Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-09-04
SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.


SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
The Harpcrs in New York have late
ly published a Narrative of an expedi
ton TO the Itasca Lake, the actua
source Of the river, by Henry ~ School
craft This expedition was made unde,
the authority Of the War Department,
in 1859, and the individuals composing
it consisted Of MIR. Schoolcrafi. who had
the principal conduct Of it, DR.. Hough,
Ton the surgeon, to vaccinate the Indians
George johnson the Interpreter, Mr..
Boutwell, Presbyterian missionary
twenty Canadian voyageurs employ ed
by Mr.. Schoolcraft, and the military part
consisting of fen soldiers from the com
panies at Fort Brady, under the com
mand Of Lieut. J. Allen Of the u. S.
Army. The actual source Of the Mis-
sissippi, is said to be lake called by
Mr.. Schoolcraft, Aasca Lake, which is a
beautiful sheet Of water 7 or s miles in
extent, lying in Lat. AT deg. 10 min.
Long. 95 deg. Sd min. This lake, CALI
dby lieut.. Allen Lac La Bche, is a
bout 1900 feet above the level of the
Atlantic. II is deep, with waters clear
and cold, and apparently well stocked
with fish. An island in the middle Of
the lake, about one hundred and City
yards long, according to lieut.. Aliens
Journal, was called Schoolcralt's ISL
and.
We extract The following description
from lieut.. Aliens letter to the sccrcta-
ny Of War.
':Tfere can he no doubt but that this
is the true source and fouatain of the
longest and largest branch of the Mis-
slsirpi. All our Information that we
had been able to collect on the way,
from the traders and ladans, pointed to
it as such; and our principal Indian
guide, Yellow Head, who has proved to
us his close intelligence Of the country,
represents the same. He has formerly
hunted all around it, and say IS there is
little creek, too small for even our little
canoes 10 ascend, emp.ying into the
south bay of the lake, and having It's
source at the base of a chain of hiah
hills, which we could sec, not two miles
tff, and that thi. is the OILY stream I'll
any description running intoit. In fact.
the whole country showed that there
was no stream beyond, for the lake was
shut in on all sides by pine hills, and the
only opening through them was that b,
which dischargcdItselE To the west
We could see distinctly range of al
most mountains, covered with pine.
which was undoubtedly the chain diyi-
ding US from the waters oil Red river.
II will be seen, from my map. that Lac
La Blche is but little west of south from
Cass lake, and almost due south from
Lac Travcrs, which is different posi-
tion from that assigned to it on publish.
ed mapf, where it is invariably repre->
srnted north Of Cass lake. There is,
however, little stream, Turtle river,
entering Cass lake from the north, in
the route Of traders TO Turtle lake aud
Red lake, but it is very small and in
significant and is only iorty-ive miles IN
length.
We left Lac La Biche, from lis north
ern bay, having coasted nearly its whole
circumference, and found the Mississip
pi, at its very egress from the lake, "a
respectable stream; It's channel being
twenty feet broad aud two feet deep, and
current two miles per hour. Its course
was northwest, and soon ran through a
chain of high pine hills, where the chan
mel contracted very much, and numerous
rapids occurred Of very great fall over
boulders Of primitive rock; the river
running. for the distance, in Ia deep raw
inc. We descended twenty Eve miles
md encainped."
A GOOD JOKE.
.lf music be the food Of tove-ploy on"
,ltwas beautiful starlight night i" the