.
OTHER CREEKS.
From a limited tamarac swamp extending from the west
shore of Itasca lake to the northward, immediately opposite
Schoolcraft island, a small creek comes in. This creek is of
no special importance, is small and limited in length and
drains the swamp from which it issues.
Floating Bog creek is of the same general character, and
likewise Sha-wun-uk-u-mig creek. The creeks north of
Schoolcraft island partake more of the character of a boggy
¦drain, from the adjacent marsh. The small creeks south of
Ozawindib point and north of Garrison point discharge their
waters into small and limited swamps and disappear among
the bogs near the shores of Itasca lake.
The springs which are occasionally found around the
shores of Itasca lake, are limited in number, and only a very
small quantity of water is discharged into the lake by them.
One appears under the surface of the water west of Turnbull
point, and another west of the mouth of Mary creek. The
two mentioned are the largest noticed upon an entire circuit
of the shore line, and consequently it cannot be said that
Itasca lake "springs forth" from or rises up out of the
earth. The large and important springs are above and
beyond.

268 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
NICOLLET'S INFANT MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
For the purpose of making a careful and detailed survey
of the principal stream at Itasca lake, the camp of the
expedition was removed from Patterson's cabin, at the out
let, to the Nicollet springs, five miles to the southward. At
the extreme limit of Itasca lake, where the stream becomes
a part of the lake, it is forty feet in width and two feet in
depth; narrowing as you ascend the stream, it was found to
be three feet in depth, twenty feet in width, with a brisk
current, a short distance from the lake. The character of
the locality is a deep valley, somewhat swampy along the
stream, with prominent hills on either side, heavily timbered
with the native pine. These hills also appear in detached
groups in the tamarac and fir thickets, sometimes a hundred ,
feet in height, and the pine a hundred feet higher than the
hills beneath their stately and spreading branches, making
the locality easy of access and not difficult to closely
examine. Passing up the stream, the explorer is impressed
with its importance, as compared with all the other streams
found there, by its sharply defined banks, its winding,
meandering channel, deeply cut down into the stratum to a
sandy, gravelly bed, with every appearance and character
istic of the Mississippi below Itasca lake. It has sandbars,
sharp angles in its channel, deep and shallowing currents,
and all the more striking features of a larger river. Large
trees found near its banks incline toward the stream; a vari
ety of fish, large and small, were found in its waters; the
mink,' otter and muskrat abounded, and wild ducks of many
northern varieties were from time to time noticed in its
waters. Trees have been felled in several places across its

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY.

269

270 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
banks to permit of passage on foot. Upon the removal of
these trees, canoes might be propelled nearly two miles up
this principal channel from Itasca lake.
These are a portion of the characteristics of the stream,
indicating its permanency and importance, and, what is true
of no other stream within the basin, it has three affluent
branches, flowing in from the heights of land, which aug
ment its importance and permanency above any other stream
found there. These are Demaray creek, Howard creek and
Spring Ridge creek, each sustained by numerous springs,
sharply indicating artesian pressure from the lakes higher
up the flank of tbe Itasca moraine. A detached upper fork
of the river, flows into Nicollet's upper lake, reappearing at
the unique Nicollet springs, under a narrow, natural bridge,
a singular formation of the earth's surface.
The lines of measurement were extended throughout the
entire locality, thereby securing the distances, lengths and
elevations; lakes were sounded for their depth, the streams
were measured for width, depth and flowage, and the topo
graphy was carefully taken, even to the extent, when found
necessary, of opening passages through the thickets around
Nicollet valley, which practically occupies a depression ex
tending from Itasca to the most elevated lakes above. A
line penetrating the wilderness from Morrison hill, directly
to the north shore of Hernando de Soto lake, discovered the.
existence and continuance of a spur of the Hauteur de Terre,
sharply separating the waters of Nicollet valley from those
of Elk lake. It was also discovered that, from the Missis
sippi springs to Itasca lake numerous places exist where the
waters bubble up and ooze out from the base of the hills,
forming small streamlets flowing inward to the lowest de-

VIEW AT MORRISON HILL, LOOKING EAST.
FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY RHODES.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 271
pression occupied by the main stream, and thus, while the
first flowage of water, down the incline, from the north end
of Whipple lake, is but a foot in width and scarcely more in
depth, the stream reappearing from place to place, as noted
on the chart, gradually increases in width, depth, flowage,
rapidity of current and importance, as the waters accumu
late, from place to place, until finally when Itasca lake is
reached, this veritable and interesting "Infant River," has
completely ushered its waters into a growing importance,
not to be again lessened to its entry into the sea.
The lines of measurement extended to every locality, gave
the following results :
From the centre of the channel at the outlet of Itasca lake
to the mouth of Nicollet's
Infant Mississippi  17. 926 feet.
Thence up the channel to mouth of Demaray
creek  *  3, 797 "
Thence to Nicollet's lower lake  2,760 ".
Thence to Nicollet's middle lake  1, 956 "
Thence to Nicollet springs  690 "
Thence to Nicollet's upper lake  315 "
Thence to centre of Mississippi springs ....... 5,265 "
Thence to north end of Whipple lake  1,320 "
Thence to inner flank of the Hauteur de Terre at
south shore of Hernando de Soto lake  12,060 "
Total, to extreme limit of Mississippi basin. . . 46,089 "
Following the main channel up through the trough of the
depression, from which it takes its rise, the party reached
the highest and farthest waters from the Gulf of Mexico,
nearly nine miles above and beyond the channel of the Mis-
sissippi at the north end of Itasca lake.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 273
BRANCH STREAMS.
During the progress of this measurement, numerous branch
streams, springs and lakes were noted, several of which
have not previously been laid down upon the charts, among
which are Demaray creek, Spring Ridge and its peculiarities,
and several lakes.
The length of Demaray creek is  5,950 feet.
The length of Howard creek is  3, 739 ' '
The length of Spring Ridge creek is  900 ' *
Demaray creek, which takes its rise near Hayes lake, has
several little branches coming in from numerous springs
along its course, one of which heads near the Crescent
springs, by which it is supplied; Howard creek forms a sur
face drainage, for a sharply defined ravine, drawing its sup
ply from numerous springs, and Spring Ridge creek is but a
small brook, the waters of which flow directly out of the
earth, from the summit of a long Spring ridge, the upheaval
of a series of springs, extending along the ridge. Nicollet's
lower lake is small and unimportant, while his middle lake
is a permanent and beautiful sheet of water, twenty-five feet
in depth, oblong in form, pointed at its north extremity, and
is sustained by the constant flow of numerous springs, some
of which were noted in little pits at the bottom of the lake,
near the shore, and the stream, discovered by Nicollet,
comes into it at its southern extremity from the Nicollet
springs, undoubtedly the place where Nicollet, in 1836, noted
the waters "oozing from the bases of the hills." At the top
of the hill there situated, is the small body of water, with a
brisk and rapidly flowing inlet, and no visible outlet, which
-18

274 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
has been hesitatingly selected as Nicollet's upper lake, for
there is much doubt if he ever saw the place.
Continuing up through the trough of the basin, the Mis
sissippi springs, Floating Moss lake, Garrison's Beaver
dam and Whipple lake, are noted as the most striking
hydrographic characteristics of the locality, below which
the springs and swamps occur and above which no springs
and no swamps are found, and this fact was noted in all its
peculiarities. Thence is reached The Triplets, Morrison,
Mikenna, The Picard, Hernando de Soto and other lakes at
the summit of the hills, with constantly receding waters,
fluctuating until re-supplied and again to recede, while the
lakes, from Whipple lake, down the depression of the
incline, similar to Itasca lake, never recede, but, on the
contrary, sometimes rise in their surface elevations, with
out the intervention of storms.
ELEVATIONS.
The elevations above the surface of the water at Itasca
lake were carefully noted from actual corrected lines of
level as follows: Elevation above
At surface of water of Itasca lake.
Nicollet's Lower lake  3 feet.
Nicollet's Middle lake  4
Nicollet's springs  19
Nicollet's Upper lake  39
Mississippi springs  78
Floating Moss lake  91
Whipple lake   04
The North Triplet (at low water)  98
Morrison, Hernando de Soto, Mikenna, Little Elk,
and other lakes (at low water)  101

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 275
It has recently been discovered that the lake marked on
the chart of 1891 as "Allen lake" was formerly a part of
Hernando de Soto lake, and the name was improperly
applied. NOTABLE SPRINGS.
The largest and most important springs of the Itasca
Basin, are situated along its principal stream, and for conven
ient purposes of identification have been designated as
follows :
Mississippi springs  Below Floating Moss lake.
Nicollet springs  Below Nicollet's Upper lake.
Spring Ridge springs  Above Nicollet's Lower lake.
Crescent springs  North of Demaray creek.
SOUNDINGS.
Soundings for depths of several lakes were taken with the
following results:
Nicollet's Middle lake  25 feet.
Whipple lake  21 "
Morrison lake  40 "
Hernando de Soto lake  20
The lowest depression at Morrison lake placed the bottom
of the lake sixty- one feet higher than the surface of Itasca
lake, and this ascertained fact constituted a simple explana
tion of nature's hydrographic cause and effect, as demon
strated by the existence, immediately to the northward and
lower down, of numerous springs and streams springing
forth from the bases of the hills.
The average width of Nicollet's Infant Mississippi from
Itasca lake to Nicollet's Lower lake, is nine feet, and the
current of this stream, in its mean average, carries more
than double the amount of water, found flowing there in any

276 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
other stream. In 1888, it carried more water than all the
other streams combined.
Since it was ascertained beyond any reasonable doubt,
that Nicollet discovered and laid down upon his chart, the
largest and longest stream of the locality, an interesting
and painstaking examination was had, to learn whence this
stream is sustained, in its perennial existence, resulting in
the discovery of a headwater system not heretofore known
to exist as such.
THE GREATER ULTIMATE RESERVOIR.
The abundance of the water supply at and below Whipple
lake, the numerous springs and the ultimate gathering of
the water into a principal stream bed, the gradation of ele
vations above the sea level in a conspicuous and immediate
rotation, up the inner flanks of the Hauteurs des Terres, from
the Nicollet lakes to the summit above, the old creek beds
at the Triplet lakes, one leading from Little Elk lake, and
another between Floating Moss lake and the Mississippi
springs, the character of the sandy, gravelly stratum, the
enormous pressure from a large elevated body of water,
seeking its level, and a careful examination of all topographic
and hydrographic features, finally made the conclusion an
easy task in the presence of an unalterable conviction that
all of the several bodies of water from Hernando de Soto
and Morrison lakes, through the Triplets, Whipple, Floating
Moss and Nicollet's Upper and Middle lakes, constituted a
Greater .Ultimate Reservoir, the natural cisterns, by which
and through which, the precipitated waters infiltrate and
percolate, through conduits of nature, gathering, by a
natural process, as perfect as any mechanical contrivance

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 277
would make possible, into the utmost limit of the remotest
headwater branches of the Mississippi river at the ultimate
source. This Ultimate Reservoir is situated within an Ulti
mate Bowl, as distinct, as is the Rsservoir itself, and, in all
its physical features, it brings to light the hidden secrets of
the true source.
MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS.
The area covered by the lakes of the Greater Ultimate
Reservoir, computed by official surveys and estimates, is as
follows: Hernando de Soto lake  220 acres.
Morrison lake  125
Whipple, Floating Moss and other lakes  155 "

Total  SCO "
The elevations above the sea level at the Greater Ultimate
Reservoir: Hernando de Soto lake  1, 558 feet.
Morrison lake  1, 558
Whipple lake  1, 551
Floating Moss lake.  1,548
The Mississippi springs  1, 535
Nicollet's upper lake  1,496
Nicollet's springs  1,476
Nicollet's middle lake  1,461
TRUE LENGTH OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
Gulf of Mexieo to Itasca lake  2, 546. 52 miles.
Thence to Greater Ultimate Reservoir  6. 48

Total  2,553.00 "
The mean average descent of the water from Whipple
lake to the Gulf of Mexico, is a trifle more than 7\ inches
per mile.

278 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Other distances are as follows:
Gulf of Mexico to Elk lake  2,549.90 miles
Gulf of Mexico to head of Boutwell creek. . 2,550.74
Gulf of Mexico to Mary lake  2,551.50
Gulf of Mexico to head of Howard creek  2, 552. 02
THE POSITION OF THE ITASCA BASIN.
From time to time, by Lieut. Allen, J. N. Nicollet and
Julius Chambers, the latitude and the longitude of the Basin
have been obtained, with somewhat different results, caused,
no doubt, by long and rough journeys necessary to reach
the place, occasioning injury and displacement to the deli
cate instruments necessary for correct astronomical observa
tions. Twenty -five observations were noted at Schoolcraft
island and Park's cabin by this expedition, with results
slightly different from those mentioned. The results of the
twenty-five observations are not strictly reliable and accu
rate, and for that reason are not now included in this report,
a preference being had for the standard parallels, correc
tion, township and sectional surveys of the United States
government, official and permanent in their character,
which were adopted as a base of operations, with results
eminently satisfactory and reliably correct.
By dead reckoning, Mr. Alfred J. Hill computes the true
position of Schoolcraft island at latitude 47° 13' 10"; long.
95° 12'.
The position of Brower island, at Hernando de Soto lake,
is: North latitude 47° 8' 50". Longitude west from Green
wich, 95° 12' 48", as computed by dead reckoning from dis
tances ascertained south and west from Schoolcraft island.
The two islands mentioned are the most prominently situ-

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 279
ated, of any found there, each of which are surrounded b y
the main body of the lakes in which they are situated.
METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
The results of observations for meteorological facts in
Northern Minnesota are so permanently established and
well known, that no attempt has been made or believed to
be necessary, to add information, or the results of further
observation, upon questions of atmospheric phenomena.
The district of country reaching from Lake Superior to the
Red river of the north, in the midst of which is located the
Itasca Basin, is susceptible to various me teorologic changes,
a tropical sun of 100° above, and an arctic frost at 40° below
zero, constituting the two extremes, and these extremes of
August and February are closely reached each calendar
year, for brief periods only, the mean average ranging
slightly above 40°. Fahrenheit. These conditions permit
the existence of a verdure of surpassing beauty, during the
summer months, and a sheet of ice and snow from December
until March. The ice and snow at Itasca have a percepti
ble effect upon the waters seeking an outlet from the
heights of land to the lowest depression of the basin below,
in that they cause the formation of numerous ice blocks by
congealed overflowage, thus closing for the frozen season
several of the smaller creeks, occasionally causing new
channels, or a modification of old ones. The principal
affluent is never closed by frost. As to precipitation,
seasons vary, and no opportunity was afforded for accurate
observation! for the correct results of a year, for the reason
that at no time did the sojourn at Itasca exceed sixty con
tinuous days. Storms frequently prevail, deep snows in

280 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
winter and heavy rainfall in summer, each occurring pe
riodically. During the month of August, 1889, a tremendous
electric storm occurred, of sufficient power to twist asunder
the tops of trees and uproot numerous exposed growths.
The camp of the party was seriously threatened, but for
tunately escaped material injury. A wind storm occurred
in April, 1889, when to traverse the lines of survey, was
dangerous because of falling timber.
As to evaporation, what is true of. the entire northwest, is
also true of the Itasca lake region, and the same causes, and
effects following therefrom, are, comparatively speaking,
the same throughout the northern part of the State of Min
nesota, and the question has been so sufficiently examined,
that no attempt has been made to add to the information
already extant. It seems needless to add that evaporation,
and also precipitation, differ somewhat from year to year, in
accordance with meteorologic conditions prevailing at the
time. The four principal seasons of the year, applicable to a
temperate zone, occur with distinct regularity, the Indian
summer of September and October, often continuing into
the month of November, constituting the most desirable
season to visit the headwaters of the river.
INFLOW AND OUTFLOW AT ITASCA LAKE.
The Rev. Stanley A. McKay has suggested a test of the
measurement and computation of the water flowing out
from Itasca lake, as compared with the amount of the
inflow.
Particular attention was directed to this subject, in. 1889,
and at that time, the inflow appeared to be fully equal to the

VIEW AT MORRISON LAKE, FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY RHODES.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 281
outflow, the Mississippi river at the time being very low on
account of a protracted drought then prevailing. During
the heavy rain storms of recent occurrence there, the inflow
did not equal the outflow. Computed from a basis, covering
a protracted period of time, there is no doubt but that the
supply of water flowing into Itasca, naturally maintains an
equal flowage therefrom, but no greater. However, it might
be well to remember that the process of evaporation, at
Itasca lake, has some effect upon the displacement of
water, and it would require tests and computations hardly
obtainable at this time for an exact determination of the
question. Itasca lake is similar to other lakes, through which the
river passes, the outflow, as a general rule, being controlled
by the inflow, during seasons equalling the mean average of
meteorological disturbances and influences.
The several springs which appear at and about Itasca
lake are small and of but little importance and it cannot be
said of the lake that it "springs forth" from the earth,
because it depends largely upon surface drainage in its
supply to the outflowing river.
SURFACE FLOWAGE.
During the continuance of the measurement of streams,
creeks and brooks, and an examination of their character
and permanency, at Itasca lake, thirty-nine running streams
and brooks were found, principally branches and feeders to
the main streams, within the basin. The old dry creek beds
of past decades are too numerous to describe, as they are of
no importance, except in case of flood, which would hardly
be a proper criterion upon which to base a conclusion as to

282 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
the permanent origin of water supply, sufficient to consti
tute the source of a river. It is a striking feature of the
Itasca Basin that each and every stream, creek and brook
there situated, descending from the heights of land, flow
into Itasca lake, coming from every point- of the compass.
Thus combined they constitute and form the largest lake of
the locality, having the lowest surface elevation.
TRADITIONARY AND GEOGRAPHIC NOMENCLA
TURE.
The Mississippi river has been known by numerous desig
nations. Prior to Soto's expedition, the savage tribes
applied names to their respective possessions along its
banks. From the Cortes map we have Espiritu Sancto — a
name now found to be not applicable to the Mississippi,
for Cortes never saw or named the river, and in nomencla-
tural construction, this name is, improperly applied to the
Mississippi. Of the numerous names of record, which have been applied
to the river, the following are noted. The list, however, is
by no means exhaustive.
Meche Sebe — The original Algonquin designation.
Chucagua — An Indian name, noted by Soto's expedition.
Tamaliseu — An Indian name, noted by Soto's expedition.
Tapatu — An Indian name, noted by Soto's expedition.
Mico — An Indian name, noted by Soto's expedition.
Rio Grande— A Spanish designation, noted by Soto's ex
pedition.
"The River"— A Spanish designation, noted by Soto's ex
pedition.
Palisado — A Spanish designation, from floating trees seen
near its mouth, giving the appearance of a
palisade.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 283
Escondido — A Spanish designation; hidden from sight by
the innumerable passes, cut offs, bayous, etc. ,
at and above its mouth, making it difficult to
discover the main channel.
St. Louis —A French designation.
Conception — A French designation, by Marquette.
Buade — So called by Joliet after the family name of Gov.
Frontenac.
Colbert — After Jean Baptiste Colbert, an eminent French
statesman.
Mischipi — Nicolas Freytas' visit to the Quivira tribes, 1661.
Messipi — Father Allouez, in Relation of 1667.
Meschasipi— Hennepin map of 1697.
Michi Sepe — Labal's version.
Misisipi — Labatt's version.
Missisipi— Marquette's version.
Mississipi — A later French version.
Mississippi — American version of 19th century. 1
The list is by no means an exhaustive catalogue. There
have been names applied to the river which will never be
known. Of the names at the headwaters, Capt. Carver placed
White Bear lake, whatever lake that may mean, as the
source; the traders in Morrison's time knew Elk lake (now
Itasca) to be the source. Pike was deceived into believing

1 Recently the following was published as a version, but the name of the author
was omitted :
"From the mouth of the Ohio to the source, it was known to the Indians as Pe-
he-ton-at, which in the Algonquin tongue signified, abode or habitation of furies;
several of the branches were designated by names which, in our language, would
mean 'little fury," 'big fury,' 'old fury,' etc., 'the sippi,' or 'sepe;' being afterwards
added to Pe-he-ton-at, simply meaning river.
As to the real meaning of the word L. M. Gould says: 'An analysis of the word
Mississippi will show that it does not mean 'Father of Waters' at all, thus:
'Mis-sisk— grass. Mis-sisk-ke-on— weeds. Mis-sisk-ke— medical herbs, and Mis-
ku-tuk. The broad bottom lands of the river were called Mis-ku-tuk; the tribes
along the river were called Mis-shu-tan, signifying 'meadow people'; thus the lit
eral meaning of the word is 'the river of meadows of grass.' "

284 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE. »
that Leech lake was the principal water, and it remained
for Gen. Cass to learn of La Biche as the name, and first
make its approximate location known to* civilized humanity.
Beltrami's Julia lake existed as the source, in one mind only,
that of the author of the Countess' Letters, while Morrison
in his letter refers to the river above Cass lake as ' 'Travers
river," and above Bemejigemug as, "River La Biche."
Schoolcraft and Boutwell in the manner heretofore men
tioned coined the final name for Itasca. However, an inter
esting incident might well be related: The first words
given by Mr. Boutwell, it will be remembered, were Verum
(true), Caput (head), but substituted the stronger word,
Veritas, (truth). Had the first suggestion been followed,
that of Verum-caput— "Rumca" would to-day be the name,
and the word "Itasca" unknown.
The names at the Itasca Basin after whom, and by whom
suggested, are as follows:
Omoskos Sogiagon — The Ojibway name. By aboriginal
tribes.
Lac La Biche — The French translation, by the French
traders.
Elk Lake1 — The English translation, after Morrison's time.
Itasca lake — Schoolcraft and Boutwell, from Veritas Caput,
in 1832.
The Infant Mississippi2— Named by J. N. Nicollet, in 1836.
SS^SSSiSi. ^he ?o™„Mr.S Report-, •««
Nicollet's upper lake, J * N* Nlcollet.

