Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-04-02

40 person Who IS sell sessed IN the history Of
geographical discovery IN the United States can
! Sc supposed TO recnirc information on subject
1 which has long besn settled traced this eee-
brated stream 10 tsactaai source, in ifaska Lake,
in latitude fIdcg. 10 min. s5 sec, in the year
1882 using small hunting canoes, with Indian
guides with no small toll, and carrying the flag
Of the Union to that remote point, under the
Hatioaai authority, AMI Published an account OF
the journey II Neryafire an Expeditions @
1 Isaska Lake, Nth Maps. New York, 1884, /
vol, S 70, PIP. 31T. Harpers-
is In country however, where books find their
way slowly TO the frontiers and readers rely so
much OF, the durnai press for information, there
may be, very honestly, misrepresentation and
I mistake. To remedy this permit me few re-
marks. My attention has recently been called
to the subject by friend putting into my hands
a journal called the Cotton Plant, Of January
j %, 1856 containing an extract from the 81.
Paul f.sffstassofd} Pioneer, entitled IFho Dis
copered the head If the mississippi r. This topic
appears to have been discussed by the Minnesota
Historical Society.
I Those who are familiar With my personal his
tory are coguizant of the fact that many of the
earlier years OF my life were devoted to geograph
ieal discoveries in the Mississippi valley and the
natural history of the great West. From 1916
to 1870. and with intervals to 1882, was an ac-
i tive explorer in that field. There are now
! States and Territories organized and settled in
| that region OF more than half million inhabi-
1 tants, some of which had not at the period
single civilized dwelling or inhabtant, St Panl,
where these inquiries originate, and the country
north of it, were then the range OF the prairie
wolf and buffalo
j While the country was in this normal and un-
explored condition, without any or very spare
i population, the topic of the sources of the Mis-
siss in of if,rnrfifu1e
which the early French and British, authors have
1 leftit. 1t was known pretty well from reports
that the intrepid Lieut. Pike, who was despatch
ed IN 1905 to visit these sources had not deter
mined the question. lie was arrested IN his as
cent by ice and snow near the entrance of Elk
river where ne built a block house, encamped
his command, and proceeded on snow shoes to
visit Sandy Lake, Leech Lake, and Lac Celrs
Ro'tgue, when the wha1 6untry was buried in
snow and the strS 1tked in ice.
i 1t was not in taas, till the termination of the
war of 1sl 2-say 1915 or lsls-that the cessa-
ton OF Indian hostiiites madesit practicable to
explore remote districts; nor indeed until the en-
/ frightened policy of Mr.. Calhoun had extended
military posts to the Falls of st. Anthony and
/ the waters of the Missouri. Twas at that period
4. Potosi, investigating the mineralogy Of Miss
i onri and had returned from AN exploratory trip
i to the semi-Apne region of the Ozark noun
i tains Mr. Calhoun attached me to an expedi-
ton suggested by Gov. Cass, of Michigan, for
/ performing similar services in the region OF Lake
1 Superior and the sources of the Mississippi
This expedition embraced a corps of scientific
4 observers, with instruments, and proceeded up
the Mississippi 10 the large body of pellucid
| water which has since been called CaSs Lake
Here our explorations rested in 1920.
Twelve years afterwards circumstances ena-
bled me as an executive officer On that frontier,
to resume the exploration, taking it up where
! Cass had left it. 1t Glanced that in 1922 our
| Indian relations on this border had reached one
of those critical points which mark their fever
ish history. The first indications OF the Black
Hawk conspiracy appeared in 1881. L was di-
| rected by the War Department to visit the dis
affected tribes intermediate between Lake Supc-
rior and the Upper Mississippi. The expedition
organized for this purpose embraceda small mil
! itary force under Lieut.. Robert Clary. Passing
up Lake Superior TO Laponte,it explored, with
great toll Of rapids and portages, the river Mas
kego, called Manuals" by the French; crossed
the intricate portages to the Namikagon fork of
the St Croix river, descending the latter to yell
low river, then retracing its way up stream and
across the Indian portages to "Lac Court6rielle"
and't across the Indian portages to Lac Coar-
forieHe and the waters of the Chippewa river, in
to the Mississippi, and down the latter to Praire
du CHEN and Galena.