1 Continued as a designation in 1876, to a minor lake of the locality, by Sur.
Gen'l. Baker, an official of the United States government.
2 Also called by Mr. Nicollet, "The Cradled Hercules."
3 "The Commissioner's Report," when used, in all cases refers to the action
taken, from time to time, during the present examination, by the Commissioner
in charge.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 285
North, East and West arm of Itasca lake — The Commis
sioner's Report.
Bear point — Named by Peter Turnbull, first resident.
Turnbull point; — The Commissioner's Report, after Peter
Turnbull.
Floating Bog bay — J. V. Brower's party of 1888.
Ozawindib point — The Commissioner's Report. After
Schoolcraft's guide.
Garrison point — The Commissioner's Report. After O. E.
Garrison.
Rhodes hill — The Commissioner's Report. After Prof.
Rhodes, photographer of the expedition.
Morrison hill — The Commissioner's Report. After Wm.
Morrison.
Island creek— The Commissioner's Report. Opposite
Schoolcraft island.
Mary creek — Named by Peter Turnbull. After Mrs. Mary
Turnbull.
Chambers creek — The Commissioner's Report. After Julius
Chambers.
Boutwell creek — The Commissioner's Report. After Rev.
W. T. Boutwell.
Mary valley — The Commissioner's Report. After Mrs.
Mary Turnbull.
Nicollet valley — The Commissioner's Report. After J. N.
Nicollet.
The Greater Ultimate Reservoir Bowl — The Commissioner's
Report. The most remote and elevated water-shed
in the Mississippi river basin, where the river takes
its rise, at the Greater Ultimate Reservoir.
The Lesser Ultimate Reservoir Bowl — The Commissioner's
Report. At Mary Valley, where exists the Lesser
Ultimate Reservoir of the Mississippi river basin.
The Midway reservoir — The Commissioner's Report. At
Clarke lake and its neighboring waters.
Crescent springs — The Commissioner's Report. Crescent

286 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
shaped at the summit of a hill, gradually formed by
artesian pressure.
Elk springs— The Commissioner's Report. At the east
shore of Elk lake.
Elk creek — The Commissioner's Report. At S. W. angle of
Elk lake.
Elk pool — The Commissioner's Report. In the dense forest.
Elk lake1 — Named by Gen'l. James H. Baker, in 1876.
Clarke creek — The Commissioner's Report. After Hopewell
Clarke.
Clarke pool — At Clarke creek.
Chambers bay — Commissioner's Report. After Julius
Chambers.
Siegfried creek — The Commissioner's Report. After A. H.
Siegfried.
Demaray creek — The Commissioner's Report. After Mrs.
Georgiana Demaray, surviving daughter of William
Morrison.
Howard creek— The Commissioner's Report. After Mrs.
Jane S. Howard, surviving daughter of H. R. School
craft.
The Mississippi springs — The Commissioner's Report. At
the geographical center of the Greater Ultimate Reser
voir.
Mary lake — Named by Peter Turnbull. After Mrs. Mary
Turnbull.
The Twin lakes — The Commissioner's Report. Suggested
by the appearance of united waters.
Danger lake — Named by Peter Turnbull, from infiltration
and percolation of waters from above, flooding the ice
surface in winter at its south shore.
Ako lake — Named by Hon. I. V. D. Heard. After Hennepin's
Companion Accault.
Josephine lake — J. V. Brower's 1888 Examination.

1 Also called by Julius Chambers "Dolly Varden" lake.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 2S7
Sibilant lake — The Commissioners Report. The lake is
the form of the letter S.
Clarke lake— Named by Mr. A. J. Hill. After Hopewell
Clarke.
Little Elk lake — The Commissioner's Report.
Hall lake — The Commissioner's Report. After Edwin S.
Hall. ] The Commissioner's Report. After Des
Groseilliers lake, \ Groseillier and after Pierre E de
Radisson lake, Radisson, discoverers of the Upper
J Mississippi river, — 1665.
Floating Moss lake — The Commissioner's Report. From
its floating moss bed on the surfaces of the water.
Whipple lake— Named by Rev. J. A. Gilfillan. After
Bishop H. B. Whipple, of the Episcopal Diocese of
Minnesota.
The Triplet lakes — The Commissioner's Report. Three
small lakelets closely identified with Morrison and
Whipple lakes.
Morrison lake — The Commissioner's Report. After Wil
liam Morrison.
Morrison hill — The Commissioner's Report. After William
Morrison.
Lake Hernando de Soto1 — The Commissioner's Report. In
honor of the discoverer of the Mississippi river, 1541.
Brower island2 — Named by Capt. R. Blakely, Mr. Charles
D. Elfelt and Hon. I. V. D. Heard, acting as a com
mittee.

1 The easier and more fluent designation is "Soto," in lieu of "De Soto." unless
given in full, "Hernando de Soto." Anglicized, the name is "Ilernand of the
Grove," meaning Hernand of the thicket or forest. The forests along the shores
of Hernando de Soto lake, south and west of Brower island, and on the island
itself, are surpassingly beautiful, as viewed from the north shore.
2 This committee, appointed by the Historical society, to confer with the com
missioner, as to geographical names at the Itasca Basin, reported the several
names selected, which report was adopted by the society. In this report, it is
stated that "the committee, of their own motion, recommend that the island in
Hernando de Soto lake be named 'Brower island,' after J. V. Brower."

288 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Lyendecker lake — The Commissioner's Report. After John
Lyendecker.
Mikenna lake — Named by Mr. A. J. Hill.
Allen lake — The Commissioner's Report. After Lieut.
James Allen.
The Pickard du Gay lakes — Named by Hon. I. V. D. Heard.
After one of Hennepin's companions.
(So called by common acceptation, • as
applied to the territory constituting
the utmost limit of the main basin.
Gay-gwed-o say creek — The Commissioner's Report. After
Nicollet's Ojibway guide. "Trying- to- walk."
Andrus creek — Ccmmissioner's Report After the treasurer
of the Minnesota Game and Fish Commission.
Ocano springs — The Commissioner's Report. The head
springs of Andrus creek. The word is found in
Schoolcraft's Narrative.
Spring Ridge — The Commissioner's Report. A ridge thrown
up by water pressure, with numerous springs at the
summit.
Spring Ridge creek — The Commissioner's Report. A small
creek flowing into Nicollet's Lower lake from Spring
Ridge.
Gilfillan lake — The Commissioner's Report. After Rev. J.
A. Gilfillan, who celebrated the first known religious
service at Itasca in 1881, from ' ' Then had thy peace
been as a river."
McKay lake — The Commissioner's Report. After Rev.
Stanley A. McKay, who celebrated the first known
baptismal rites in the waters at the north end of Itasca
lake, 1891.
Division creek — The Creek coming into the Mississippi,
north of Itasca lake, from the heights, which divide
the waters floVing to Hudson's Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Frazier lake — At Frazier's cabin. The waters of this lake
flow to The Little Mantrap lake.

MR. ALFRED J. HILT.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 289
Niemada lake — Formerly a northern limit of The Little
Mantrap lake.
The Hall road — First opened for the Government survey,
by Edwin S. Hall, 1875.
The Turnbull road — Opened by the first resident, 1882.
The Itasca State park — Name established by law.
Several other names will appear upon the final chart.
RELATION OF ALFRED J. HILL AND OF
JOHN LYENDECKER.
Soon after Minnesota became a state of the Union, Mr.
Alfred J. Hill commenced a study of geographic relations
in the Northwest, which he has continued, uninterruptedly,
until his information has reached the uttermost parts of the
earth's surface, and he is, and should be accredited as, one
of the best geographic authorities resident in the State he
has adopted as his home. At the time of the discoveries of
Schoolcraft and Nicollet at the source of the Mississippi
were questioned, Mr. Hill took a philosophic and unpreju
diced view of the matter, and refusing to accept a change of
well established geographic facts, as given in 1832-36 by the
explorers named, he commenced an investigation into the
details concerning discoveries at Itasca lake, and the results
of his study of the question were consolidated and published
in 1886, under the title of "Captain Glazier's Claim to the
Discovery of the Source of the Mississippi River," which he
illustrated with several maps. In Mr. Hill's showing of
facts, he presented items of information, consolidated and
condensed, succinctly stated, showing the published carto
graphical authorities relating to the source of the Missis
sippi to the date of his study of the question. His object at
- 19

290 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE
the time seems to have been a desire to state the question of
discovery exactly as it occurred, and in doing so, his subject
was considered solely upon the question of geographic facts.
This action disclosed the true light in which should be
viewed discoveries at the Itasca Basin, and did not and
could not do otherwise than command respect and consider
ation, even of those who were neither students of history,
nor versed in the rules of geographic discovery, sufficiently
to enable them to state a geographic fact without purloin
ing from the records of predecessors.
At the time the present inquiry was well under way and a
determination was arrived at to exhaustively consider the
question of discovery, Mr. Hill personally tendered his
services to the Commissioner. While at the headwaters, an
invitation was extended to him to visit the camp of the Com
missioner at Nicollet's lakes, with a view of securing his co
operation and assistance in the field, but the invitation never
reached him.
A scholar of English birth and a student of the languages,
his offer to assist in the formulation of a report was cheer
fully accepted, and on the 1st and 9th of November, 1889,
communications were addressed to him propounding ques
tions relating to historical facts connected with the early
discoveries of the river. His research into the Spanish and
French occupancy of the Mississippi River basin for and on
behalf of the Commissioner, brought to light in a consoli
dated form, findings of fact from the lines of historical and
cartographical information, so accurate and valuable, that
they have been incorporated and adopted as a part of this
report, and to him full credit is due and awarded for that
portion of the work placed in his hands.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 291
When the committee of the society appointed to properly
designate and name localities at the source, proceeded to
perform the duty imposed by its appointment, Mr. Hill's
services were called for, and in several instances his ideas
and suggestions were not only interesting and valuable, but
were adopted, always with credit, that a just and generous
co-operation, prompted solely by a love of fairness and for
facts, shall not remain unremembered by those who may
secure profitable information from the results of researches
made without the hope or expectation of reward. It has been
stated that "every man is a valuable member of society who,
by his observations, researches and experiences, procures
knowledge for men" — an apt illustration which finds a well
deserved application in a consideration of Mr. Hill's work. "¦
From the very commencement of government surveys in
Minnesota, up to the present time, he has drawn correct
and complete geometrical abstracts for his personal use and
study, and his dead reckoning, for the latitude and longitude
of Schoolcraft island, corrected apparent errors in the ob
servations taken from time to time in that distant interior,
no two of which are found to agree.

1 The following memorandum indicates the sincerity of purpose with which his
labors were accomplished:
"Mr. Brower requested me to collect together in a memoir, for the use of his
report on the Source of the Mississippi, the most significant facts to be found in
accessible Spanish and French writings, concerning the discovery of this river.
There seemed to be no treatise or article on the subject as a whole, written from
exclusively geographical point of view. The task of collation and selection has
proved to be a greater one than was anticipated, and although all maps and books
procurable at St. Paul and bearing on the subject have been consulted, the paper
long as it is. is by no means exhaustive. Possibly it contains errors of various
kinds, but they can scarcely be avoided when the work of a year has to be crowded
into five months."
Over two years have elapsed since Mr. Hill wrote these lines, during which time
he has made further historical researches, enabling him to thoroughly revise his
work, materially adding to the value of this work, more especially on the Spanish
discoveries

292 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The writer of this report is gratified to know that his sur
vey of, and findings concerning the source of the Missis
sippi, meet the approbation of Alfred J. Hill.
It is intended to make suitable acknowledgements for
assistance extended in the present examination and with
that end in view it is thought not out of place to award to
another, than Mr. Hill, the consideration due painstaking
aid, before the close of this report.
Mr. John Lyendecker, whose energetic taste for inacces
sible regions, made it convenient for him to penetrate to the
inner wilds of the Adirondacks, followed a natural inclina
tion by becoming a visitor at the source of the Mississippi,
by protracted sojourns at Itasca and the morainic belt south
and east of it. He rendered unselfish and valuable assist
ance in 1888, in a casual examination of the whole Basin. In
1889, Mr. Lyendecker entered upon another prolonged visit
at Itasca, with his camp on the north arm, remaining from
the month of October until about the first of January, 1890.
He was requested to note particularly the appearance of the
waters at the source as compared with the examination in
1888 and to leport for this examination any and all changes
or other items of interest at his convenience. His well
known reliability and candor make the receipt of his report
of special interest, confirmatory of the condition of the
waters at Itasca as compared with the four seasons imme
diately preceding the month of December, 1889.
In Mr. Lyendecker's report, dated December 15th, 1889,
' at Itasca lake, it is stated that the creek recently designated
as Chambers creek, by the Historical society, ' 'is very low,
about one inch deep and narrow, half way between the two
lakes. I easily stepped across it. In the largest stream en-

BROWER ISLAND.
VIEW AT HERNANDO DE SOTO LAKE, LOOKING SOUTH, FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY RHODES.

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 293
tering Itasca lake a half a mile to the westward, the water
is fully as abundant as at the date of our visit there in Octo
ber, 1888. There is no change, except the waters of Itasca
lake are a little higher, and in Morrison lake, six feet below
high water marks on the shores. " * *, *
Perhaps to another, Mr. E. Hayes, should be awarded
credit for topographical labor, in October and November,
1891. In his report the topography at and about Hernando de
Soto and Morrison lakes, appears, which places them in
their correct position on the final chart. Mr. Hayes says:
"I have visited this region on two different occasions and
have examined the water systems. At the most southerly
point of the west arm of Itasca lake, is Nicollet's infant
river, the most important stream, both in volume of water
and in length." * * *
Mr. A. T. Warner and companions, l also visitors at Nicol
let's discoveries, in May, 1891, united in an interesting re
port, in which they say : "* * * One of our party went
up the Nicollet outlet, some three hundred yards in a canoe,
and found it the larger, and as it proceeds from a point
south of Elk lake, and as we believe Elk lake was once a
part of Lake Itasca, it is our opinion, that the Nicollet lakes
are the true source of the Mississippi."
THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER.
As the results of an investigation and examination, cover
ing the period from October, 1888, to October 1892, a por
tion of which has been availed of for the purpose of an
incidental research into the question relating to the original
1 Messrs. R. P. Warner, D. J. Scheffer and W. B. Flandrau.

294 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
discovery of the Mississippi river and its source, deemed
necessary in order to trace the lines of discovery, from date
to date, from the mouth of the river to its utmost origin,
preparatory to an intelligent consideration of the question
of the ultimate source, there are ample reasons, as pre
sented herein, which warrant the following conclusions,
founded upon the facts as stated:
First : The Espiritu Sancto, as originally laid down upon
the earliest Spanish maps, was not the Mississippi river.
Second : The Lower Mississippi river was undoubtedly
discovered by Hernando de Soto in June, A. D., 1541.
Third : Groseilliers and Radisson in A. D. , 1665, discov
ered the Upper Mississippi river.
Fourth: Wm. Morrison, in 1804, H. R. Schoolcraft, in
1832, and Jean N. Nicollet, in 1836, were the first of white
men to discover the source of the Mississippi, in the order
in which they are named; Mr. Morrison being the first to
reach the Basin ; Mr. Schoolcraft, the first to explore Itasca
lake, and to publish the results of his exploration with a
chart; and Mr. Nicollet, the first to discover the principal
affluent, although he did not know of the existence of the
Greater Ultimate Reservoir, of which his middle lake con
stitutes a northern limit.
Fifth: The Itasca Basin is the most remote water- shed
upon the main river, from its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico.
This Basin is compact, limited and permanent, within
which Itasca lake forms the central reservoir at the lowest
depression; Morrison, Hernando de Soto, The Triplets,
Whipple, Floating Moss, the Nicollet and other neighboring
lakes, the Greater Ultimate Reservoir; Josephine, Ako,
Danger, The Twin and Mary lakes, the Lesser Ultimate

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 295
Reservoir, and Clarke lake and the lakes surrounding it, the
Midway Reservoir; with smaller intermediate contributory
reservoirs intervening and gathered at the sides; the whole
being formed by twenty principal lakes of different areas,
and about fifty lakes and pools of water of lesser import
ance, with one principal, three intermediate and thirty- five
minor streams of running water, and several large and im
portant springs.
Sixth: The principal, longest and largest stream within
the basin, is that particular stream discovered by Jean N.
Nicollet, August 29th, 1836, heretofore known as ' 'Nicollet's
Infant Mississippi River," It draws its supply of water
from the Greater Ultimate Reservoir. This supply is the
immediate result of secular aerial precipitation, gathered
into the lakes of the locality, forming the Greater Ultimate
Reservoir, which extends from Hernando de Soto, Morrison.
The Triplets, Whipple and Floating Moss lakes, the Missis
sippi, Nicollet and other flowing springs, to Nicollet's mid
dle lake from which the main river proceeds thence to the
Gulf in an unbroken channel.
This stream is therefore found to be the Mississippi river.
Seventh : Elk lake is not the source of the Mississippi
river. Eighth: Since minute deductions are propounded, the
distances being short and the waters limited, it was thought
proper to go beyond Itasca lake and learn of the actual
source whence these historic waters originate; the result
being an interesting discovery of remote reservoirs, here
tofore unknown to exist, as such; from which a constant and
never ending supply reaches Itasca lake, sustaining it in a
perennial out-flow.

296 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Ninth: Going beyond the explorations of Nicollet, des
cribed in his report, intended to illustrate a map. of the
hydrographical basin of the Upper Mississippi river, ordered
printed by the separate Houses of the Congress of the
United States, the true and actual source of the Mississippi
river is The Greater Ultimate Reservoir, from which
the principal portion of the waters of Itasca lake are drawn,
through the channels particularly described, and which
waters are thence discharged into the river below.
In the hope that the result of consciencious research, per
formed with unremitting labor and care, may prove instruc
tive and beneficial, this report and the conclusions thereon,
based upon the facts as they have been found to exist, and
as the most complete hydrographic and topographic survey
of the source, is respectfully submitted, duly acknowledging
that these explorations come after the labors of the distin
guished gentlemen, who preceded me in 1803, 1832, 1836 and
1886 at the Itasca Basin, claiming only such measure of
credit as a more extended survey and discovery may entitle
me to receive. Respectfully submitted,

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 297

Memoramdum: The true and actual source of the Mississippi, required to be
found, as a result of the examination for that purpose, as particularly described
and set forth in the preceding sub-divisions has been designated as a district, pre
ferable to a, specific, determinable and particular location upon the earth's
surface in a naturally permanent lacustral formation, because a water-shed, with
well defined inner flanks, containing a permanent reservoir of water causing tho
existence and perpetual continuance of the source of a river, is in fact, the most
remote source, notwithstanding thu possibility of artesian pressure, which does not
exist at Herondo de Soto and Morrison lakes, as a supply to those lakes.
To proceed upon the basis that the source of a river is at the particular spot
most remote from its mouth, where the water first commences its flowage upon
the surface, in an unbroken channel to the sea, would force upon the student of
geographical explorations, a narrow and limited rule, resulting in the discovery of
an inferior point, dependent entirely upon subsidiary channels, yet ignoring the
existence of the real source from which the water may be or is drawn.
If to follow the channel of the Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico to the most
remote point of surface flowage in any way connected therewith, is necessary, in
order to discover the source, we must turn aside from the grand and extensive
valley of the Mississippi, reaching from the northern limit of the United States to
the Gulf, with all its topographic features and well defined peculiarities, and pass
up the channel of the Missouri river to some point in the Rocky Mountains, to the
exclusion of the Itasca Basin, for the reason that the source of the Missouri-
water coming in at one side— is more remote from the mouth of the Mississippi
than is the Greater Ultimate Reservoir, at the utmost northern limit of the Mis
sissippi River basin.
However desirable it might be to reverse the order of the well established geo
graphy concerning the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, in order that the longest
channel may be desiglated as the one principal stream— a necessity, if this limited
rule must be followed— it should be remembered and properly considered that,
from the earliest times coming within human knowledge, pre-historic, aboriginal,
Spanish, French, English and American, every recognition has pointed to the
great valley and its river as the main water-shed, to the exclusion of the Missouri.
and upon this rule of action, tribal possessions, international boundary lines,
enactments by Congress, Articles of War and Treaties of Peace in Europe and
America, reciprocal concessions, government appropriations and improvements,
commercial traffic, state boundaries, educational teachings and tho nomenclature
of portions of the Federal Union, have adhered — all this and more— in consonance
with the great topographic features of nature as they exist the whole length and
breadth of the Mississippi River basin, with the Missouri as as a confluent river
coming in at one side. It would appear that this rule, "that the longest surf ace
channel must be followad in order to find the utmost Source" of the Mississippi, is
in direct conflict with every natural cause that has brought into existence the
history of the discovery, the occupancy, and the hydrographic and topographic
charts of the basin of the Mississippi as it divides from north to south, the eastern
and western limits of the United States, with its subdivisions, as divided by the
Alleghany and other ranges, and the Rocky Mountains, bordeiring respectively
upon the east and west, the basin of the river. If, for these and other reasons,
such a rule is too narrow and limited to be effective and consistent, why follow it,
when to do so would unsettle and bring into conflict the very foundations of ter-
torial organizations, commercial and other numerous m unicipal relations, hereto
fore deemed and believed to correspond with nature's topographic facts and
conditions? Then again, follow the same rule, leaving the Missouri river out from
any consideration thereunder, and iifpassing up the trough of the Itasca Basin by