! Evidence was found that the Indian combina-
tons reached further north, and / was directed
from Washington, in the spring of 1882, to fer
ret them out to the utmost extent. A civic ex-
petition was formed for this purpose, embracing
a competent topographer and several naturalsts
and others Gen. Macomb directed Lieut.,
James Allen with small body of infantry to
accompany me. Before the expedition had
reachedi its terminus the Indian war had assum.
ed its worst aspect. st. Vrain, the Indian
agent, was murdered; the cholera broke out
amongst the troops under Gen. Scott on the
4 Lakes, and General Atkinson and Dodge were
battling with the embodied Indians north of the
i Wisconsin. In the meantime | reached Cass
Lake several days earlier in the season than that
i point had been made in 1920. The state of
the water on those immense plateaux was favor
i able to the exploration, although toe ascent
could not be made with heavy craft. | procur-
i ed Indian hunting canoes, encamped the bulk
of the men and heavy baggage on Grand Island
/ OF that lake, and set forward on the discovery
ut three O'Clock the next morning. On going
Is miles We encountered ten rapids, where the
:. usual average is fifty four feet. Here the Mis-
sissippi displays itself in large TRAVERSE lake,
/ twelve miles long, called Queen Anne's Lake
/ This is the extreme northern,pont of the river
/ The ascent above this is nearly due South. Its
/ ultimate forks are reached about four miles
| liidldt Suiue IcCoHlliteliueu lilS
eastern branch as being the shortest and most
easy TO ascend. This branch expands into sew
eral lakes, OF which the principal are Irving,
| Marquette, La Sale, Plantagenet, and AsSowa
| The toll was lncessant; often no dry spot could
! be found 10 sleep on, and the insects were I'M
renting The ascent from lake Queen Ann to
| Assowa was sixty six feet. Thence Il portage
| was made over high and rough ground, with
/ thick underbrush, with all our canoes and bag
| I. ~ l.. d;
was entered on the 18th of July 1882. 1t is
about seven miles long E,ubarking on it l en-
camped on the only island in it. Lieutenant AL
| len made careful survey of it. 1t has a cou-
/ pie of small creeks putting into different parts
| oft, but none can be entered, nor extending
probably two miles; its chief supply being from
spring waters issuing from hills OF marine sand
Z resting on an argaeeous basis, which sustains
the numerous small lakes of that striking geolo.
! gieal formation. Our descent was down the
ltasca fork, which is by far the largest and most
rapid, having several rapids and one fall. From
Cass Lake the expedition proceeded inland to
Leech Lake, and thence 10 the source of the
Crow Wing, which was descended 10 the Missis
| sippi. ~
One remark further is required in this connex-
/ ion. Four years later, namely, in 1886, j. n.
Ncollet, French AoadcInican, Il refugee, L
believe, rom political dissensions, aud man
| OF science and inior,naton visited Itasca Lake,
in the service of the United States Typographical
Bureau, and by his barometrical and astrono-
miral and geological observations has render
ed n lasting benefit to American geography.
/ Very respectfully, your obedicnt servant,
/ HENRY r. SCHooLcRAFT.
One of the beautiful swans on Gostied Lake
Essex {Enghnd,} belonging to Synuel Court
aud, ESD, was seen floating dead. @0n being
drawn to the shsrc, it was found that it had
been engaged in mortal conflict with monster
| pike. The pike had swallowed the head and
neck of the swan, and being unable to disgorge
lit, both had died, and were thus found linked
together. seat
DEATH OF DR. BoHp. Our Methodist trends