298 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
the longest surf ace channel of running water, there must be selected from the
interesting streams found there, the one whose head is most remote from the north
end and outlet of Itasca lake, and that one, whether it be subsidiary or principal,
confluent or affluent, must be, arbitrarily, pointed out and designated as the
Mississippi river, in conflict with the existing topographic features as they are
found there.
Selecting from the list the principal streams at Itasca, their respective lengths
are as follows, by the surface channel from the north end of Itasca lake:
To the head of Howard creek  28,952 feet.
To the head of Demaray creek  27,673 "
To the head of The Principal Stream i  27,129 "
To the head of Mary creek s  26,297 "
To the head of Boutwell creek  22,327 "
To Elk lake s  17,827 "
Thus, following literally and strictly, this arbitrary rule, the head of Howard
creek*, would be discovered as the source of the Mississippi, to the exclusion of the
larger and more important principal streams flowing out of the north end of
Whipple lake, re-appearing at the Mississippi Springs and flowing in a detached
upper channel, under a crust of earth, which forms a very narrow, natural bridge,
between Nicollet's Upper and Middle lakes, and, with Howard and Demaray creeks
coming in at one side as branches, thence to Itasca lake and the sea.
Howard creek is a picturesque little stream, with swift and permanent flowage,
the minimum of which fills its bed constantly, and its head, surrounded by pre
cipitous hills, is a spring or pool, the waters of which flow directly out of the earth,
quite similar to the Mississippi Springs. But this creek is limited in size, com
pared with the main stream of whice it is a branch, the same as Demaray creek
and Spring Ridge creek. Common sense prescribes a reasonable liberality in the
inspection and examination of nature's process, and to force its cause would be a
futile endeavor to dictate in matters over which we have no control, unless by
artificial Interferences and appliances. There is no reason why we should distort
the facts of nature, in order to follow a limited and impracticable rule, in case it
leads in an opposite direction from existing facts. The head of Howard creek is
not the source of the Mississippi, because the channel of the main stream is broken
by the peculiar natural formation at Nicollet's Upper lake, where the stream
flows into the bowels of the earth and out to the surface again a few feet over the
brow of the natural bridge there located.
Reference is made to the question of which point is the source of a river when a
well defined permanent lake is the original water. There should be no question
that the part of the lake where the first flow of water commences therefrom, is,
minutely, the source, to the exclusion of the body of the lake itself, though for
popular comparison the lake, as a lake, is usually designated as the source of the
river. If the lake be one hundred miles long, and the rimer, having its source
therein, one hundred miles long, it would force the construction of nature's invin
cible rule to say that the river was two hundred miles in length. The suggestion that
the size of a lake giving source to a river, is material, is an absurdity. A lake,
however small and obscure, from which a river takes its rise, can well be popularly
designated as the source.
1. At the base of the hills, above Nicollet's Middle lake.
2. The length of Mary lake not included, because the creek flowing into it, above
the lake, is not perennial.
3. Length of Elk lake not included, because the several creeks entering it have
been found, on one or more dates, to be entirely dry, and in winter closed by
freezing and ice.
4. See chart showing location of Howard creek, draining a limited ravine which
forms a part of Nicollet Valley. This ravine is a part and portion of the Greater
Ultimate Reservoir Bowl. •

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 299
The diametrical order of the flow of a river is adverted to. It is not necessary
that a river should flow from one point of the compass to that directly opposite.
Such a conclusion, long since suggested, is erroneous, and, if adopted, would, of
necessity, ignore the topographic features which surround and constitute the
water-shed and valleys from which and through which, the principal rivers of the
world take their course. It matters not if the valley or basin be circuitous, pro
vided the defined conditions of that part of the surface of the earth, forming tho
valley or basin, confirms the statement that it is the main water-shed, through
which the chief river takes its flow, to the exclusion of subsidiary streams, com
ing in at the side from less extensive valleys or basins.
The Mississippi river from the Itasca basin, to the mouth of the Crow Wing, the
St. Louis river, from its source to Lake Superior, and the Red River of the North,
from its sourre to the forty-seventh degree of North latitude, each constitute a
half circle in the condition of their respective courses, as controlled by the topo
graphy of the water-sheds which they drain, and each river mentioned, in its
course, flows to every point of the compass in one or more portions of its surface
flowage. The rivers mentioned, flow to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and to
Hudson's Bay, respectively, draining three of the principal water-sheds of North
America, all taking their rise in the northern portion of Minnesota near to each
other. The St. Louis river, in this reference, is deemed to be the head waters of
the St. Lawrence.
It is not deemed necessary to take up a consideration of the entire list of the
principal rivers of the world, whether in mountainous districts, deserts or product
ive regions, in frigid, temperate or tropical climates, to indicate the neceseity of
adopting the common law of nature, which has formed the source, the water-shed,
the course, flowage, continuance and ending of every river of permanent exist
ence, and it will surely prove futile to undertake the task of applying fictitious
and untenable opinions, contrary to the natural conditions ever present upon the
surface of the earth, as the waters are taken from the bosom of the oceans and
precipitated, by meteorological and climatic action, when the source, the course
and the ending of rivers, is determined, theoretically or by actual surveys in the
field of operation or observance, Where is the water precipitated at the source of
a river, and how is it gathered into the channel of the stream, are propositions
which were ever present in the examination at the source of the Mississippi, for no
other procedure would so well apply, in bringing to light the facts as nature has
presented them there, and a distortion of those facts, would be but an erroneous
theory. This applies, of course, to a lacustrine region, similar to the head water
basin of the Mississippi.
The fact that there exist rivers in mountainous districts, which depend upon
melting snows and ice, for a supply of water, rivers in arid regions, which are
often entirely dry ; rivers in rocky and limestone districts, depending upon arte
sian pressure for a supply, and various and widely different conditions extant at
the source of all the rivers of the world, as compared with each other, the undis
puted and indisputable proposition, that every river of the world, owes its exist
ence to a natural cause and effect, as demonstrated by the process of precipitation,
must be, of necessity, ever present in determining the true source of each, and if
this be admitted, we must turn to the water-sheds at the utmost limit from the
mouth of all our rivers to find the source. True, there may be isolated instances
where the application of such a rule would seem to be fallacious, but can there not
be remote exceptions to any known rule? An important instance is noted to show
the effect of a water-shed. Situated in the very center of the northern half of the
State of Minnesota is a well defined basin, oblong in its formation, about one hun
dred miles long and fifty in width i . Within this basin there are nearly one thous-
1 See Chart.

300 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
and lakes, large and small, and numerous streams. This basin is almost entirely
surrounded by heights of land, and the Mississippi descends out from it over the
Pokegama Falls. From the inner flanks of these heights of land, the smaller
streams flow down to the center of the basin and form the Mississippi, the princi
pal stream of the water-shed. The millionsof gollons of water situated within
this limited head-water basin has been drawn from the oceans by natural causes.
It is interesting to note that while the waters of the inner flanks of this basin, flow
to the Mississippi, the outer flanks supply waters which form streams to the east
ward, flowing to Lake Superior; to the northward, flowing to the Lake of the
Woods; to the westward, flowing to the Red River of the Nnrth, and to the south
ward, flowing to the Crow Wing river. Thus in this very limited territory, com
paratively speaking, the summit of these heights of land discharge precipitated
waters in all opposite' directions. Within this basin at the head water system of
the Mississippi, in following the channel of the main stream up through the trough
of the basin, the Leech lake, Turtle and Yellow Head rivers, come in as principal
tributaries, draining specific portions of the bowl, as likewise do other and less im
portant streams, until the Itasca portion of the upper water-shed is reached, where
a distinct and limited Basin exists, nearly surrounded by the Hauteurs des Terres of
the locality, and passing up this basin the extreme limit of the Upper Mississippi
water-shed is found at the Greater Ultimate Reservoir, with the principal stream
of the locality flowing out of it. The mere rivalry of original discovery of some
one particular lake of the locality, as compared with some other lake there, is not
a correct basis upon which to determine the source. For popular comparison,
Itasca lake has been known for over half a century, as the source of the Missis
sippi, but that does not and cannot make it the ultimate source in reality, when to
remove the reservoirs above and beyond it, Itasca itself, as a lake, would cease to
supply the river running from it, and the lake would recede to narrower limits
within its own shores, for want of the water supply now constantly coming from
above it, the inflow regulating and controling the outflow. However desirable it
might be to continue this preference for Itasca lake, it can be but a question of
sentiment, for certainly it is not one of fact; and in determining that the Greater
Ultimate Reservoir is the utmost limit of the water-shed of the Mississippi basin,
a rule has been followed which nature itself dictates, as the only and reasonable
procedure by which to find the true source of the Mississippi.
These conclusions are by no means hastily drawn, nor are they deemed to be of
any very great importance . It is simply a verification of the discovery of geo
graphic facts. They become of interest, that the minutest fibers of nature's cause,
shall not be infringed, so far as the present subject is treated,
It should not be held that these conclusions are drawn in opposition to distin
guished authorities. The Royal Geographical Society of England, through its
secretary, advises that it "has never laid down any rule defining what constitutes
the source of a river."
Prof. W. M. Davis of Harvard College has been kind enough to enter into a cor
respondence in an exchange of views, touching the question, and it would appear
that he inclines to the longest surface channel, wherever it may be found. This
view would take him to the summit of the Rocky Mountains for the source of the
Mississippi, above, beyond, and at the side of the main basin of the river, and at
Itasca lake it would take him to the head of Howard creek, distinctly not the
principal stream, although it is the most remote of all permanent, uninterrupted
surface channels found flowing there. Prof. Davis is regarded as a distinguished
authority and from him a more extended and nearly oyposite opinion is expressed
from that which comes from European geographers. He believes it to be the fault
of terminology. Clinging to the limited rule of a longest surface chanuel, nature's
principal topographic features must be ignored, that the lesser stream may be fol-

THE COMMISSIONER'S DETAILED SURVEY. 301
lowed to the heights of laud, to the exclusion of the principal river, in searching
for a source, solely upon the question of length as ascertained from actual unin
terrupted surface flowage.
Following these varying and widely different opinions, confusion might be in
terpolated, were it not that an actual view of tho premises, demonstrates the best
evidence of existing facts, and though it may and doubtless will be suggested, that
the framing of a general rule conforms to the source of the Mississippi, it might he
well to bear in mind that the relation it bears, as compared with the river systems
of the world, constitutes a pre-eminent reference, equaled by few, and exceeded
by no principal water course of the earth, maintaining perennial river drainage.
Considering climatic extremes, various topographic features, mountain ranges,
lakes and minor rivers and streams, which are contributory to the main river of
the Mississippi basin, it may be well asserted, that it has no superior, and deliber
ate and considerate action in drawing conclusions from an examination as to its
utmost source, ought not to be made conformidable to obscure streamlets, to which
a general knowledge will never be directed.
The topographic and hydrographic features immediately connected with the ex
treme limit of the Mississippi basin, have been found to be an interesting study,
and particular care has been observed in presenting only the facts, geographic
and historic, sufficiently illustrated, which present in connection with the Spanish
and French discoveries, to those who desire it, a more complete record from
which to follow the rise and course of our greatest river.

APPENDIX.

HOW THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THE LAKE OF THE
WOODS BECAME INSTRUMENTAL IN THE ESTABLISH
MENT OF THE NORTHWESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE
UNITED STATES.

Bv Alfred J. Hill.

_ 1. INTRODUCTORY.
About one hundred and twenty miles north of the Itascan or true
source of the Mississippi river, or eighty-five of those of Turtle river,
its northern branch, lies the Lake of the Woods. At this lake begins
that part of the boundary of the United States that is formed by the
forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, which thence pursues its west
ward course until the waters of the Pacific ocean are reached in far
distant Washington. But yet, leaving Alaska out of consideration,
this line does not form the most northern limit of the American pos
sessions ; for, at the Lake of the Woods, by the boundary line being
carried some thirty miles to the northward and westward from the
mouth of Rainy Lake river, and then due south to the forty-ninth
parallel, a tract of land is included of about one hundred and flfty
square miles in extent. This is the most northern land, with the
exception noted, under American rule, but it is practically valueless,
being mostly covered with a deep bog; and, in addition, is inaccessible
from other American soil except by crossing the broad surface of the
lake. Why was this line so run? The question has been often asked, and
at various times answered in print, but not so fully as the subject
allows or, it may be, is worthy of. That the boundary was not origin
ally established in order to include the tract of land described, nor yet
any particular bay or other actual topographical feature of the lake,
is sure. None of the statesmen who from time to time gave attention
-30

306 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
to the matter, toward the end of the last century or in the first two
decades of this one, had any correct knowledge of the lake in gen
eral, much less of any particular part of it.
The head-waters of the Mississippi are in no way connected with
the Lake of the Woods ; neither hydrographically, for they flow into
different seas; nor commercially, for no trade route ever ran between
them. Yet they were long connected politically, seeing that during a
period of time equalling two generations their relationships were dis
cussed at intervals by the diplomatists of two nation's, and their
names were often met with in the state papers of the two countries.
This article is not designed for a complete account of the North
western boundary of diplomacy, but only for a history of that portion
of it which lies westward of the mouth of the Rainy Lake river, in
order to illustrate the political connection referred to, and therefore
as little matter as possible is introduced that does not concern the
topic so restricted. Still, as some point on the upper Mississippi river
was a sine qua non of the very earliest projects for the establishment
of a national boundary in the northwest, brief statements of them and
their fortunes have to be given; for, if this were not done the reader
would not be placed in possession of a knowledge of all the most im
portant incidents— now attainable— that contributed to the creation
of a curious geographical and political imbroglio.
In the presentation of the facts a chronological order is followed as
far as practicable.
§ 2. The first propositions for a northwestern bound
ary TO THE UNITED STATES; AND TnE LINE FINALLY
AGREED UPON. 1779-1783.
Canada was ceded to Great Britain in 1763, and by this cession were
necessarily ended all the persistent claims that had been made by the
Hudson's Bay Company for a line of demarcation which should divide
their occupancy and territory from those of the French in North Am
erica. But within twenty years another boundary line was defined
that" trenched upon the water-shed of the Bay of Hudson, and even
entered the territory of the Company as they understood it; but with
this new boundary neither of the former parties had anything to do.

APPENDIX. 307
In her turn Great Britain had been shorn of American possessions
by the successful revolt of her colonies, but hot deprived of all of
them; for, in addition to Florida, she still retained the icy regions of
the far north, as well as Canada, i. e., whatever territory this latter
term might be construed to imply.
The war between the ci-devant colonies and the mother country was
still in full blast — and by no means displaying the most favorable as
pect for the former in the light of the capture of Savannah by the
English, which had occurred but a short time before — when the ques
tion of the future boundaries of the new nation first came up for dis
cussion by its representatives in Congress.
It was in February, 1779, that Gfirard, the minister from France to
the United States, urged upon Congress the appointment of a commis
sioner to take part in negotiations for a general peace, when such
should occur; as it became necessary to formulate conditions beyond
the main demand of independence. On the 23d of that month, there
fore, a special committee, to whom had been referred certain "official
letters and communications received from Paris," reported that cer
tain articles were absolutely necessary for the safety and independence
of the United States and therefore ought to be insisted on as the ulti
matum. The first of these articles was concerning the bounds, which
were to be as follows:
"Northerly by the ancient limits of Canada, as contended for by
Great Britain, running from Nova Scotia south-westerly, west, and
north-westerly, to Lake Nepissing, thence a west line to the Missis
sippi; * * * * and westerly by the river Mississippi."
On March 19, " Congress took into consideration the report of the
Committee of the Whole, and agreed to the following ultimata:
"1. That the thirteen United States are bounded north by a line
***** thence due west in the latitude of forty-five
degrees north from the equator, to the north-westernmost side of the
river St. Lawrence, or Cadaroqui; thence strait to the south end of
Lake Nepissing, and thence strait to the source of the river Missis
sippi; west by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river Missis
sippi from its source to where the said line shall intersect the latitude
of thirty-one degrees north," efec.

308 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
This second description of the boundary was, on August 14, embodied
by Congress in the draft of instructions then approved by them for
the use of the minister to be appointed to negotiate a peace. Contin
uing, the instructions read:
"But, notwithstanding the clear right of these States * * *
that if the line to be drawn from the mouth of the lake Nepissing to
the head of the Mississippi cannot be obtained without continuing
the war for that purpose, you are hereby empowered to agree to some
other line between that point and the river Mississippi; provided the
same shall in no part thereof be to the southward of latitude forty-
five degrees north," &c.
John Adams was the man chosen for such commissioner, receiving
his appointment from Congress on September 27. He was to treat
with Great Britain whenever that power should be prepared to
acknowledge the independence of the United States. So Mr. Adams
went to France, but official influence there was thrown against the
initiation of a treaty at that time, and by one man, unless the man
were Franklin, the minister already on the ground. Next year he
repaired to Holland, where he was appointed minister.
But on June 15, 1781, Mr. Adams' commission was annulled by
Congress, and he was reappointed as one of five persons to negotiate
the desired treaty with England. His colleagues were to be Benjamin
Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and Thomas Jefferson. To these
Ave commissioners, or a majority of them, or even one alone in case
of accident, was given the power to make a treaty of peace; and they
were not to be tied up by absolute and peremptory directions, except
as to absolute independencee of the States and integrity of existing
treaties with France. They were directed, however, that in the last
recourse they were to take the advice of Vergennes, the French min
ister of foreign affairs, in their negotiations with the English com
missioners. On the English side there was but one plenipotentiary, Richard
Oswald, though later he was reinforced by the presence and advice of
Mr. Strachey, one of the British under-secretaries. Mr. Oswald went to
Paris in the spring of 1782, though he was not fully commissioned,
according to the American ideas, until September 21.

APPENDIX. 309
Benjamin Franklin had already been established in Paris some four
years as minister plenipotentiary. Oswald and Franklin therefore had
many interviews before any of the other commissioners arrived. Jay
arrived on June 23d, and Adams on Oct. 26th. Just before the latter's
arrival, Mr. Strachey had come over from London, accompanied by a
clerk of the Plantations office, who brought with him books, maps and
papers relative to boundaries. Laurens could come only two days
before the conclusion of the discussions, and Jefferson could not come
at all.
The discussions of the commissioners in regard to the boundary of
the United States have not yet, It seems, been published in detail.
The records of their proceedings, kept by the secretary, are said to be
lost. From the diplomatic correspondence of the American com
missioners, however, so far as it has been published, the following facts
have been derived:
On October 5th, Mr. Jay handed to Oswald the American articles,
which had been drawn up very fully by him.
On the 8th of the same month certain articles were agreed upon be
tween Frankin, Jay, and Oswald, which were sent to England for the
king's consideration. The first one defined the boundary according
to the description authorized by Congress on March 19, 1779, already
copied here.
When the draft of October 8, returned from England, a second set
was agreed upon, on November 5, by the four commissioners, Mr.
Adams being now present. In this second set the western part of the
boundary was given as running
"To the forty-fifth degree of north latitude, following the said lati
tude until it strikes the river Mississippi; thence by a line to be drawn
along the middle of the said river Mississippi, until it shall intersect
the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of latitude north of
the equator," etc.
The very same day Mr. Strachey set out for London with these
amended articles.
The next day John Adams, writing to Mr. Livingston, the Secre
tary of Foreign affairs, said: "We have at last agreed to boundaries
with the greatest moderation. We have offered them the choice of a

310 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
line through the middle of all the great lakes, or the line of forty-
five degrees of latitude, the Mississippi, with a free navigation of
it at one end, and the river St. Croix at the other."
Mr. Strachey reached London on the 10th of the month, and receiv
ing his new instructions on the 21st, was back in Paris again by the
24th. On the 25th, Adams, Franklin and Jay, met at Mr. Oswald's
lodgings, "and after some conference Mr. Oswald delivered to them
the following articles as fresh proposals of the British ministry, sent
by Mr. Strachey." In these articles the second one defined boundaries
for the United States, and the words there used were precisely the
same as those employed in the Provisional Articles of Peace, signed
only five days later, on November 30. So far as concerned the north
western boundary of the United States the said words ran as follows :
"Through Lake Superior and northward of the isles Royal and Pheli-
peaux, to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of said Long-
Lake, and the water communication between it and the Lake of the
Woods, to the said Lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake
to the most northwestern point thereof, and from thence on a due
west course to the river Mississippi; thence by a line to be drawn along
the middle of the said river Mississippi until it shall intersect the
northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude."
In addition, the navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source
to the ocean, was to remain forever free and open to the subjects of
Great Britan, and the citizens of Ihe United States.
An entry in Mr. Adams' journal, of the 30th, stated that the com
missioners were told that the British government did not oppose the
the boundary, they only thought it too extended, too vast a country;
but that they would not make a difficulty.1
1 The French and Spanish governments, however, though the first was an ally,
and the second friendly to the cause of the United States, were, in their hearts, not
so easily reconciled. They had desired to see the new nation restricted to the east
of the Alleghany mountains, south of Pennsylvania, and to the east of the Chat
tahoochee river farther south. When the territorial pretensions of the American
plenipotentiaries were fully understood the French statesmen were astounded.
Vergennes, (writing on October 14.) even styled them "a delirium," and secretly
repudiated the idea of the United States being allowed to monopolize the continent.

APPENDIX. 311
Franklin, on December 5th. writing to Mr. Livingston, said that
much of the summer was taken up by wrangling about powers. "Af
ter some weeks, an under-secretary, Mr. Strachey, arrived, with whom
we had much contestation about the boundaries and other articles
which he proposed and we settled; some of which he carried to Lon
don, and returned with other propositions, some adopted, others omit
ted or altered, and new ones added. * * * * They wanted to bring
their boundary down to the Ohio, and to settle their loyalists in the
Illinois country. We did not choose such neighbors."
The four American commissioners in their joint letter to Mr. Liv
ingston of December 14th, said that: "The court of Great Britain in
sisted on retaining all the territories comprehended within the Pro
vince of Quebec by the act of Parliament respecting it i * * * *
and they claimed not only all the lands in the western country and on
the Mississippi, which were not expressly included in our charters and
governments, but also all such lands within them as remained un-
granted by the King of Great Britain." He said that it would be use
less to enumerate all the discussions and arguments they had on the
subject. In reply March 25th, 1783, Mr. Livingston said: ''The boundaries
are as extensive as we have a right to expect."
Adams, Franklin, and Jay remained in Paris after signing the Pro
visional Articles, as commissioners for making a Definitive Treaty.
Though ten months were spent in discussion by the plenipotentiaries
of both powers, nothing further could be decided upon. Therefore,
on September 3d, 1783, they signed the Definitive Treaty of Peace;
which instrument was in exactly the same words as those used in the
Provisional Articles that preceded it, boundary description and all.
The description of the northwestern boundary line looked at in the
light of the geographical information the commissioners were guided
by was clear enough, but as tested later by natural facts it was found
insufficient; and even in part, where it regarded the extreme western
1 This act was passed in 1774— most probably to annoy the disaffected Yankees.
Its southern boundary was the Ohio river, and its western was formed by the Miss
issippi, from the mouth of the Ohio, running northward to the southern boundary
of the territory granted to the Hudson's Bay Company.

312 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
limitation of territory, a physical impossibility. Still, some sixty
years elapsed before the final definition of this boundary was framed.
. 3. The geographical errors of the treaties of 1872-3.
Before defining the exact nature of the geographical error just refer
red to, and telling of the successive steps which were taken toward its
rectification, a few cautionary words concerning the political morali
ties of the subject are in order.
The reader should dismiss from his mind any idea of injustice in the
case. He must consider that international treaties are only bargains
on a large scale, in which one or other of the high contracting parties
is liable to be over-reached, and that sometimes the decisions made are
not in accordance with reason and abstract justice; but yet, that the
compacts having been signed the matter is settled. When, however.
questions of territorial boundaries have been discussed with a view to
international agreement, faulty decisions in such cases are by no
means always to be attributed to great astuteness on one side, and
simplicity on the other; for a lack of previous correct geographical in
formation, from which had resulted erroneous and misleading maps,
is the most likely cause. After all, boundary agreements can scarcely
be anything but compromises, and if it should appear later on that
the decision was somewhat unfair to one party yet it would not be con
sidered dignified for the other to then clamor for reconsideration.1
1 A curious instance of a great nation quietly abandoning part of its boundary
line as established by treaty, and adopting another one which had been located er
roneously as the true one, is shown in the behavior of Great Britain towards the
United States in the matter of the northern boundary of New York and Vermont,
where it is constituted by the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude. This line.
running from the St. Lawrence to the Connecticut river, was surveyed and marked
some years before 1770, but not correctly. Many years later, in ignorance of this
fact, the United States government began to fortify Rouse's Point on Lake Champ
lain. In 1818, the surveys of the boundary commissioners proved that the fortifica
tions were on British ground. The map of the survey by Col. J. D. Graham, of the U.
S.Engineers, published in 1843, shows the established line at that point to be 4,326 feet
north of the true boundary. The first surveyors had intended to pursue a due east
course from the proper intersection of the said parallel with the St. Lawrence
river, but, deflecting to the left somewhat, and keeping to the left more or less all
the way, they struck the Connecticut river three quarters of a mile to the north
ward of where they should have reached it. However, the British government ac
cepted this old established line, and the boundary in the treaty of 1842 was describ
ed so as to conform to it.

APPENDIX. 313
As a matter of course, in the settlement of boundaries between
nations, the statesmen delegated to do the work require maps of the
regions concerned, all they can get and the best they can get ; for they
cannot go out and view the country like road commissioners. That
the plenipotentiaries of 1782 in charge of the matter of deciding upon
a line of demarcation between the possessions of the British Crown,
and those of the United States had all the maps they needed, printed
at least, seems to be established by their own testimony.
John Adams, writing in October, 1774, said "We had before us,
through the whole negotiations, a variety of maps, but it was Mitch
ell's map upon which was marked out the whole of the boundary lines
of the United States." Benjamin Franklin, likewise, in a letter to
Jefferson, of April 8, 1790, thus expressed himself : "I can assure you
that I am perfectly clear in the remembrance that the map we used in
tracing the boundary, was brought to the treaty by the Commissioners
from England, and that it was the same as that published by Mitchell
twenty years before."
These maps which the plenipotentiaries had before them were no
doubt more particularly needed for the settlement of the line in the
east, where for generations the French and English had been directly
opposed. As for the extreme western part of the boundary, the chances
are that but little criticism of a geographical kind was exercised in
regard to it, or comparison of maps made ; for if there had been the
inferiority of their adopted map to the maps of the French geogra
phers, and to such English maps as were founded on the French ones,
in regard to the hydrography of the country beyond Lake Superior,
would have been at once perceived.
Now this "Mitchell map," which had been officially accepted by the
commissioners, and on which they marked the boundary, was compiled
in England by John Mitchell, at the request of the Lord Commission
ers of Trade and Plantations. It bore their approval of date February
13, 1755, and was published in that year, two editions of it it is said.
The significance of it, as respects the topic under discussion, is this
— it contained two very grave geographical errors.
The first one was, that the Lake of the Woods, instead of being
represented as the lowest of a chain of lakes and connecting streams

314 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
whose waters ran northwestward, was shown as being the head of
such a chain whose waters ran to the eastward, to Long Lake and
Lake Superior.
In other words the map ignored the dividing ridge or luxuteur des terres
that separates the waters running to the Lake of the Woods, from
those that run a much shorter distance into Pigeon river, (the Long
Lake of the treaty) and Lake Superior.
The result of this first error was that this lengthy "water communi
cation" of the map was assumed to be the head of the St. Lawrence
system of waters, and so was followed for the boundary; whereas the
true head-waters of this great river are those that flnd their way into
Lake Superior, through the channel of the smaller river of the fond
du lac of the map, our present St Louis river.
The second error was the placing of the sources of the Mississippi
some three degrees northward of their true latitude. The head of the
river was not actually shown on the Mitchell map, for the southern
border of a corner map hindered further delineation of it, but was
mentioned on the main map in these words, viz:
"The head of the Mississippi in not yet known. It is supposed to
arise about the fiftieth degree of latitude and western bounds of this
map." The result of this second error was, that in making the bound
ary run due west from the Lake of the Woods* to the Mississippi river
the plenipotentiaries of 1782 unwittingly called for a geometrical im
possibility. In some palliation of the errors of this map, in the matter of the
Mississippi, and by. way of excuse for the commissioners in being
guided by it in their definition of the northwestern boundary, another
official British map may be mentioned. This was an elaborate atlas
of the Americas, in twenty sheets, compiled by Mr. Popple, under the
auspices of the same Lords as Mitchell's, and published in 1732 or 1733.
On the proper sheet of this Popple map was indicated "The head of
the Mississippi, in about the fiftieth degree of north latitude, and in
a very boggy country."!
1 Popple probably took his information for this part of the country from the
earlier maps of De l'Isle, the French geographer, on which the sources are laid
clown as far north as 50°, or even beyond; and indicated as being in a very "boggy
country" too, pays marecageux.

APPENDIX. 315
Very likely the commissioners having found their map satisfactory
as regarded the eastern country never dreamed of its enormous mis
apprehensions of the geography of the region beyond Lake Superior.
_ 5. The unexecuted article of the treaty of 1794.
The plenipotentiaries of 1783 had before them other questions than
those settled in 1782, but, as before intimated, they were not able to
agree upon any of them, and so left them for future negotiation. Be
sides these unsettled matters new ones had come up since the signing
of the peace, arising from the failure of the contracting parties to re
spectively carry out certain stipulations of the treaty. Very naturally,
therefore, in a few years steps were taken to reopen negotiations.
In 1791 the attention of the British government v as called to the
fact that their garrisons had not yet been withdrawn from the north
ern parts as required by the 7th article of this definitive treaty. The
ready reply was that it was in consequence of the non-compliance of
the American government with the agreements contained in the 4th,
5th and 6th articles of the same instrument. Tu quoque.
The next move was taken nearly three years later. On April 16th,
1794, President Washington commissioned John Jay — the hardest
worker of the plenipotentiaries of 1782, now chief justice— as envoy ex
traordinary to proceed to London and enter into consultation with the
British government, with a view to an amicable adjustment of the
differences between the two countries.
Among the questions discussed by him and Lord Grenville, the
British minister, was that of the northwestern boundary. The latter
gentleman, giving voice to a suspicion that had been forming itself in
the public mind, considered it to be an established fact that a due
west line from the Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi river would
pass entirely to the north of any of the sources of that stream. i In
accordance with this supposition he suggested to the American envoy
two new lines between the waters of Lake Superior and the Mississ-
lMost probably, after the treaty of 1783 was signed, there had been some examin
ation in British government offices of other maps than the Mitchell one. Not to
mention those of France, they would find that the maps in the Jeff erys atlas of 1776,
and those of 1778 in Capt. Carver's book of travels, gave no countenance to the the
ory that the Mississippi headed in a higher latitude than that in which lay the
Lake of the Woods.

316 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
ippi, either of which would rectify the geographical error of 1782-3.
The first was, a line drawn due west from "the bottom of West Bay
in the said Lake" to the "river of the Red Lake, or eastern branch of
the Mississippi, and down the said branch to the main river of the
Mississippi."1 The other plan was, to follow the "water communica
tion" described in the treaties until a point due north of the mouth of
the St. Croix river should be reached, whence a line should be run di
rect to the Mississippi at the mouth of its said tributary. Mr. Jay
would not listen at all to such proposals, which involved a cession or
territory. Nor was he willing to concede to his lordship that the po
sition of the head of the Mississippi in relation to the Lake of the
Woods was certainly known. He suggested, however, that the truth
should be ascertained by actual survey, and to this proposition the
British minister agreed.
On the 19th of November, these two gentlemen signed a treaty on
behalf of their respective governments. The fourth article of it is the
only one necessary to recite here — it was as follows:
"Article IV. Whereas, it is uncertain whether the river Mississippi
extends so far to the northward as to be intersected by a line to be
drawn due west from the Lake of the Woods, in the manner mentioned
in the treaty of peace between his majesty and the United States: it
is agreed, that measures shall be taken in concert between his majesty's
government in America and the government of the United States, for
making a joint survey of the said river from one degree of latitude
below the Falls of St. Anthony, to the principal source or sources of
the said river, and also of the parts adjacent thereto; and that if on
the result of such survey, it should appear that the said river would
not be intersected by such a line as is above mentioned, the two parties
will thereupon proceed by amicable negotiation, to regulate the boun
dary line in that quarter."
However much geographers of the time — and some, even, of the
present day— may have regretted it, no survey of the kind was ever
made by the governments interested. It was, not very long after,
found to be unnecessary, so far as the question of the relative latitudes
of the lake and the river were concerned; for the visit of the astrono
mer David Thompson, in 1798, to the most northern sources of the
1 This would have been an as impossible a line as the one they were trying to find
a substitute for.

APPENDIX. 317
Mississippi at Turtle lake, proved that they lay nearly two degrees
south of the northern end of the Lake of the Woods.
It may therefore not be deemed unreasonable to suppose that the
project for the survey required by the treaty of 1794 was abandoned,
as a useless expenditure of time and money, in view of the reliable
observations made by Mr. Thompson. The results of his survey, so
far as they pertained to this question, were published a few years later
by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and seem to have been accepted by all
interested in the discussions concerning the northwestern boundary.
_ 5. The unratified convention of 1803.
Though the official survey of the upper Mississippi river was never
undertaken yet the clause of the preceding treaty, requiring the two
parties to "proceed by amicable negotiation to regulate the boundary
line in that quarter," was not neglected.
Mr. Madison, Secretary of State, on the 8th day of June, 1802, wrote
to Rufus King, minister at London, commissioning him to adjust what
remained unsettled as to the boundaries between Great Britain and
the United States. In his communication he recited how that the
second article of the treaty of 1783 was rendered nugatory by reason
of the impossibility of running a line due west from the Lake of the
Woods to the Mississippi, and suggested another one in lieu, which was:
"A line running from that source of the Mississippi which is nearest
to the Lake of the Woods, and striking it westwardly on a tangent,
and from the point touched along the water-mark of the lake to its
most northwestern point at which it will meet the line running
through the lake. The map in McKenzie's late publication is possibly
the best to which I can refer you on this subject."!
At the time of the arrival of ihis letter Mr. King was absent from
London, and the charge d' affaires, Christopher Gore, acted in his
stead, and was afterwards commissioned from Washington to carry on
the negotiations. On Sept. 28 Mr. Gore had an interview with Lord
1 "Voyage from Montreal, on the river St. Lawrence, through the continent of
North America to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans, in the years 1789 and 17S3. W ith a
preliminary account of the rise, progress and present state of the fur trade of that
country." London, 1801.

318 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Hawkesbury, the British minister, in regard to the business intrusted
to him, and coming to the boundary from the Lake of the Woods to
the Mississippi, proposed the line suggested by Mr. Madison. He also
mentioned the propriety of appointing commissioners "to ascertain
the local relation of the Mississippi to the Lake of the Woods, and, if
as was supposed by the treaty of peace, to run the line there agreed on."
Mr. Gore, on October 6, 1802, reported to the Secretary of State his
interview with Lord Hawkesbury. In this letter, referring to his
lordship's views, he wrote as follows: "On that part of the boundary
which is to connect the northwest point of the Lake of the Woods
with the Mississippi, he observed that it was evidently the intention
of the treaty of peace that both nations should have access to and
enjoy the free use of that river; and he doubtless meant that their
access should be to each nation through their own territories." Lord
H also agreed that such a commission as Mr. Gore had proposed, and
running the line between these two waters as Mr. Madison had pro
posed, might establish such a boundary as would secure to each nation
this object. To this Mr. Gore made no reply other than by observing
that the line suggested was naturally what seemed to be demanded by
just interpretation, when such a mistake had happened as was herein
supposed. On December 16 Madison wrote to King that he judged from Mr.
Gore's communication that the proposition made for the adjustment
of the boundary in the northwest corner of the United States was not
pleasing to the British government. The provision, however, was
considered by the President as a liberal one, inasmuch as the more
obvious remedy for the error of the treaty could have been by a line
running due north from the most northern source of the Mississippi,
and intersecting the line due west from the Lake of the Woods; and
inasmuch as the branch leading nearest the Lake of the Woods may
not be the longest or most navigable one, and may consequently favor
the wish of the British government to have access to the latter," 1
1 This reasoning is not very clear, except on the assumption that the administra
tion at that time took the view that the British possessions reached southward as
far as the head of the Mississippi. If such a view were entertained, however, at
that time, it was, not long after, abandoned for one more favorable to the territo
rial aggrandizement of the United States. A study of the "possibilities" of the
Louisiana cession probably suggested the change.

APPENDIX. 319
Mr. Madison further wrote that as the settlement of that particular
boundary would not for some time be material it would be better to
postpone it for the present and attend to the other questions of boun
dary; and in the meantime further information with respect to the
head-waters of the Mississippi, and the country around them, might
be sought by both parties. But that the United States were to be as
free to be guided by the results of such inquiries as if they had never
made the proposition referred to. If most agreeable to the British
government to institute an early survey, the President authorized Mr.
King to concur in such an agreement.
However, the British government was not obstinate, and the con
vention was drawn up by Mr. King on the 11th of April, and signed
on the 12th of May, 1803.
Mr. King, when transmitting the document the next day to Mr.
Madison, wrote as follows :
"The convention does not vary in anything material from the tenor
of my instructions. * * * The source of the Mississippi nearest
to the Lake of the Woods, according to Mackenzie's report, will be
found about twenty-nine miles to the westward of any part of that
lake, which is represented to be nearly circular. Hence a direct line
between the northwesternmost part of the lake, and tne nearest source
of the Mississippi, which is preferred by this government, has appeared
to me equally advantageous with the lines we had proposed."
But at the time this convention was signed in London, there had
been already signed in Paris an instrument by which western Louisi
ana, which had just come into the possession of France, was ceded to
the United States ; which fact turned out to have a very important
bearing on the King treaty. Bui it happened that the news of this
session did not reach the American minister in the former city until
the 15th of May, so that he and the British nobleman had come to an
agreement on the northwestern boundary question without any refer
ence to the ownership of the country west of the sources of the Mis
sissippi. The convention was laid before the Senate by the President for their
approval on October 24th. The part of this instrument referring to the

320 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
"boundary in the northwest corner of the United States" read as
follows :
"Art. V. Whereas, it is uncertain whether the river Mississippi
extends so far to the northward as to be intersected by a line drawn
due west from the Lake of the Woods, in the manner mentioned in
the treaty of peace between his majesty and the United States, it is
agreed, that instead of the said line, the boundary of the United
States in this quarter shall, and is hereby declared to be, the shortest
line which can be drawn between the northwest point of the Lake of
the Woods, and the source of the river Mississippi ; and for the pur
pose of ascertaining and determining the northwest point of the Lake
of the Woods, and the source of the river Mississippi that may be
nearest to the said northwest point, as well as for the purpose of Tun
ing and marking the said boundary line between the same, three
commissioners, upon the demand of either government, shall be ap
pointed," etc.
The committee of the Senate to whom it was referred, stated that
they were satisfied that the said treaty was drawn up by Mr. King
three weeks before the signature of the treaty with the French Re
public of the 30th of April. "But, not having the means of ascertain
ing the precise northern limits of Louisiana, as ceded to the United
States, the committee can give no opinion whether the line to be drawn
by virtue of the third [fifth] article of the said, treaty with Great
Britain, would interfere with the said northern limits of Louisiana
or not."
President Adams, writing to Secretary Madison, on December 16th,
1803, in reference to the feeling of the Senate, said that they feared
that the said boundary line might, by a possible future construction,
be pretended to operate as a limitation to the claims of territory ac
quired by the United States in the former of the two instruments,
that concerning the purchase of Louisiana.
After due consideration the Senate on February 9th, 1804, consented
to the ratification of the convention, with the exception of the fifth
article. On the 14th, Secretary Madison wrote to minister Monroe, de
siring him to urge the British government to accede to the change
made; and in the same letter told him the reasons why the fifth ar-

APPENDIX. 321
tide was rejected — reasons foreshadowed here in the report of the com
mittee and in the letter of the president already cited. He also said
that he thought that the British government would make no difficulty
in concurring with the action of the Senate for various reasons.
First. It would be unreasonable that any advantage against the
United States should be constructively authorized by the posteriority
of the dates in question, etc. Second: That if the article were expunged
the northern boundary of Louisiana would remain the same in the
hands of the United States as it was in the hands of France, to be ad
justed and established according to the principles and authority which
would in that case have been applicable. "Thirdly. There is reason to
believe that the boundary between Louisiana and the British territo
ries north of it were actually fixed by commissioners appointed under
the treaty of Utrecht, and that the boundary was to run from the Lake
of the Woods westwardly in latitude 49°; in which case the fifth article
would be nugatory, as the line from the Lake of the Woods to the
nearest source of the Mississippi, would run through territory which
on both sides of the line would belong to the United States." * * *
"Fourthly. Laying aside, however, all objections to the fifth article,
the proper extension of a dividing line in that quarter will be equally
open for friendly negotiation after, as, without agreeing to the other
parts of the convention, and considering the remoteness of the time at
which such a line will become actually necessary, the postponement
of it is of little or no consequence. The truth is, that the British gov
ernment seemed at one time to favor this delay, and the instructions
as given by the United States readily acquiesced in it."
The above letter of Mr. Madison seems to be the first official utterance
on the part of the American government that the parallel of latitude 49°
should be claimed by the United States as the northern boundary of
Louisiana and southern boundary of the English possessions west of
the Lake of the Woods. But in what was written about the action of
the commissioners under the treaty of Utrecht, of 1713, the cabinet
erred; and the English ministry seem to have been no wiser. The
line of 49° was merely the latest and most southern of various lines
proposed from time to time by the Hudson's Bay Company for their
-21

322 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
southern limits during the period of the French occupancy of Canada,
and had no reference whatever to the boundary of Louisiana, nor restor
ed the territorial rights of the British crown in the northwest. The com
missioners under the said treaty met in Paris in 1719, but never came to
any agreement on the subject, though in after years it was popularly
supposed that they had, and so recorded In many books and maps.
The American senators seem to have been justifiably suspicious in
this matter. Were a direct line adopted between the two waters there
would be danger, whenever negotiations should be instituted for a con
tinuation of the boundary line westward, that it might occur to the
British government to claim the heights of land just beyond the Miss
issippi as the southern limit of their possessions in that region. The
cabinet also showed great shrewdness in now next bringing into dip
lomacy this old provisional Hudson's Bay Company line of 49°, as if it
had really been an international boundary; though, more likely, it
might have been only an honest ignorance on their part, but one that
resulted fortunately for their people.
Although the settlement of the northwestern boundary by the Con
vention of 1803 had failed for the time, the matter was not neglected
by Mr. Monroe in London. There were other burning questions, too,
such as impressments of American seamen, fishery privileges &c. to at
tend to. In reference to these latter, on April 7, 1804, Monroe presented
to Lord Hawkesbury the project of a convention with a view to their
settlement, but a change of ministry occurred not long after, and the
latter statesman was replaced by Lord Harrowby.
As soon as circumstances would allow him, Mr. Monroe drew the
new minister's attention to the unratified treaty of 1803, and briefly
discussed with him the reason of its failure. But Lord Harrowby
would not act upon the subject for the time being. On Sept. 1 Mr.
Monroe again had an interview with his lordship in which the boun
dary question was further discussed. In a few days, that there might
be no misunderstanding as to what they had talked about,Monroe drew
up a paper which succintly stated the history of boundary relations in
the northwestern region from the time of the treaty of Utrecht. The
paper was of date Sept. 5, and was that day delivered to Lord Harrowby.

APPENDIX. 323
In it the writer maintained the position first advanced by Mr. Mad
ison, that the commissioners under the treaty of Utrecht had fixed the
line between the British possessions and Louisiana as being on the
49th parallel of north latitude. He also wrote, that after it was found
out that the Mississippi river did not head as far to the north as Had
been supposed, Great Britain showed a desire to have the boundary of
the United States modified so as to strike the river; but that neither
party contemplated this as doing more than to simply define the
American boundary; nor as conveying to Great Britain any right to
the territory lying westward of that line which belonged to Spain.
There is, apparently, nothing to show that Lord Harrowby ever
gave any opinion on the matter after the receipt of this paper. Nor,
indeed, from that time till February 25, 1806, do the printed docu
ments of the United States have anything to say about the north
western boundary in general, or the lapsed convention of 1803 in par
ticular. On the said date Mr. Monroe wrote to the English minister,
Mr. Fox, in reference to certain unsettled topics, among others the
boundary, and spoke of the convention between Lord Hawkesbury and
Mr. King. On May 15 Secretary Madison wrote to Monroe telling him
about the appointment of Mr. Pinkney as joint commissioner with him
to negotiate a treaty. "As the joint commission does not include the
subject of the convention of limits not yet acceded to by Great Brit
ain, as varied by the Senate here, it will remain with you alone, or
your successor, to continue the endeavors to bring that business to
a conclusion." If any repugnance should be shown to the erasure pro
posed by the Senate, thereby leaving unsettledfor the present the boun
daries in the northwest quarter of the Union, and preference should be
given to a prbviso against any constructive effect of the Louisiana
convention or the intention of the parties at the signature of the de
pending convention,'he might concur in the alteration with a view
to bring the subject in that form before the ratifying authority of the
United States.
But as nothing further appears printed, showing any action of the
British government on the matter, it may be concluded that the con
vention of 1803 came to be considered as laid on the shelf forever.

324 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
I 6. The abandoned treaty of 1807.
In May, 1806, the American government appointed Monroe and
Pinkney special commissioners, to meet like appointees of the British
government in London, and take measures towards the framing of a
treaty ; rendered very necessary now by reason of the many unsettled
questions between the two governments. Their instructions however
did not include the unsettled boundary question, which, with some
other matters, was to be postponed for the time being. Lords Holland
and Auckland acted for the British government in the negotiations.
The treaty agreed upon by the plenipotentiaries was signed on Decem
ber 31st, and bore the title of "Treaty of amity, commerce and naviga
tion." For lack of an article relating to impressments the President
did not send it to the Senate, and so it perished. But the conclusion
of this treaty left the American envoys free to turn their attention to
a supplementary one, in which one of the subjects to be handled would
be that of boundaries.
In their joint letter to Mr. Madison, of April 25, 1807, the American
commissioners informed him how that, in compliance with the pro
posal of the British commissioners, considerable progress had been
made in digesting the plan of a supplemental convention relative to
boundary and other matters, when their business was brought to a
stop by reason of an entire change of the ministry. They wrote:
"After many intermissions and much discussion, the British commis
sioners at length presented to us their project, of which a copy is now
transmitted, differing in many essential particulars from that which
had been originally offered on our part."
A certain prolixity may now be pardoned, in treating the matter
here, seeing that the conclusions arrived at by the respective sides to
this discussion were not all in vain, but served as a basis of negotia
tions in future years. The project referred to as brought forward by
the British commissioners was headed "Additional explanatory arti
cles to be added to the treaty signed December 31st, 1806." Of these
articles the fifth one treated of the unsettled northwestern boundary,
and read thus:
"Art. 5. It is agreed that a line drawn due west from the Lake of
the Woods, along the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude shall be

APPENDIX. 325
the line of demarcation [division line] between his majesty's territories
and those of the United States to the westward of said lake, as far as
the territories of the United States extend in that quarter; and that
the said line shall, to that extent, [||] form the southern boundary of
his majesty's said territories and the northern boundary of the said
territories of the United States; provided that nothing in the present
article shall be construed to extend to the northwest coast of America,
or to the territories belonging to, or claimed by, either party, on the
continent of America, to the westward of the Stony Mountains."
The joint letter already quoted, now goes into a discussion of the
above article, thus: "To the fifth article, regulating our boundary in
the northwest, which has encountered much jealous opposition here,
even in the form suggested by the British commissioners, from the
prejudices, supposed interests, and mistaken views of many persons,
an explanation of some of which will be found in an idle paper written
by Lord Selkirk, (of which a copy is enclosed, 1) we finally objected,
that the division line between our respective territories in that quarter
ought to be drawn from the most northwestern part of the Lake of
the Woods due north or south until it shall intersect the parallel of
forty-nine degrees, and from the point of such intersection due west
along and with that parallel. This was agreed to by the British com
missioners." The terms defining the extension of the west line, viz: "As far as the
territories of the United States extend in that quarter," were also ob
jected to by the American commissioners. They considered that the
provision would perhaps do no more than establish "the commence
ment of the line, and might, of course, leave it open to Great Britain
to found a claim hereafter to any part of the tract of country to the
westward of that commencement, upon the motions of occupancy or
conquest, which you will flnd stated by Lord Selkirk in the paper
above mentioned, or upon some future purchase from Spain, as inti
mated by others." So they suggested the omitting the words in ques
tion altogether, as being unnecessary in the light of the concluding
proviso. This was not agreed to, but it was said there would be no ob
jection to give to this part of the description a character of recipro
city, so as to make it read "as far as their said respective territories
extend in that quarter."
1. Not printed in the American State Papers however.

326 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Then coming to the 6th article — that pertaining to the navigation
of the Mississippi— the commissioners, in the same communication,
further wrote: That the project of the British commissioners contem
plated what had not been in their plan, a permanent concession of
access through American territories in the northwestern quarter to the
river Mississippi, as secured to them by the treaties of 1783 and 1791,
and the like access to the rivers falling into the Mississippi from the
westward, and a right to the navigation of the said river. But this
amounted simply to a right of passage, and was claimed not only as an
equivalent for such permanent adjustment of boundary as was here
thought, or affected to be thought, highly advantageous to the United
States and injurious to Great Britain, but (as regarded access to the
Mississippi) upon the idea, among others, that the treaty of peace,
which secured to Great Britain free navigation of that river, appeared-
to have looked to it, in common with that of 1763, as overreaching "our
northern limit," and consequently as being accessible to the British in
the territory of Hudson Bay. It was probable, they thought, that this
demand, so far as respected the waters falling into the Mississippi,
from the westward, would not be persisted in, if no other difficulty
should present itself.
After the action above detailed the fifth article ran thus:
"Article 5. As proposed by the American commissioners.
It is agreed that a line drawn due north or south (as the case may
require) from the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods
until it shall intersect the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, and
from the point of such intersection due west, along and with the said
parallel, shall be the dividing line [||] to the westward of the said lake;
and that the said line, to and along and with the said parallel, shall"
—the remainder is the same as that which the British form gives, from
its sixty-ninth word, indicated thus [||] for present reference.
The "proposed American changes" having been submitted to the
British commissioners, the article now appeared in the following
shape: "Article 5. As the British commissioners would agree to make it.
It is agreed that a line," &c, (being the same as the American ver
sion down to word "line" indicated above their [||], after which it read)

APPENDIX. 327
"between his majesty's territories and those of the United States to
the westward of the said lake, as far as their said respective territo
ries extend in that quarter; and that the said line shall, to that ex
tent" &c. The remainder now follows the British and American ver
sions from the sign [||] here used to the end.
Secretary Madison, writing to the commissioners Monroe and Pink
ney, under date of July 30,1807, explained the terms in which the Pres
ident authorized them to close and sign the instrument. As to the
modification of the fifth article, (which the British commissioners
would have agreed to,) it might be admitted in case their own were
not obtainable. It was his wish that the proviso to both drafts should
be omitted, as unnecessary and liable to give offense to Spain.
Nothing further can be added on the subject of these negotiations
of 1807; for, by reason of the change of ministry in England, as before
noted, all further discussion was suspended, and never afterwards re
sumed by the same plenipotentiaries. Thus it was that they were not
able to sign the convention so nearly completed, and the question of
the northwestern boundary was not discussed again in diplomacy for
several years. I 7. "The Treaty of Ghent" of 1814.
The war of 1812, which occurred in a few years, did not galvanize the
suspended animation of the boundary question into life or movement;
for no fighting between the English and Americans took place any
higher up the Mississippi than Prairie du Chien, on the Wisconsin
river, beyond which the former practically controlled the country.
But within a year of the commencement of this war, the Russian
government used its influence to bring about a peace. On April 15,
1813, therefore, Mr. Monroe sent instructions to the American plenipo
tentiaries at St. Petersburg, on the course they should pursue. Writ
ing to them again on June 23, he said that if a restitution of territory
should be agreed upon, provision should be made for settling the bound
ary line between the two powers from the St. Lawrence to the north
west corner of the Lake of the Woods, on account of the valuable is
lands in the river and lakes claimed by both parties, and suggested the
appointing of commissioners to adjust the matter. But he was silent
as to the line beyond the Lake of the Woods. On March 22d, 1814, he

328 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
wrote to the American plenipotentiaries that they must not in any
way countenance a pretension to territory south of the northern bound
ary of the United States.
At the request of the British ministry the city of Ghent, in Flanders,
was selected as the place of meeting, and there, on the 8th of August,
the joint commission met to deliberate upon a treaty of peace. On the
part of Great Britan the plenipotentiaries were Lord Gambier, Henry
Goulburn and William Adams; on the part of the United States, John
Quincy Adams, James A. Bayard, Henry Clay, Jonathan Russell, and
Albert Gallatin. In the matter of the boundary line west of the Lake
of the Woods, it was the British commissioners who seemed most anx
ious to discuss it; for the Americans were not instructed on the sub
ject of this boundary. The former, however, disclaimed any idea of
acquiring increase of territory, in their request for a revision of the
boundary line between the United States and Great Britian.
Writing to Mr. Madison on August 19th, 1814, the American com
missioners gave the views of the other side in this matter, in the fol
lowing words:
"2d. The boundary line west of Lake Superior, and thence to the
Mississippi, to be revised; and the treaty right of Great Britian to the
navigation of the Mississippi to be continued. When asked whether
they did not mean the line from the Lake of the Woods to the Missis
sippi? the British commissioners repeated that they meant the line
from Lake Superior to that river."
On the 24th of the same month, the American commissioners wrote
to the British that they perceived that Great Britain proposed, "with
out purpose specifically alleged, to draw the boundary line westward,
not from the Lake of the Woods as it now is, but from Lake Superior;"
and they objected to that intention as demanding a cession of territory.
To this, on September 4th, the British commissioners replied as fol
lows: "As the necessity for fixing some boundary for the northwestern
frontier has been mutually acknowledged, a proposal for a discussion
on that subject cannot be considered as a demand for a cession of ter
ritory, unless the United States are prepared to assert that there is no
limit to their territory in that direction, and, that availing themselves

APPENDIX. 329
of the geographical error upon which that part of the treaty of 1783
was formed, they will acknowledge no boundary whatever ; then, un
questionably, any x reposition to fix one, be it what it may, must be
considered as demanding a large cession of territory from the United
States," etc. Were the American government prepared to assert such
unlimited right? Or were the plenipotentiaries willing to acknowl
edge the boundary from the Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi
agreed to, but not ratified, in 1803? The British plenipotentiaries
would be contented to accept favorably such a proposition, or to dis
cuss any other line of boundary which might be submitted for con
sideration. The American commissioners do not seem to have been offended at
the bluntness of their British fellows; for, on September 9th, they
said, that in regard to the boundary of the northwest frontier, in the
light of the explanation now given, they would have no objection to
discuss the subject, so soon as the proposition concerning an Indian
boundary should be disposed of.
On the 19th, the British commissioners intimated that they were
very happy to flnd that no material difficulty would be likely to occur
concerning this question.
On October 21st, the American commissioners stated, as they had
said on August 24th, that they had no authority to cede any point of
the territory of the United States, and would subscribe no stipulation
to that effect. The same day, the British commissioners wrote that
they were led to expect, from the discussions already had, that the
northwestern boundary from the Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi
(the intended arrangement of 1803) would be admitted without objec
tion. In their reply of the 21st of October, the Americans made no
reference to this boundary of 1803.
On the 31st the British wrote to the American commissioners that
they were ready to receive specific propositions.
On November 10th the American commissioners wrote to the British
that they could not agree to fix the boundary of the United States in
the northwest corner unless that of Louisiana were also provided for
in the arrangement. They now submitted their entire projet in a spe
cific form.

330 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The sjxth article of the draft provided for the fixing and determin
ing by commissioners of that part of the boundary which extended
from Lake Huron, to the most northwestern point of the Lake of the
Woods; and for particularizing the latitude and longitude of the said
point. The British commissioners did not alter the geographical part
of this article at all, when they returned the projet on November 26th.
The eighth article was the same as the fifth one of the still-born
treaty of 1807, in the form agreed to by the British plenipotentiaries of
that time.! But the British plenipotentiaries of the present negotia
tions now substituted for it the original British article of 1807,2 to
which they added a clause granting British subjects free access to the
Mississippi river, and the enjoyment of its free navigation.
At the meeting of December 1st, the American commissioners pro
posed various amendments to the British substitute for article eight.
One was to insert after the words "to the westward of the said lake as
far as," the words their respective territories, instead of the words "the
territories of the United States;" which change was agreed to by the
British commissioners. A second was, to strike out the words "and it
is further agreed," to the end — that stipulation about access to the
Mississippi. This was reserved by the British for the consideration of
their government. A third was, to secure both the right to fish and
the right to the navigation of the Mississippi to the respective parties.
It also suggested that British subjects "should have access from such
place as may be selected for that purpose in His Britannic Majesty's
aforesaid territories, west, and within 300 miles of the Lake of the
Woods, in the aforesaid territories of the United States, to the river
Mississippi, in order to enjoy the benefit of the navigation of that
river," &c. This was left with the British plenipotentiaries for con
sideration. They also intimated their willingness to omit article
eight altogether, if the British plenipotentiaries thought it best. The
British plenipotentiaries wanted to add to the eighth article-, after the
words Stony Mountains, a stipulation agreeing to negotiate the fish
eries question for the Americans, and the navigation of the Mississ
ippi for the British. This was received by the American plenipotenti
aries for consideration.
1 See page 326 supra.
2 See page 324 supra.

APPENDIX. 331
At the meeting of December 10th, the American plenipotentiaries
stated that possibly doubts might arise as to the geographical accu
racy of the words at the beginning of the eighth article — the present
British substitute— "a line drawn due west from the Lake of the
Woods along the forty-ninth parallel." It was agreed that an alter
ation should be made to guard against such possible inaccuracy. The
eighth article was further discussed on the 12th of the month.
The American plenipotentiaries in their note of the 14th, stated
that they could not agree to the stipulations proposed as a substitute
for the last paragraph of the eighth article. The first alteration in
their projet respecting the navigation of the Mississippi was unexpec
ted, seeing that the British neither in their note of October 21st, nor
in the first conference to which it referred, mentioned the matter.
To obviate, therefore, any difficulty arising from a presumed connec
tion between that subject and that of the boundary proposed by the
eighth article, they now expressed their willingness to omit the article
altogether. To meet the supposed wishes of the British government
they had proposed the insertion of an article recognizing the right of
Great Britain to the navigation of that river and that of the United
States to certain fisheries, which the British government considered
as abrogated by the war. To such an article, which they considered
merely declaratory, they had no objection, but did not want any new
article, and offered to be silent in regard to both. To this stipulation
or any other abandoning, or implying the abandonment of, any right
in the fisheries claimed by the United States they could not subscribe.
But to an engagement embracing all subjects of difference not yet ad
justed, implying no abandonment of right, they were ready to agree.
In their communication of December 22d, the British plenipotenti
aries said that, as they had stated in their note of August 8th, they
did not wish to give fishing privileges without equivalent, however:
"With a view of removing what they consider as the only objection
to the immediate conclusion of the treaty, the undersigned agree to
adopt the proposal made by the American plenipotentiaries at the
conference of the first instant, and repeated in their last note, of
omitting the eighth article altogether. "

332 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
Both parties being thus willing to postpone the settlement of the
boundary line beyond the Lake of the Woods, the treaty Was signed on
December 24th; and thus was established a peace between England
and the United States not since broken, though often imperilled.
This treaty, it will be seen, only advanced the boundary question by
providing, in the seventh article, that certain commissioners, who
were to fix the boundary from Lake Huron westward, were to "par
ticularize the latitude and longitude of the most northwestern point
of the Lake of the Woods, and of such parts of the said boundary as
they may deem proper. And both parties agree to consider such de
signation and decision as final and conclusive." It was certainly high
time to fix this "point" seeing that none of the statesmen knew where
it was, though they and their predecessors had had its name so often
in their mouths and at the points of their pens.
The day after the treaty was signed the American plenipotentiaries
made a full report to the Secretary of State. They said that the ma
jority of their body were ; 'determined to offer to admit an article con
firming both rights [that of the Americans to the fisheries, and that
of the English to the navigation of the Mississippi] or to be silent in
the treaty upon both, and leave out altogether the article defining the
boundary from the Lan.e of the Woods westward."
In a quasi controversial paper written nearly eight years later, on
May 3, 1822, John Quincy Adams, the first in order of the American
plenipotentiaries concerned, reviewed the proceedings of 1814 some
what elaborately, so far as they referred to the question of the north
western frontier. The British government maintained, he said, that
the treaty of 1783 was abrogated by the subsequent war, and yet they
claimed the right to navigate the Mississippi under its provisions.
Being asked for an explanation, they replied that the equivalent they
offered for it was their acceptance of the forty-ninth parallel of lati
tude for the northwestern boundary, instead of the line to which they
were entitled by the treaty of 1783 to the Mississippi. They had said
the same thing to Monroe and Pinkney in 1807, and the principle had
been assented to by them, with the subsequent sanction of President
Jefferson. Still, all depended on the continuing validity of the treaty
of 1783; for, if abrogated, the boundary as well as the navigation of

APPENDIX. 333
the Mississippi was null and void. The American commissioners re
plied to them that though willing to agree to the forty-ninth parallel, ,
and that they thought it of mutual interest that the line should be
fixed, yet they were not tenacious. But they could not agree to their
articles of mutual surrender, the fisheries for the right of navigation
of the Mississippi, with a pledge of future negotiation. But they
would consent to omit the boundary article itself and leave the whole
subject for future adjustment; to which proposition the British com
missioners finally agreed. By the convention of October 20th, 1818,
which gave the United States the boundary of forty-nine degrees from
the Lake of the Woods westward, was proved the total indifference of
the British government to the right of navigating the Mississippi, by
abandoning their last claim to it, without asking an equivalent for its
remuneration. I 8. The Convention of 1818.
The very next summer after the signing of the treaty of Ghent trou
ble arose concerning the seizure of American fishing vessels, which,
together with complaints that American slaves had been carried off in
British ships at the conclusion of the war, showed the necessity of a
speedy adjustment of the questions remaining unsettled between the
two nations.
On September 17th, 1816, the Secretary of State, Mr. Adams, made
overtures to the British government, on behalf of the United States,
for a supplementary treaty of commerce.
On March 19th, 1817, the British government produced a draft of
four articles towards the initiation of such a treaty.
On November 6th, Mr. Adams forwarded to Richard Rush, the envoy
plenipotentiary at London, full power to conclude a commercial treaty.
On May 21st, 1818, he wrote again to him, informing him that the
President desired him to propose an immediate general negotiation of
a commercial treaty, which was, however, to embrace other subjects of
discussion between the two governments than trade and commerce.
Among these other subjects was indicated "the boundary line from
the Lake of the Woods."
In these negotiations Albert Gallatin was to be associated with Mr.
Rush, as joint plenipotentiary, and instructions were furnished him

334 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
by Mr. Adams on May 21st. In this letter he was' told that the British
government wanted to refer some of the subjects to commissioners,
like those authorized by the treaty of Ghent. Among these other sub
jects were, "the boundary line from the northwest corner of the Lake
of the Woods westward, which you will remember was all but agreed
upon, and went off upon a collateral incident at Ghent. * * *
As to the line from the Lake of the Woods, as some dissatisfaction
has already been excited here by the expense occasioned by the two
commissions already employed in settling this boundary, another com
mission to draw the line through the depths of the deserts, and to an
indefinite extent, would be still more liable to censure; besides the
apprehensions which it might raise, that the issue of the commission
would be to bring the British territory again in contact with the Mis-
sisssippi." But on the 28th of July a more elaborate paper was addressed by the
Secretary to Messrs. Gallatin and Rush, which embodied the Presi
dent's instructions to the two commissioners. The third heading was:
"3. Boundary from the Lake of the Woods, westward." Under this
title he gave a brief statement of the geographical force of the treaties
of 1783, 1794, and 1803. "The cession of Louisiana gave them a new
and extensive territory westward of that river." He then proceeded
at length to tell about the doings of the plenipotentiaries and govern
mental views in 1807 and 1814; and how an agreement was made in the
said last year to omit all reference to the boundary line beyond the
Lake of the Woods. Then continuing, he wrote:
"From the earnestness with which the British government now re
turn to the object of fixing this boundary, there is reason to believe
that they have some other purpose connected with it, which they do
not avow, but which in their estimation, gives it an importance not
belonging to it, considered in itself. An attempt was at first made by
them, at the negotiation of Ghent, to draw the boundary line from
Lake Superior to the Mississippi. But, as they afterwards not only
abandoned that pretension, but gave up even the pretension to an
article renewing their right to the navigation of the Mississippi, it
was to have been expected that they would thenceforth have consid
ered their westward boundary of no importance to them."' He thought

APPENDIX. 335
that that indicated a design of encroaching by new establishments
upon the forty-ninth parallel, or that it manifested a jealousy of the
United States and a desire to check the progress of their settlements. 1
Frederick John Robinson and Henry Goulburn were the commission
ers representing the British government, and the place of meeting was
in the city of London. As, however, all the geographical aspects of
the subject— in the light of the scanty knowledge obtainable— had
been fully discussed in the former international negotiations, there is
nothing to be found in the protocols of September 17th, October 6th,
9th and 13th, requiring notice here. On the 20th of October, 1818, the
plenipotentiaries had come to an agreement, and the convention was
signed by them that day.
On the same day Messrs Gallatin and Rush forwarded their copy of
the convention to Washington. In their letter accompanying it they
said that the boundary was definitely fixed at the forty-ninth degree
of north latitude, and that an attempt was again made to connect it
with an article securing to the British access to the Mississippi and
the right to its navigation; but they would not consent to the article
and the British abandoned it.
The part of this document referring to the northwestern boundary
is the following:
"Article 2. It is agreed that a line drawn from the most north
western point of the Lake of the Woods, along the forty-ninth parallel
of north latitude, or, if the said point shall not be in the forty-ninth
parallel of north latitude, then that a line drawn from the said point
due north or south, as the case may be, until the said line shall intersect
the said parallel of north latitude, and from the point of such intersec
tion, due west, along and with the said parallel, shall be the line of
demarcation between the territories of the United States and those of
His Britannic Majesty, and that the said line shall form the northern
boundary of the said territories of the United States, and the south
ern boundary of the territories of His Britannic Majesty, from the
Lake of the Woods to the Stony mountains."
This second article of the convention of 1818, ended a boundary dis
cussion of thirty years standing, but as a matter of theory and law
only; for the practical settlement and final description of the line of de
marcation were yet a long way off.
1 See also Mr. Adams' resume?, of a later date, on page 332 supra.

?-*3t:".t"-:ti

336 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.

~i  1  1 —

. Zines of/Ae ketjht of tcrnd.
Political lines How ob-soletet.
L\y*islinq Jtate. ZrcuncZaries  
-/ 9,3'

DIAGRAM CHART OF LIMITARY LINES DRAWN BY A. J. HILL,
note: in 'h. b. co's. line of 17th century," read 18th century.

1892.

APPENDIX. 337
\ 9. The work of toe Boundary Commission at tiie Lake of the
Woods, in 1823.
Peter B. Porter on the part of the American government, and Anth.
Barclay for the British, were appointed commissioners under the sixth
and seventh articles of the treaty of Ghent, to survey and mark the
northern boundary of the United States from the point where the line
of latitude of 45° intersects the St. Lawrence river to the most north
western point of the Lake of the Woods. On June 18th, 1822, they
made their decision concerning the line which they had established
under the sixth article. This done they proceeded to the consideration
of the boundary to be fixed under the seventh article, which was to
commence at the water communication between Lake Huron and
Lake Superior.
But concerning this part of their duties they came to no full de
cision, and no report of their doings is to be found printed; at least,
not among the public papers of the United States. What is written
here, then, under the heading of this section, has been compiled from
works of private origin, or from official works not necessarily binding
in their views concerning this particular subject.
The commissioners themselves did not accompany the party destined
for the region west of Lake Superior; and, so far as can be ascertained,
the principal personages who did go were the following:
Colonel Delafleld, the American agent of the commission; the two
astronomers, (of whom David Thompson was one), and their staff; and
Dr. John J. Bigsby, the secretary of the commission.
Up to this time the "most northwestern point of the Lake of the
Woods" had been only a name, first brought to the notice of the world
by the treaties of 1782 and 1783, whose makers, apparently, had no de
finite knowledge of the lake and its surroundings. It was the princi
pal object of this official surveying party therefore to now seek out
the place so named, and ascertain its true geographical position. That
they had before them a work of much delicacy and difficulty may be
imagined. There must have been one condition also to militate strongly against
their doing their work here in any very elaborate manner, and that
was the necessity of economy. Those were not millionaire days, either
-32

338 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
in a private or a public sense, and the few thousands spent in former
years by the commissioners under the fourth and fifth articles of the
treaty, on the eastern part of the boundary, had been a rock of offense.
In 1817, a committee of the House of Representatives had given it as
their opinion that so complete a survey as had been carried on was not
necessary. They maintained that the running of the line through the
.middle of the lakes and rivers was not intended to be performed liter
ally, as that would be to cut islands into two parts at times, and to
cross and recross the center of the current instead of following it. To
ascertain where the current ran, they said, required no surveying, un
less at some special points. In April of 1818, another House commit
tee reported on the complete trigonometrical survey hitherto employed,
and recommended that some mode of designating the boundary line
under the sixth and seventh articles of the treaty should be arranged
between the British government and the President of the United
States requiring less time and expense. Two or three days later, a se
lect committee was appointed to inquire into the expenses already in
curred by the boundary commission.
Now, however correct these economical views were as regarded the
boundary in general they were not suited to the business of ascertain
ing the terminal point of it. This was not, in the light of the little
geographical knowledge of the lake then possessed by those most in
terested, some particular spot so prominent and well known that it
could be readily found, but it was one that had to be sought out, as
they supposed, from among competing points. To do this satisfactor
ily would require a thorough survey of the entire western half of the
whole lake with all its bays and inlets.!
It may be imagined then that these gentlemen were limited as to
time and means, and would not therefore be able to make their exam
ination exhaustive. What they did do at the Lake of the Woods was
to sail along the shores, establishing a few points astronomically and

1 One is apt to wonder how it came that the views of the two American statesmen
yet living, of the plenipotentiaries of 1782, were not asked for, as to their under
standing of the oft repeated "point." It is true that they were now quite old,
Adams being 84, and Jay 81 years, but they still retained their intellectual vigor-
Adams indeed yet exercised a public influence through his pen. Perhaps such ap
plication was made, but if so no mention of it is readily found.

APPENDIX. 389
filling in the topography between by methods of reconnoisance. This
gave them the material for constructing a map of the lake.
Dr. Bigsby, writing many years later concerning this expedition, de
scribes their following along the western shore from the south to the
north. On July 18th they camped near the mouth of River la Platte,
which came from a very large and shallow lake of the same name.
Arriving at Rat Portage, at the outlet of the lake, they took observa
tions for its position, and found it to be in latitude 49° 46' 22" and
longitude 94° 39 '. His words now are: " We left it on the 22d of July,
and made an earnest but vain attempt, on the west of the portage, to
find out any well marked spot entitled to be called, in the language of
the treaty, ' the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods.'
An idea then prevailed that the locality lay hereabouts; but the de
cision of 1842 has properly placed it many miles to the S. S. W. of Rat
Portage." l The doctor elsewhere wrote that the place which they
considered to be the said "point" was "at the bottom of a narrow,
marshy cul-de-sac, eight miles and a half deep, situated at the north
ern part of " a bay debouching on the lake.
_ 10. Cartography of the Lake of the Woods ; what the
Commissioners of 1782-3 understood to be its
most Northwestern Point.
The Lake of the Woods — the southern part of which is crossed by
the line of latitude 49° — comprehends a series of four distinct sheets
of water but so connected that, taken as a whole, they form a verita
ble labyrinth, by reason of their innumerable islands, peninsulas, and
bays. Only its most northern subdivision was known to the Indians
by the name now applied to its southern part, which term came after
awhile to be applied by the French and English traders to the four
lakes together. It is one of the larger of the innumerable lakes, that,
connected by interlocking streams, go to form the southeastern part of
the basin of the Nelson Tiver of Hudson's Bay.

1 It so happened that the United States exploring expedition to the Red River of
the North, commanded by Major S. H . Long, passed through this lake a couple of
weeks after the surveyors of the boundary commission had been there. The
Narrative of the expedition says: " Rat Portage has become a point of some im
portance, as it appears probable that the north westernmost point of the boundary
line of the United States will be at or near its extremity."

340 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE

OUTLINE MAP OF THE LAKE OF THE WOODS. REDUCED FROM CANADIAN
SURVEYS.

APPENDIX. 341
The time that it was first visited by white men is not known,
though the Canadian officials were aware of its existence as early as
1711; and in 1731 the first post built there was erected by command of
the elder Verendrye. When, later, the country to the westward of
Lake Superior came to be mapped and engravings of it published this
lake naturally found a companion place on the charts; but, as may be
supposed, with a shape that bore little, if any, resemblance to the out
line that modern maps have furnished us.
Yet it was from these early maps alone that the public men of the
last quarter of the eighteenth century could derive their ideas of its
contour, position, and hydrographical relationships, i
On maps published prior to the date of the innocently mischievous
Mitchell map this lake presented by no means any very complicated
appearance. Four of such maps are now cited, in this connection.
The earliest, or presumed earliest, delineation of the Lake of the
Woods to be found on any engraved map, is to be seen on the one illus
trating Dobbs' Account of the Countries adjoining to Hudson's Bay, pub
lished in 1744. Here it appears as of simple oblong form, lying east
and west, and having nin,e islands in it. Two streams are seen at the
west end of the lake, the northern one being its outlet and flowing
into Winnipeg Lake. The want of recognizable resemblances on this
map, in the case of the Lake of the Woods, would seem to show that
the information might have been obtained from some Indian sketch.
Four years later than the above work, was published Henry Ellis'
Voyage to Hudson's Bay, which contained a general map too. This,
though not precisely like the Dobbs map, much resembles it, and dis
plays the same general hydrography, the waters running westward and
other features; but there is more finish and detail to it. The lake in
question also lies east and west, and has six islands in it ; but though
its shores are more indented, its representation bears no greater resem
blance to the truth than the delineation of it on the former map.

1 Travers Twiss, in his The Oregon Question Examined, London, 1846, at the place
where he speaks of the introduction of maps of unsurveyed districts into definite
description, well says:
"The pictorial features of a country which, in such cases, have been frequently
assumed as the basis of the negotiation, have not unusually caused greater em
barrassment to both the parties in the subsequent attempt to reconcile them with
the natural features, than the original question in dispute, to which they were
supposed to have furnished a solution "

342 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
On the map of D' An ville, bearing date 1746, the lake shows a rounder
figure, but one whose salient points are recognizable as those now
known, the peninsula jutting into the lake from the right, the outlet
at the farther end, and the inlet, and also the bay with affluent streams
to the left of the latter. It errs however in its orientation; for the
inlet and outlet are placed due east and west of each other, as in the
English maps, instead of south and north respectively.
T. Jefferys' chart of the Atlantic ocean, 1753, extends far enough to
the west to take in the lake. It shows it as of an elongated form, its
longest diameter also east and west; with two streams entering at the
west end, and with nine islands, like the Dobbs map, but without any
stream being shown at all elsewhere, though two bays appear at the
east end. The absence of the eastern stream was probably a draughts
man's or engineer's error.
French maps of the date 1755 can hardly be said to be earlier than
Mitchell's. They give, however, like the D' Anville map, some true
idea of the lake; though the entire outlines need turning around simi
larly, from forty-five to ninety degrees, in order to make them corre
spond reasonably with the points of the compass.
The Gentleman's Magazine of July, 1755, contains a map of the pos
sessions of the English and French in North America, which looks
very much like a reduced copy of Mitchell's map, but any name of
maker or compiler is carefully omitted from it and from the explana
tory text accompanying it. On this map the waters of the boundary
chain of lakes not only flow to the eastward, but the Lake of the
Woods shows no stream at all entering into it at the west end, or else
where, thus unmistakably proving the map-makers belief to be that
this lake was the head of the hydrographical system he had drawn.
There need be no description given here of the shape of the Lake of
the Woods as represented by Mitchell; for it can speak for itself in the
copy now given.!
Of course between 1755 and 1782 there were other delineations of the
lake on published maps, but naturally Mr. Mitchell could not have

1 The diagonal line drawn on this little map at the west end of the lake, and sim
ilar lines marked on the modern Canadian map of the same, appearing on page 340,
form no part of the original maps. They are merely interpolated to illustrate
the "cutting" theory described in the next section.

APPENDIX.

343

f'6 fir
PART OF THE MITCHELL MAP OF 1755.

344 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
used these — though the comniissioneis of the latter date might have
paid them more attention — which delineations approximated more and
more to the true topography; but they do not require any further ref
erence here.
What the plenipotentiaries assumed — not knew — to be the most
northwestern point of the lake requires no lengthy dissertation to
establish. They had only one map by which they were ultimately
guided, and on that they marked the whole boundary — the northwest
ern equally with all the rest.!
On this map they saw a named lake, which they understood to be
the head of the largest stream running into Lake Superior, and to it
and through it they therefore ran the line of demarcation. The ob
vious intention was to run to its farthest point or head, and as the
map showed that to lie to the northwest they naturally used that term
in their description; having no misgivings, presumably, as to the accu
racy of the drawing. It is not at all likely that they had much, if
any, discussion about this; and that they studied brevity of description
is shown by their only naming the two extremes of the chain of lakes
selected for the boundary.
\ 11. THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION OF THE MOST NORTHWESTERN
POINT OF THE LAKE OF THE WOODS, AND ITS ESTAB
LISHMENT BY THE TREATY OF 1842.
Although the designated boundary line had been examined by the
party sent to the Lake of the Woods as stated, and its location indi
cated on their maps from the outlet of Rainy lake to the head of the

1 There is no avoiding the conclusion that everything hinges on the delineations
of this map. Adams and Franklin, as already quoted, testified to their use of this
map, and so did Jay. Mr. Adams, some twelve years after his first letter on the
subject, wrote In still stronger terms, viz.:
"Mitchell's map was the only one which The Ministers Plenipotentiary of The
United States and the Ministers Plenipotentiary of Great Britain made use of in
their Conferences and Discussions relative to The Boundaries of The United State-
in their Negotiations of the Peace of 1783 and of the Provisional Articles of the 30th
of November, 1782. Upon that Map, and that only, were the Boundaries deline
ated," In addition, it may be stated that this map was formally recognized as past au
thority by the treaty of 1827, in the following words: "Article iv. The map called
Mite-hell's map, by which the framers of the treaty of 1783 are acknowledged to
have regulated their joint and official proceedings," &c.

APPENDIX. 345
bay referred to in the former lake; yet it appear? that the two com
missioners could npt agree upon the terminal point of the line.
"The matter, not being of immediate and pressing importance," Dr.
Bigsby writes, "was suffered to remain in suspense. It was thought
advisable by the British government, about 1841, that Dr. Tiarks
should make a personal inspection of the Lake of the Woods, which
he accordingly did."
So astronomer Tiarks decided the case against Rat Portage, and thi:,
is the peculiarly practical method he employed to come to his conclu
sion. If a line whose bearing is exactly N. E. and S. W. be passed
westwardly over the surface of the lake, on paper, that point on the
main shore which is last cut by it will be the most northwestern point
required. With all due respect to the learned astronomer who invented this
plan, and to the eminent statesmen who accepted it — now probably
all dead and gone — a common-sense man cannot well have much re
spect for it, unless .it were understood to have been used by way of
compromise, and for that occasion only, where a point had already
been supposedly chosen by the method. Were the rule actually meant
as one of general application it would be a strange piece of empiricism.
Suppose, for example, that nature had made the bay at the southwest
end of the lake in question to extend 29 more miles to the westward,
and 3 more miles to the southward, than it does, and to terminate in a
sharp point as at the bay that was chosen ; then the N . E. and S. W. line
would last leave the lake at the supposed point, as would also one
bearing N. W. and S. E. It would result then, that at the place of the
intersection of these two lines, on the water's edge, we would have
both the most northwestern point of the lake and its most south
western. And not only that, but would have found a north-western
point that would be more southern than any other place on the lake
shores! But, turning away from all geometrical paradoxes, if an examination
be made of the simple outline of the lake as drawn by Mr. Mitchell, it
will be readily seen that a N. E. and S. W. line would cut its shore ex
actly at what appears to be the inlet, but really is the outlet, in other
words, at Rat Portage. ¦

346 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
As a matter of geopraphical interest alone, having no other signifi
cance now, it may be said that by a strict application of the arbitrary
line and cut rule just explained, the most northwestern point of the
Lake of the Woods would not be found where Dr. Tiarks placed it.
For this fact the commissioners of 1823 are not to be blamed; the hasty
survey of the lake was doubtless the most that their means permitted.
Still, had the thorough survey objected to in the east been allowed
here, it would have shown that the point they were looking for accord-
to their geometrical understanding of the wording of the treaty, was
one situated sixteen or seventeen miles farther to the northward than
the one they did select; being a point on the western shore of the Lac
Plat they passed by unvisited.
That such assertion as to the availability of this lake is not unwar
ranted may be seen by what two practical men wrote about it, many
years afterward. The first one was Alexander Wells, assistant sur
veyor on the Canadian exploring expedition of 1858, Whose words are
as follows:
"Lac Plat is more a Bay of the Lake of the Woods than a separate
lake, its discharge being through a long deep bay, which in some places
has the appearance of a broad river. * * * The Indians
also said that at high water the current would be for some days from
the Lake of the Woods into Lac Plat."
Captain W. J. Twining, the chief astronomer of the American party
of the boundary survey of 1872, when also speaking of the lake, wrote
thus of it in his report: "It is, however, a little difficult to under
stand the process of reasoning by which those commissioners, while
including the Clear Water and the Lake of the Sand Hills under the
general title, yet rejected the Lac Plat."
With a view to the adjustment of the unsettled questions between
Great Britain and the United States, of which the most important
was the boundary line in the east, Sir Robert Peel, the English pre
mier, sent Lord Ashburton to the United States to enter into negotia
tions with Mr. Webster the American Secretary of State. Now these
two gentlemen were as much pleased with each other as were Oswald
and Franklin before them, so there was no clashing, and affairs were
amicably arranged in due course of such friendly diplomacy.

APPENDIX. 347
With regard to the line at the Lake of the Woods, they adopted for
its termination the point which had been selected under the Tiarks
plan as already described.
The treaty was signed on Augnst 9th, 1842. That part of it which
is of importance here was contained in the second article, toward the
end, the wording being as follows:
"Through the several smaller lakes, straits, or streams connecting
the lake here mentioned, [Namecan], to that point in Lac la Pluie, or
Rainy Lake, at the Chaudiere Falls, from which the commissioners
traced the line to the most northwestern point of the Lake of the
Woods; thence along the said line, to the said most northwestern point,
being in latitude 49° 23' 55" north, and in longitude 95° 14' 38" west
from the Observatory at Greenwich; thence, according to existing
treaties,, due south to its intersection with the forty-ninth parallel of
north latitude, and along that parallel to the Rocky Mountains."
I 12. Concluding Remarks.
This simple statement of a somewhat complex subject now nears its
end, there only remaining to be given a short statement of the last ac-
ti of the two governments in reference to the boundary line at the
Lase of the Woods. N
It will be remembered that the surveys of 1823 terminated at a se
lected point on the lake, whence the remainder of the boundary was
to follow two designated straight lines — one a short one due south to
the forty-ninth parallel, the other the parallel itself from the intersec
tion of the short linp to the Stony Mountains. No provision was made
in the treaty of Ghent for surveying them; for their marking on the
ground was not needed at that time.
How long, however, these lines would have remained unsurveyed it
is hard to guess; the ordinary official mind, being somewhat literal and
perfunctory, does not readily look beneath the surface of records, or
interest itself in matters that happened before its time, and thus may
be ignorant of important matters well known to "outsiders." It hap
pened that in the year 1870, it was incidentally discovered that the
boundary line at Pembina, as hitherto accepted there, was about 4,700
feet south of the true position, which of course was in latitude 49°.

348 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
The fact was brought to the attention of President Grant, who, in
his message to Congress of December 5th, 1870, recommended that a
proper survey should be made of what remained unmarked of the in
ternational boundary. In compliance with his recommendation an
act was passed, approved March 19th, 1872, which provided for the sur
vey and marking by engineer officers of the boundary between the
Lake of the Woods and the Rocky Mountains; the work to be done un
der the direction of a joint commission appointed by the two govern
ments concerned.
The field work of this survey was performed during the years 1872-3-
4, and the commissioners signed the maps and protocol on May 29th,
1876.1 A few further observations concerning the nominal "point" of the
Lake of the Woods, in the light of the information supplied by the
modern survey of 1872 may be added now. It was very essential that
the astronomers of this second expedition should find the original
point, and they did; for after a long search they succeeded in discover-
ing, below the water, the remains of the wooden monument erected by
their predecessors, as a datum from which the point at the head of the
marsh could be traced at any future time. From this reference point,
by running the old recorded courses, they were easily able to fix upon
the very spot in the water— not on the land— where the agreed upon
most northwestern point was to be found. There is however a certain

1 Although the following paragraphs refer entirely to the- lino east of the inlet e,f
the Lake of the Woods, and consequently do not come within the proper scope etf
this paper, yet, as they treat eif a very important matter which no one of late years
seems to have brought to public attention, I venture their introduction in the
shape of this note.
Listen first to what Dr. Bigsby said in 1S50. "None of the islands on the old route
and in this great lake, embracing a line 430 miles long, are as yet appropriated to
the United States or Great Britain. Some of them must very speedily become val
uable mining property, as on Gunflint lake, Iron lake," &c.
What he said then is still in force. There is no boundary line actually estab
lished between the mouth of Pigeon river and the Ohaudicre falls near the head of
Rainy lake; for the mere recapitulation in the treaty of 1842, of the names of the
various minor lakes through which the line should run is no practical boundary,
seeing that it cannot account for the ownership of the innumerable islands. The
surveyor general of public lauds on this side of the lino may instruct his deputies
to survey only islands on the Minnesota side of the channel, and the officials in
charge of the Dominion land surveys similar.y instruct their people working from the
Ontario side, but that.may not always suffice. Suppose a case where there are two
channels, one broad, shallow, and sluggish, the other narrow, but deep; who shall

APPENDIX. 349
anomaly connected with the matter of this extreme end of the bound
ary well worth mentioning. The modern map shows the boundary
line winding along the channel of the bay of the Northwest Angle
until it intersects the surveyed north and south boundary at a point
about 4,250 feet south of the commencement of the latter, across which
boundary the dotted line representing the water meanders back and
forth for a quarter of a mile, when it crosses it for the last time and for
the rest of the distance of nearly half a mile its waving course is en
tirely to the westward till it strikes the initial "most northwestern
point" where the boundary survey begins. The general likeness of
direction comes from the generally north and south bearing of the
narrow water course or slough. This marshy strip continues for half
a mile farther, in a direction a little east of north, till it begins to
divide into little branch swamps, whose final course is hidden by the
margin of the inap.
Judging then by the map of to-day, it would appear that the com
missioners of 1823 selected a point where no point was, but the expla
nation of this action is simply that in that year what is now water
was then land, though marshy; for in 1872 the water was several feet
higher — the Indians said eight — than when the first survey was made.
But irrespective of these hydrographical considerations, remains the
peculiarity of an international boundary line which for over three
decide to which country the island or islands lying between the two should bejong?
It may be remembered that not so very many years have elapsed since there was
trouble on the Pacific coast concerning the San Juan islands, which had practicable
channels on each side of them. In that case there was no question of great wealth
concerned in the dispute, it was the question of sovereignty only. And yet, such
was the warmth of feeling, that but for the remoteness and inaccessibility of the
locality, the Americans and English would have come to unofficial blows over it.
Suppose further, that between any such channnels on our northern boundary
there should be found an island rich in ores, another Silver islet for instance,
would there not be from both countries a rush for it and for the neighboring shores?
How long then would it be before there came a conflict of jurisdiction? And when
too there is considered the excitability of the American temperament, and the
proved custom of the people to take up arms on the spur of the moment, as shown
by very recent events, blood might be shed before the governments of the two
countries dreamed of danger.
As Mr. Gore, the charge d' affaires, wrote in 1802, the ad justruent of the matter
should not be neglected until "private gain and individual possession shall inter
mingle themselves in the question."
But this humble statement will probably meet with little attention, and be but
the voice of Cassandra.

350 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
quarters of a mile bounds nothing, by reason of its being to that ex
tent entirely within the territory of one of the nations concerned.
Can anyone think that such niceties of location were contemplated by
the treaty makers of 1782-3 ? 1
The geographical position of this time honored point in the swamp,
was accurately ascertained by the commission of 1872. It was in lati
tude 49° 23' 50".28 and longitude 95° 08' 56".7. These figures then
supersede those embalmed in the "Ashburton Treaty," which were de
rived from observations made in a time of less perfection of instru
ments, and of scantier astronomical facilities generally, than the pre
sent affords.

It is somewhat strange that the peculiarity of configuration of the
international boundary line at the Lake of the Woods should have re
quired years for its complete recognition on our American maps, in
view of the plain wording of the treaty of 1842. At times before this
final settlement, the line to the most northwestern point of the lake
appeared on some printed maps, but during a couple of decades or so
succeeding this treaty it seems to have been pretty generally forgotten,
and was not to be found on current maps of the United States. The
absence, at that time, of any resident population in Minnesota, or the
British possessions, near enough to the lake to make the position of
the boundary line there a matter of importance or interest, served also
to keep the subject in the background.

1 Still this is merely a matter of surplusage, and can infringe on no one's rights;
for a mathematical line has no breadth, and if straight can include nothing. By
making the most northwestern point on Lac Plat there would have been no such
anomalous line, and more than as much again of land would have accrued to the
United States than by the present boundary. But had thesaid point been placed
at Rat Portage by the commissioners of 1823— which I verily believe to be the place
contemplated by the treaties of 1732-3— there would have been formed the most curi
ous politico-geometrical situation that can be imagined, in view of the f aot that
there was no Mississippi river lying exactly west, and of the next fact that instead
of abandoning the policy of a point on the lake the convention of 1818 required it to
be connected by a due north or south line with the 49th parallel. By the carrying
of the boundary to Rat Portage, under these circumstances, the Americans would
have gained a geographical victory, but it would have been very embarrassing.
Let the reader inspect the modern map of the Lake of the Woods and work out
the problem as to what the Americans would then own— if he can.

APPENDIX. 351
In the winter of 1860-1, the present writer was temporarily employed
as the clerk in the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
for the State of Minnesota, and while there had occasion to inspect a
proof sheet of a small map of the State, which had been sent to the
office with a request that any errors in it should be corrected. As its
publishers, (Monteith and McNally, of New York,) had not made use
of the information desirable from the government land surveys, which
at that time had already progressed over more than one-half of the
area of the State, the map was entirely obsolete, and the firm was so
informed. Up to this time eastern map-makers had scarcely learned
that it was their place to abandon the topography of the Nicollet map
of 1842, as fast as it was superseded by the actual surveys of the gen
eral land office. At the request of the publishers named an entirely
new map was compiled in the office mentioned, for the school geogra
phy it was intended to be a part of. This afforded an opportunity for
indicating the northwestern boundary of Minnesota correctly, in con
nection with the named lakes of the treaty referred to that defined it
in detail.
It is to Nicollet's map, however, that should probably be laid most
of the blame for the omission, on maps in general, of the boundary
line through the Lake of the Woods north of the forty-ninth parallel;
for this map, which was about the only authority for the geography of
the upper basin of the Mississippi— the region personally visited by the
explorer— was not extended far enough north to show the lake, though
all the rest of the boundary lakes appear on it, having been copied
from the old map3 of the boundary commissioners of 1823.
Little by little the eastern publishers corrected their maps in this
matter of the boundary line at the Lake of the Woods, but it took
many more years for the departments of the United States government
to get their eyes opened in the same way, at least that was the case
with the General Land Office. This office published every year a series
of maps, showing the state of the surveys ordered by it, but as regarded
the Minnesota map, that continued for years to represent the line as
running direct from the Rainy Lake river, to the west shore of the
lake to the forty-ninth parallel. Not until the year 1867, and then
only because the Rev. E. D. Neill— the Superintendent of Public In-

352 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND ITS SOURCE.
struction referred to — called the attention of the commissioner to the
matter, did the "most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods"
receive recognition on the annual maps of progress of the office, by its
appearing as a point to which was drawn the international boundary
line.

FORT SNELHING.

INDEX.

Acad, of Science, France  156
Accault, (or Ako), companion of
Hennepin  73,76,286
Adams, C. C, editor N. Y. Sun. ..20S, 248
Adams, John, American states
man  308, 309, 311, 313, 338, 344
Adams, J. Q„ American statesman
¦ 326, 332; 333, 334
Adams, Wm.,British plenipotentiary 328
Adirondacks, the  292
Agassiz, Louis, (naturalist), lake.. 9
Aiton, G. B., Minneapolis  248
Ako lake  255,256, 294
Alabama, ment'd  25,30
Alabama river, men'd  20
Alexander VI, Pope  38
Algonquins, the  45, 46, 49, 58
Alleghany Mts  157,235,310
Allen, James, Lieut. U. S . A., 149, 151,
152, 206, 278, 288
Allen lake  275, 288
Allouez, Claude, a pioneer of New
France  58, 64
Altitudes, see "elevations" 
American Fur Co  124
American Geographical Society, 12, 206, 248
Amichel, Spanish name for Florida, 18
Aminoy a, an Indian town  27
Andrus creek  288
Anne, Queen of Eng,  142
Apalache, an Indian town  21
Arago, Francois, French savant  156
Arkansas river  25, 66, 68, 83, 101, 157
Arkansas Indians  36, 72
Ashburton.Lord, English statesman, 340
Ashburton Treaty  350
Assiniboine river, the  117
Assiniboines, the  47, 73, 114
Assawa lake  158
Astor, John Jacob  124
Atlantic ocean, the  46, 299
Auckland, Lord, British plenipo
tentiary  324
Auguelle, Anthony, (or Picard du
Gay)  73,76
Aute an Indian town  21
Azores, the  38
Baker, James H., ment'd, 171, 198, 224,
248, 284

Baltimore, Md  157
Barclay , Anthony.Brit. Oom'issioner 337
Barnes, J. M., photographer  180,248
Bayard, James A., U. S. plenipo
tentiary  328
Bear Point  252,285

Beaver, the, ment 
Becker county, Minn 
Beloit, Wis 
Beltrami, G. O, explorer, 141, 161, 236,
Beltrami county, Minn 
Bemidji lake 
Berlin, Wis 
Bermuda' Islands 
Bergamo, Italy 
Biedma, de, Luys Hernando 
Bienville, de French officer  86
Bigsby, John J., Dr  337. 339,
Big Stone lake  56,
Biloxi, city of 
Bishop, Miss, authoress  
Bison, the 
Black river  54, 58
Blakeley, Capt, Russell, St. Paul,
Minn 
Bloody river 
Bohall, Henry 
Bonaparte, Napoleon  104,
Boston 
Boundary commission 
Boundary line bet. Sioux and
Ojibwas 
Boundary line bet. U. S. and Gr.
Brit'., (northwestern boundary),
101, 305, 306, 307, 309, 311, 312, 318, 326,
Bousquai, fur trader 
Boutwell, W. T„ missionary,
121, 144, 149, 158, 161,
Boutwell creek  225, 251, 253, 285,
Bouvin, fur trader 
Bowen, Sir George, British statesman
Brainerd, Minn   126, 171,
Brazil 
Breck lake  188, 192,
Brewer, Judge D. J„ U. S. court 
Brockway , Minn 
Brower, J. V., author of this book, 1 j
his commission to survey Lake
Itasca, 1, 2; he reports progress, 2;
his letter to Glazier,205; his sketch
map, 229; his chart reported to the
historical society, 231; appointed
commissioner of Lake Itasca State
park, 237; other references, 225, 262
286, 291, 296
Brower Island  278, 287
Brower, R. B  246
Brule river  77
Brunet, Francois, guide  158
Bryden, Miss Beulah, stenographer, 146
Buchanan, James, Prest. U.S  134
Burgos, Spain  17
Burlington, Iowa  74
Burr, Aaron  130

55
22
154289220 II 6116
135 29
,90 348136 86
151 55
-,74 24713817?105116337113

335
124 284
298 124
206 192 16
194206126

354

INDEX.

Cabeza de Vaca, Nunez  23
Cadillac, Lamothe, a French officer, 91
Calhoun, J. 0  130
California, Gulf of  62
Cambray, a French town  155
Canada  63, 69, 97, 98, 99, 306, 307, 322
Canaveral river  34
Capaha, an Indian town  20
Caron, le. p'ere  40
Cartier, Jacques, early French ex
plorer  40, 46
Carver, Jonathan, explorer, 112, 113, 114
116, 283, 315
Carver's Cave, St. Paul, Minn  117
Carver county, Minn  117
Casqui. an Indian town  26
Cass, Lewis, explorer  143,145, 284
Cass county, Minn  134
Cass Lake, Minn. .17, 127, 132, 134, 140, 143,
148, 153, 161, 241
Casselais, fur trader  123
Castle, J. N., U. S. Congress.. .. 234, 248
Cat Creek  214
Chagouamigon bay, Lake Superior, 54
Chambers, Julius, explorer, 160, 194, 195,
261, 278
Chamber's creek, 181. 182, 169, 170, 194, 222,
251. 253, 256, 257, 259, 260, 264, 285, 292
Champlain, de, Samuel, French ex
plorer  40, 44, 46
Ghamplain, Minn  75
Charleville, du M., French officer. .. 90
Charles V., of Spain  23,32
Chaudiere Falls, (Rainy lake) — 348
Chaves, de, Alonso, Spanish officer.. 28
Chaves, de, Jerome, Spanish geo
grapher  28, 32
Cheniers, Antoine, voyageur  124
Cheniers, Michel, voyageur  124
Che-no-wa-ge-sic, Ojibwa Indian — 192
China, mentioned  45,60
Chucagua river  34, 82. 83
Chicago, 111., mentioned  154
Chippewa river, Wis  76
Clarke, Hopewell  162. 214, 261
Clarke's map  216
Clarke's creek  258,260, 286
Clarke's lake  255,287, 295
Clauses, Savoy, France  155
Clay, Henry  328
Clearwater river  9
Cleveland. 0  191
Clinton, De Witt  143
Olough, W.P  248
Cobb, W. R., ParkRapids, Minn. .208, 248
Cofitachequi, town  28
Colbert, French statesman  60,62, 91
Colbert river, (the Miss.)  84
Coles, Juan, Spanish officer  29
Oollot, Gen, quoted  101
Columbus, Christopher, his map — 16
Commission of I. V, Brower  I
Commissi'er Of the Minn. State park 233
Comstock, S. G., Congressman  247
Congress, U. S  234, 307,309, 348
Congres Internationale de Berne  200
Cook, W. W  188
Cortes, Hernando  17
Ooteau des Prairies.

Cotton, ¦

, Mr., a fur trader.... 123, 124

Courville, Gov. of Canada..

58

Ooza, town of  29, 30
Craig's Crossing  11
Crane,J.C  248
CrescentSprings.Lake Itasca,265, 273, 285
Crow Wing, Minn  123 .
Crow Wing river, (or De Corbeau,)
8, 109, 126, 146, 150, 158, 299, 300
Crozat, M., a French officer  98
Cuba  16
Curtis, Prof. S. J., Park Rapids,
Minn  202, 248
Cutting, Hon, C. D., Riceville,
Iowa  208, 248

Daean, M., an offcer of La Salle  78
Dakotas, the  44,78
Danger lake  255, 256,286, 294
D' An ville, geographer  342
Dassell, Miss Minnie, stenographer, 246
Davis, C. K„ Senator of Minn  247
Davis, Prof. W. M., Harvard Coll., 248, 301
Definitive Treaty of peace, bet. Eng.
and the U. S  311
Delafield, Col. Joseph, U. S. A  317
D'Lisle, maps by  314
De la Roche, Sieur  97
Demaray, Georgianna, Mrs  120
Demaray creek. ..165, 270, 271, 273, 286, 298
Depth of water  250
Des Moines river  9, 55, 65, 74
De Soto, Hernando, disco verer,24, 65, 294
Detroit, Minn  168,172,179
Detroit, Mich.  91, 131, 132, 133. 134, 143
Diplomatic correspondence, U. S ... 300
Discovery of the source  12
Discovery, what constitutes  14
Distances  253,259, 278
Division creek  288
Dobbs, geographer  341
Doe lake  139,140, 141-
Dollier, pSre  59, 60
Dolly Varden, a boat  166, 168
Douglas, D. B., Capt  131, 132
Down the Great River, a lying book. 200
Drainage basin, of Miss, river  7, 235
Drake, Sir Francis  39
Dreuillettes, pere  63
Droughts, in Itasca basin  88, 89, 251
Dubuque, Iowa  77
Duluth, Sieur  60, 77
Dunn, Robt  262
DuPratz, Le Page  89
Eastman, Capt., Seth, U. S. A  151
Elevations, sea  241
Elfelt, Charles D., St. Paul, Minn. ... 247
Elizabeth, Queen  39
Elk creek  258. 286
Elk lake .... 4, 110, 119, 120, 121, 162, 172,
180, 183, 184, 185, 188, 189. 194, 196, 208,
213, 214, 222, 225, 228, 256, 260, 262, 263,
264, 270, 284, 286, 293, 295, 298
Elk springs  286
¦Ellis. Henry, quoted  341
Erosion, by water  243
Escauxaques, an Indian tribe  36
Espiritu Santo, Rio de  18, 19,28,29
Exeter.N.H  130
Eureka, Wis  62

INDEX.

355

Falls of Saint Anthony, see St. An
thony Fails.
Feroe Islands 
Filotrano, Italy 
Finney, T. S., settler at Itasca 
Finney, Mrs. T. S., do 
Fishery question  330, 331,
Fiske , John, quoted 
Flandrau, W.B 
Floating Bog creek  251, 252,
Floating Moss lake, 184, 274, 276, 277, :
294,
Florence, Italy 
Florida  16, 17, 25, 97, 102,
Folles Avoines, the 
Folsom, Wm. H. 0 
Fond du Lac, Minn  112,
Forests in Itasca basin 
Forli, Italy 
Forsyth, Maj. Thos 
Fort Brady, Mich 
Fort Creve Coeur 
Fort Frontenac  67
Fe.rt Snelling, Minn., 13, 136, 140,
141, 143,
Fort St. Charles 
Fort William 
Fox, Mr. British Minister 
Fox river. Wis  42, 45, 58, 64,
France cedes La. to Spain 
France  307,308,310,
Franchet, Desire, Nicollet's guide.
Franklin, Benjamin.. 308, 309, 310,
313, 344,
Franquelin, the geographer 
Frazier,  , Mr., settler of Itasca
Frazier lake 
Fremont, Gen. J. O 
French, the, discoveries by 
French river 
Frey tas, Nicholas, padre 
JPrisbie, W. H. artist 
Frontenac, Gov 
Frost. Geo. S., Detroit, Mich 
Fur Companies 
Fur Trade, the 

38
141262
262332 9
292292
289, 295135307 124
2-18124259136132159 74

157140
123323133100
319157

85
288288157 384036
246 68
247
113 317
Galena, Ills  143
Galinee, pere  59
Gallatin, Albert, statesman.. 333, 334, 335
Gal vefton bay  34
Gambler, Lord, British plenipoten
tiary  328
Gannett, Henry  217, 249
Garay, de Francis, Gov. of New
France  17, 18
Garcilaso de la Vega, his work
quoted  29, 81
Garrison, O. E„ St. Cloud  187, 195, 261
Garrison. Mrs. O. E  247
Garrison's Beaver Dam  274
Garrison Point, Itasca  185, 285
Gay-gwed-o-say creek  288
Geist, Emil, St. Paul  232, 248
Gentleman's Magazine, quoted  342
Georgia  25
Georgian bay  41, 46, 50
Girard, Minister of France  307
Gilfillan, Rev., J. A.. .192, 193, 194, 195, 287
Gilfillan lake  288
Glazier, Geo. H., tourist  191
Glazier, Willard .. 191, 200, 204, 224. 225,
230, 261, 289

Goldthwaite's Geographical Maga
zine 
Gore, Christopher, chargd d'affaires
 317,318,
Goulburn, Lord, British plenipoten
tiary  328,
Gould, L. M 
Graham, J. D„ U. S. A 
Grand Marais, near St. Paul 
Gran I Portage, Minn  123,
Grant, Anna, teacher 
Grant, President 
Great Britain  100,306,307,
Greater Ultimate Reservoir . . 184, 259,
277, 285, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298
Green, Mr., settler at Itasca  217,
Green Bay, Wis  45, 46, 48, 51,
Green bay  63,70,
Green lake 
Grenville, Lord 
Grignon fur trader 
Groseilliers, Sieur des, . early ex
plorer  47, 53, 55, 57, 58,
Groseilliers lake 
Guachoya, an Indian town  26, 27,
Gulf of Mexico.. . 16, 18, 61, 66, 136, 157,
166, 240, 243, 271, 279,
Gull river 
Gunflint lake 

209340 335283
313 75
124
26234"3203002.'0 57
133195315 124
294
287 20

158
348

Hall, Edwin  189
Hall, Edwin S., surveyor.. 172, 174, 189,
195, 214
Hall lake  2S7
Hall road  289
Harrowby, British minister  222, 323
Harrower, H. D., New York  213
Hastings, Minn  50
Hauteurs des Terres. .159, 164, 167, 180
184,216, 219, 221, 243, 252, 253, 258. 265,270. 300
Hawkesbury, Lord, British minister
 317, 322
Hay creek  219
Hayden, F. V., Dr  73
Hayden, W. A., topographer  246
Hayes, Mr. E  261
Hayes lake  273
Haynes, F. J., photographer  246
Heard, I. V. D„ St. Paul  288
Helena, Arkansas.  60.70, 73
Hernando de Soto lake.. 176, 263, 270,
271, 275, 277, 278, 287, 293, 294, 295 297
Hill, Alfred J . . . 233, 278, 288, 289, 305, 351
Hill, E. S., photographer  246
Hochelaga, Canada  40, 97
Holland, Lord, Brit, plenipotentiary 324
Holland  308
Honduras  16
Hopkins, Rev., W. E., Park Rapids,
Minn  248, 262
Houghton, Dr. Douglas  149, 154
Howard, Mrs. Jane  151, 21-6
Howard creek  165, 270, 273, 286, 298
Hubbard county  211,244, 249
Hudson's Bay Company, 58, 243, 265,
306, 311, 321, 322, 326, 339
Hulbert, Helen, Detroit, Mich  248
Hunt, Chas. A  246
Hurlbut, Geo. C, N. Y  191, 206, 248
Huron lake, (Mer Douce )  41, 42, 44
Hurons, the  40,41,43,49,51,52, £8

356

INDEX.

Iberville, de, quoted  34, 39, 84, 85, 86
Ice sheet, in Minn  9
Illinois, the  51, 72
Illinois river  71,74,79, 80
Infant Mississippi river  291
Iowa  9
Iron lake  348
Iroquois, the  49,53,56, 60
Island creek   251, 285
Isle des Alumettes  '. 43
IsleRoyale  310
Itasca Basin, 10, 210, 211, 220, 224, 225,
240, 242, 243, 247, 249, 279, 289, 294, 297, 299
Itasca Moraine  242
Itasca, lake, 1, 10, 110, 129. 141, 144, 153,
158, 162, 166, 172, 175, 182, 184, 19, 196,
213, 214, 219, 220, .221, 222, 225, 235, 241,
244, 249, 252, 253, 255, 256, 257, 259, 260,
262. 265, 268, 270, 280, 289, 292, 293, 294,296, 300
Its naming  144
Mentioned as the source. See
"source."
Itasca State park  12, 176
Ivison, Blakeman <& Co  216, 217
Jacobia, Carrie B., teacher  262
Jay, John, American statesman.
308, 309, 311, 315, 316, 338
Jefferson, Thos  308, 332
Jeffery, T., quoted  315, 342
Jeune, Cpere  44
Jewett, O. F., draughtsman  246
Jogues, pere  47
Johnston, Jane  146
Johnston, John  146
Joliet, Louis, early French explorer.
36, 57, 60, 62, 63, 64
Josephine lake  9, 253, 256, 286, 294
Kankakee river, 111  71
Keg-wed-zis-sag, an Ojibwa Indian. 150, 158
Keokuk, Iowa   65
Kettle holes  10
Kettle river, Minn  56
King, Rufus, American minister.
317, 318, 310, 320
Knisteneaux, Indians  47, 54
Kirk, T. H., Asst. Supt. Pub. Instr.
Minn....  218,225, 248, 261
Kribs, Frederick, surveyor, Park
Rapids, Minn  246
Labrador  97
Lac la Biche, (Elk lake), 4, 123, 124,
132, 134, 139, 284
Lac la Pluie  347
Lao la Rouge  124
, LaOrosse  74
Lac Travers  123
Lagny, de, Mons  71
La Hontan, Baron  88
Lake, Ako. See Accault,
Allen. See Allen lake.
Champlain  312
Clarke. See Clarke lake.
Doe. See Doe lake.
Elk. See Elk lake.
Gilfillan. See Gilfillan lake.
Glazier  197

Hall. See Hall lake.
Hernando de Soto. See Hernando
de Soto lake.
Huron  36,51,131,330, 337
Iron. See Iron lake.
Itasca. See Itasca lake.
Josephine. See Josephine lake.
Julia  138, 284
Leech. See Leech lake.
Manitoba  10
Little Man Trap. See Little Man
Trap lake.
Long. See Long lake.
Mary. See Mary lake,
Michigan  36, 51, 71
Morrison. See Morrison lake.
Nepissing  307. 308
Nioollet. See Nicollet lake.
Pepin  75, 132
Red. See Red lake.
Sandy. See Sandy lake
Sibilant. See Sibilant lake.
Superior. 49, 50, 54, 58, 60, 117, 130,
132, 279, 299, 300, 310, 313, 314, 315,
329, 334, 341, 344
Turtle. See Turtle lake.
Twin. See Twin lake.
Whipple  274,275,276, 277
White Bear. See White Bear lake.
Winnipeg  10
Winnebago  57,64, 117
Winnebegoshish. See Winnebe-
eoshish lake.
Woods, of the.. .124, 300, 305, 306,
310, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 319, 320,
321, 324, 327, 328, 329, 330, 332, 334,
337. 338, 339, 342, 344, 345, 346, 348,
350. 351
Lamberton, N. J  128
Lanman, Charles  247
La Place river  158
La Pointe, Wis  57, 63, 112
La Potherie, auoted  59
La Salle, Rene Cavalier, Sieur de..
48, 59, 60, 61, 62, 69, 71, 73, 76, 80, 81, 98
Laurens, Henry, plenipotentiary .308, 309
Leech lake . .9, 123, 126, 141, 146, 150, 158,
161, 194, 284, 300
Leech Lake river  161
Length of Mississippi river  239
L'Esearbot, quoted  97
Lesser Ultimate Reservoir... 256, 285, 294
Le Sieur, a murderer . .  124
Le Sueur, Pierre  88, 132
Letang, Mr., a fur trader  123
Lewis, T. H., archaeologist. ..109, 197, 248
Little Boy river  8, 158
Little Elk lake  287
Little Falls, Minn  126
Little Man Trap lake. 9, 10,175, 183, 288, 289
Livingston, Robert R„ American
statesman  311
London Eng.  309,310, 315
Long, Maj.B. H  136, 339
Long lake  310, 314
Lost river, Minn  9
Louisiana. .98, 104, 105, 125, 318, 320, 321,
322, 329, 334
Louisville, Ky  61
Louisville Courier-Journal  179
Lowe, Mr., Itasoalake  219

INDEX.

357

Lyendecker, John, Sauk Center. .248,
258, 262, 289, 292
Lyendecker lake  288
McBean, John, fur trader  124
Mackay, Lieut  132
McKay, S. A.,Rev., Owatonna, Minn.
248, 262, 280
McKay lake  268
McKenzie, Alex., author  124, 217, 319
Macerata, Italy  135
Mackinac, (Miehilimackinac) . . 46, 50,
70, 91, 123, 124
McMullen, Wm  264
Macomb, A.. Gen  152
Madoc, Welch explorer  15
Madison, James, American states
man. .317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 323, 324, 327
Mandans, tribe of  .  117
Mandeville, Sieur, French officer  91
Manitoba  117
Maps, general references.. 16, 28,100,
110, 313, 315, 317, 336, 340, 342, 343
Maps, in the text.
Ortelius (1580), valley of the
Miss.  33
Sanson (1656), valley of theMiss. 35
Orontius (1531), valley of the
Miss  37
.Toilets (1674), Miss, river  67
Hennepin (1683), La Nouvelle
France  78
D' Lisle (1703), La Nouvelle
France  90
D'Lisle (1750), La Nouvelle
France  93
Jefferys (162), Canada  113
Carver (1766), Upper Miss  115
Pike (1805), Upper Miss  127
Schoolcraft (1820), Upper Miss. 133
Beltrami ( 1828), Upper Miss  139
Eastman (1855), Upper Miss.... 148
Schoolcraft (1855), Upper Miss. 156
Chambers (1872), source of
Miss  168
Shen-e- wig-i-schiok (189 0),
sources of Miss  193
Glazier (1881), sources of Miss.. 199
Glazier (1891), sources of Miss.. 207
Clarke,H.(1886),sour'sof Miss.. 215
Brower, J. V. (1888), sources of
Miss. 229
Hill, A" j'.Vl'8'92')',*sou'r'sof Miss. 336
Hill (1892), Lake of Woods  340
Mitchell, John, (1755), Lake
of Woods  343
Brower, J. V. (1892), Itasca
Basin.
Margry, Pierre, historian  81, 94
Marquette, pere  36, 63, 64, 65
Marsh,. I. N., settler at Itasca  211
Mary creek. . .214, 220, 250, 251, 253, 255,
285, 298
Mary lake  159, 255, 256, 286, 294, 2J8
Mary valley  10, 210, 220, 250, 253, 285
Maskoutens  45,57,58, 63
Measurements  253, 259, 273
Merriam. Wm. R., Gov. of Minn  233
Meteorology  278
Mexico  140
Gulf of  6,16,18,24,61, 66
Michigan  130

Miehilimackinac. See Mackinac.
Middlebury, Vt  142
Midway reservoir  255, 285
Mikennalake  274, 288
Mille Lacs lake  75, 112
Miller, N. D., engineer  242, 248
Milwaukee, Wis  143
Mines  348
Minnesota  351
Minnesota river  55
Minnesota legislature  198
Minnesota Historical Society. .12, 93,
224, 230, 231, 232, 233, 293
Mississippi river.. 18, 23, 36, 39,40,45,
50, 52, 56, 62, 63, 130, 132, 238, 283, 284.
289, 299, 305, 307, 310, 314, 316, 319. 320, S28
Missouri, state  43
Missouri river. .7, 52, 65, 99, 117, 157, 240, 297
Mitchell, John, map.. 313, 314, 343, 344, 345
Mobile bay  9, 20
Mobileriver  18
Monroe, James, American states
man  320,322,323,324.327, 332
Montreal  40,59. 317
Moraine, the Itasca  9,10, 270
Morison, Alex. H  122
Morrison, Allan  122
Morrison, Wm....l20, 122, 128, 181, 218,
230, 283, 286, 294
Morrison, Hill.. 164, 169, 176, 181, 183,
189, 213, 258, 270, 285. 287
Morrison lake  293, 294, 205, 297
Moscoso. Luys, Spanish commander. 26
Motley, Minn  8, 214
Mounds  108, 109
Mouse river  117
Muscatine, Iowa  65
Naudowessies (Sioux). .47, 49, 50, 51, 54,
56, 58, 72, 114
Names of objects at Itasca  284
Names of rivers  282
Naming of Itasca  145
Napocbies, trlbeof  30
Narvaez, de Panfilo  20
Natchez  103
Neill, E. D. (Rev.)  247, 351
Nelson, Geo., early fur trader  124
Nelson river  339
Nepissing lake  40, 43
Newfoundland  39, 197
New France  69, 98
New Madrid, Mo:  26
New Orleans  104,105, 141
New York, state  312
New York, city  143, 213
New York Herald  166
NiagaraFalls  143
Nicollet, Jean, early explorer,43,44,45, 46
Nicollet, Jean N., explorer.. 110, 155,
163, 181, 192, 195, 206, 214, 218, 230, 268,
270, 273, 278, 289, 294, 295, 296, 351
Nicollet's creek  209, 222, 251, 253
Nicollet's Infant Mississippi  268, 275
Nicollet's lake  289, 294
Nicollet's upper lake... 160, 270, 271,
274, 277, 284, 295
Nicollet's middle lake  275, 284
Nicollet's lower lake  271,274,284, 298
Nicollet's springs  270,273, 295
Nicollet's valley  250, 258, 270, 285, 298
Niemada lake  289

358

INDEX.

Nilco, an Indian town  29
NonhDakota  9
Northern Pacific R. R..124, 166, 175,
177, 179, 192
Northwest Co  11
Northwestern boundary. See boundary.
Nova Scotia  307
Oakes, T. F., New York  218
Ochechiton  30
Ohio river  29, 60, 61, 65, 80, 283, 311
Ojibwas, the  Ill
Omoskos Sagaigon (Elk lake)  119, 284
Ortelius, his work quoted  32
Osages, the  53, 72
Oswald, Richard, British plenipo
tentiary  308,309,310, 346
Otepe, Mr., an early trader  123
Ottawa ri\-er  40,44,45, 51
Ottawas, the  51,52, 58
Otter Tail lake  123
Ouateuat, Indians. See Ottawas.
Oviedo, Spanish author  22, 28, 94
O-za-wina-ib. Oiibwa Indian.. 145,
148, 149, 150, 153
Ozawindib point  251 305 27
197
319
233 242233 18
60
228

Quebec  27, 40, 48, 49, 64, 311
Quizquiz, an Indian town  25, 27

Pacific ocean 
Pacaha, an Indian town  25,
Paine, Barrett Channing  191, 196,
Paris  135, 155, 307, 308, 310, 811,
Park, Itasca  225,232,
Park Rapids, Minn  24, 214, 216, 241,
Park region, the 
Pascagoula river, Miss 
Patoutet 
Patterson, Mr., a tourist  219,
Patterson's cabin, Lake Itasca. ..244, aes
Peel, Sir Robert  346
Pembina. N. D  159
Pembina river  117
Penalosa, Gov. of New Mexico  36
Penicaut, early explorer  91
Pennsylvania  310
Pensacola, Fla  22
Peoria lake, 111  71, 79
Peouaria tribe  65
Perrot, Nicholas  58, 59, 60, 64
Philadelphia, Pa  136, 230
Picard du Gay lake  274, 288
Pictured rocks, Lake Superior  148
Pierrepont, a murderer  124
Pigeon river  •.  314, 348
Pig's Eye (St. Paul, Minn.)  75
Pike, Gen. Z. M  123, 126, 132, 140, 283
Pillagers, the  123
Pine River, Minn  126, 128, 158
Pineda, de Alonso Alvarez  17
Pinkney, Wm., American statesman
 323,324,327, 332
Pokeguma Falls  300
Pokeguma lake  9
Ponce de Leon, Spanish explorer. 17, 20
Popple, Henry, at.as  314
Porter, Jeremiah, Rev  154, 248
Porter, Peter B., U.S. commissioner. 337
Portugal  16, 88
Pottawatomies, the  51
Prairie du Chien, Wis  123, 132, 327
Pre-historic races  108. 109
Princeton, Wis  664
Ptolemy, map  16

Radisson, Sieur, Pierre d'Esprit.. 47,
48, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58,
Radisson Lake 
Rainy lake  344,347,
Rainy lake river  305,
Ramsey, Alex., prest. of Minn.
Hist. Soc 
Ranjel, Rodrigo, Spanish officer —
Rat Portage  339,345,
Raymbault, Pere 
Reaume, fur trader 
Red Cedar lake  123,
Red lake  9,10,114,
Bed lake river  117,
Red river (of the north) .... 9, 83, 109,
117, 136, 157, 216, 279. 299,
Red river (of the south) 
Red river trail 
Red river valley 
Red Wing 
Reservoir, great ultimate. See
"Greater ultimate," etc.
Reservoir, lesser, etc. See "Lesser
ultimate," etc.
Reservoir, midway. See "Midway
reservoir," etc.
Reservoirs, Itasca basin 
Relations, the, Jesuit  43,
Rhodes, D. O, photographt-r  246,
Rhodes, J. H.,of Little Falls 
Rice, N. W 
Rice lakes  9,
Rice's Minn 
Richardson <& Co., fur traders, 
Rio Grande del Norte.... 16, 25, 30, 85,
River of Palms  16,
Rob Roy, a boat 
Robinson, Fred. John, a British
plenipotentiary 
Rock paintings 
Rook Island, 111 
Rocky Mountains. . . .235, 325, 297, 330,
331,
Rock river. 111 
Rogers, Robert, quoted 
Rouse's Point, Vt 
Rowe, Barbara, mother of School
craft 
Royal Geographical Society, Lon
don....  198,205,
Rum river  75,77,109,
Rush, Richard, American minister
to Great Britain  333, 334,
Russell, Jerome 
Russia 

294 287348308
224 28
350 47
123
127137 316
300 157
188 9
50

It
91
261 248262
lt>0 126124
282 21
181 335109 74
348 99
101
312 142

112 335
328 327

Sagean, Matthias  67
St. Anthony Falls  52, 73, 76, 89. 90
152, 157, 316
St. Clair river  131
Saint Cloud, Minn  183
Saint Croix river.. ..47, 77, 109, 12, 114,310, 316
St. Esprit, Mission  57
Saint Francis river  114
Saint Francis Xavier Mission  57
Saint Jacques mission  67
SalntJoseph, Mich  123

INDEX.

359

Saint Lawrence river  40, 41, 61, 63,
116, 307, 312, 314, 317, 327, 337
Saint Louis, Mo  126, 128, 136
Saint Louis river  132, 143, 239
St. Marc, mission  57
Saint Marks, town of Fla  21
Saint Petersburg  327
Saint Paul and Duluth Railway  214
Sanborn, J. B , Gen  233
Sandy lake, Minn  32,89, 112, 117
Sauk Rapids  76, 115
Sault Ste Marie, Mich.. 47, 60, 112, 131, 144, 147
Saulteaux, Indians  54
Savannah, Ga  307
Sayres, Mr., a fur trader  123, 124
Scheffer, D. J., mentioned  293
Schenectady, N. Y  142
Scholcraft, Henry R....4, 121, 131, 132,
152, 181, 192, 200, 206, 213, 214, 218, 230
284. 289
Schoolcraft, Lawrence, (father of
H. R)  142
Schoolcraft island.. 3, 145, 149, 153, 159
166, 180, 194, 196, 221, 249, 251, 252, 278, 291
Science, the  213
Scuri. Prof, an Italian artist  141
Selkirk, Lord  325
Sha-wun-uk-u-mig, an Ojlbwa In-
' dian  188
Shea.John G  94
Shell Prairie, Minn  175
Sheyennes, the  :  73
Sibilant lake  220,251,287
Sibley, H. H., prest. of the Minn.
Hist. Soc  161
Siegfried, A. H., explorer  179
Siegfried creek  181, 195
Sioux and Ojibways, warfare  112
Smallpox among Indians  124
Smythe, J. F. D., quoted  81
Soto. See De Soto.
Spring Ridge creek^  270, 273, 288
Source of a river. What is it?  236
Source, (of the Miss, river). .1, 12, 117,
128, 130, 137, 143, 157, 232, 234, 237, 263,
289, 291, 295, 297, 305, 317, 319, 321, 323
South America  16
South Carolina  25, 28
Spain  38, 96, 100, 310, 323, 325
Spanish accounts of discovery  14, 15
SpringRidge  288
Spring Ridge creek  270, 273, 288
Springs  275
Stony Mountains. See ''Rooky
Mountains."
Stony Ridge  10,175, 10
Survey, (UTS.), of lake Itasca. 171, 177
Survey, by J. V. Brower.. 1, 2. 3, 215,
225, 234, 244
Strachy, British under-secretary. 308, 309, 310, 311
Superior copper mines  '  143
Superior Historical Society....*.  121
Sweeney, Peter 0., settler at Itasca. 177
Talahassee river  21
Taliaferro, Maj. U.S. Indian agent. 157
Talon, Intendant of New France. 58,61, 62
Tampa bay  '.. 25
Tennessee  25

Tennessee river  83
Tensas river  17
Tetons, the  56
Texas  24
Thompson, David, astronomer.. 117,
139, 316, 317, 373
Three Rivers, Can  44,51, 54
Tiarks, Dr , British astronomer.. 345,346, 347
Tombigbee river  '.  20
Tonty, Chevalier, French noble
man  77. 87
Toronto, Canada  128
Traverse lake  56
Treaty.of 1794  315
ofl807  314
of 1818  333, 335
of Amiens  104
Fontainebleau  99
of Ghent (1814)  327, 328
of Ghent  333, 334, 337, 347
of Paris (1783)  102, 3C8, 310, 322
of San Ildeford  104
between Spain and U. S. (1795).. 103
of Utrecht  321,322, 323
of Versailles  102
Trempeleau, Wis  74.
Triplets, the (lakes)  274, 275, 276, 287
Truesdell, Wm. A., civil • engineer,
St. Paul  24, 248
Turnbull, Peter, civil engineer (Park
Rapids)  10, 209, 210, 246, 261, 285, 286
TurnbuU's road  210, 253
Turnbull point   250
Turtle Lake  129, 138
Turtle river  300. 305
Twining, W. J., Capt. U. S. A., astron
omer  316
Tffin Lakes  255,256,286, 294
Two Rivers, Minn  126, 128
Twiss, Traverse, q uoted  341
Ultimate reservoir, greater . See great
er, &c.
Ultimate reservoir, lesser. See lesser,
&c.
United States  101, 307, 308, 326
House of Representatives .. .385
President  318, 319, 378
Upham Warren, geologist  8
Upham lake  243
Utiea. Ill  71
Utrecht, treaty of  142
Vanderpool, F., a tourist, 219, 220, 221, 262
Varnhagen, Count  16
Vera Cruz, Mexico  17
Vergennes, French minister  308, 310
Verndale, Minn  183
Verendry, explorer  92, 341
Vermont..:  312
Vespucius, Americus  16
Waddon, Mr., a fur trader  124
Wanzer, Maj Charles, civil engineer 246
Warner, A. T., Park Rapids  264, 293
Warren, W. W., his work on the 0 jib-
wa nation, quoted.  112
Washington, George  3 15
Washington, state  305
Wata(b,Minn  .'.. 113
Water, depth of  250

360

INDEX.

Webster, Daniel  108, 346
Wells, Alex., surveyor  346
Welsh, the discoverers of America. . 15
Wheelock, Joseph A. (St. Paul Pio
neer Press)  232
Whipple lake, 1S7.18S 189,216,226,271,
274, 287, 294, 295, 298.
White Bear Lake, Minn  283
White Earth Agency, Minn. 10,166,179, 188
Wild Rice river  166
Wilmington, Del  130
Winohell, N. H., State geologist of
Minnesota  8,182,225,232

Winnebagoes, the  42, 43, 46
Winnebago lake..  46
Wlnnebagoshish lake  236
Winnipeg lake  49, 341
Winsor, Justin, quoted  32, 205
Wisconsin river  45, 64, 66, 74, 327
Wolcott, Dr., member of Cass' party. 132
Wulsln, Lucien, of Cincinnati, 0.179, 248
Yazoo pass  ,  52
Yellowhead river  160, 300
York, Canada, battle of  121
Yucatan  17