The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-18
The Devils Lake.
Ely HON. D. I. THOMPSON.


more 70 attract and interest the curious traYo,ei
tn,n ,h. Devils Lake, situated among the bolu
woody bluffs embraced in the great eastern oeho
of th. Wisconsin, YER about one hundred hliies
| irorn it's mouth. This Lake is alike lenarkaoie
fer the wild and picturesque SCENERY OF It's 49,
cation. and the lipiiun traditional romance Will
| which i,s maine IS associated. OF in extent oi
about two miles in length and one IN brfd'i.h' IL
| lies deeply c,nbOsomed between Two precpilou'
! mountain walls, which bear the appearance Oh
havjn. once been Joined in one solld mountain
| but Subsequently sundeyed, cleft down 10 !LS
tounda tions, and thrust back, by the stupenu-
Gus furco of some great CONFUSION or nature, i'I
enough a,,art to iorn the aWiul chasn, whose
| bottom, If bottom there be. - occupied ny Vie
waters of the lake This great chasm' II not
the crater of an extinct Volcano as many sup
nose is doubtless of volcanic origin. f"r
though no lava is found near the spot to lnulca'e
any actual LIQUID eruption, yet the ROCKS Dear
evidence of having been subjected to the intense
heat. which can be accounted tor only Oh inc
suuuos;tion of contact with internal hrrs. lhese
fires however, may have ceased iurther 10 acO
with the earthquake convG!slon that rent INC
mountain, and forced up through the INSURE
from unknown depths below, the old flu'ohic
rocks now found thickly streWn along the Dor"-
ers Of the lake.
From the bed Of debris last named extending
back with VARYING depth, from fifty to one mum
dred wards from the margin OF the water, boldly
tower, on either side OF the lake, the perpendlc-
ular, blXcl, rock walls, which form the two Ia
ces Of this ricd mountain, to the height OF
nearly five hundred feet, now signify IecednS,
now as much projecting, and no" as faey aI-
proach the summit, breaking into long, lrresn-
lar lines OF battlemented cTaGs, winch stand
frowning at their opposite couhterparts, and
casting their sombIe shadows Tar cut upon tie
seepinc waters below At the ncrtherly and
southerlv exsIemities Of tho lake, the two op.
posing mountain ridges suddenly fall CT and
become merged in the lower transverse sN'clls OF
land, which, extending across from ridge to
ridge, form high, broad barriers against any
possible escape of the waters IN either OF those
directions 1t is. therefore, among the remark
able features of this lake that though ted by
numerous springs and rvule,s, ana composed Of
pure and limped waters. it has yet no visible
outlet. We say visible outlet, Tor such is the
hct but there can BE no doubt that there are
one or more invisible ones by which the Surplus
waters pass off under tue surrounding, ihauntain
barriers to the low lands bordering the Wiscon-
sin river. where, along the foot ct the opposite
declivity, sush the many copious springs that
20 to make up the brooks and creeks to be
found in that vicinity, which springs may have
been united for miles, after leaving ;io lake, in
one subtorraneons stream. but at length become
separated TO appear in many different small out
lets. Indeed IL is tolI as = fact, that u hunter
once, while passing lo'7n the southeastern slope
of tie bluffs, q mile Of two from the lake, had
his attention arrested by the sound Of rushing
waters, issuing apparently from some crcv!ce IN
the rocks over which ho Was making his way,
when stopping down and listening nCently, he
soon very plainly distinguished the noise OF Il
considerable stream OF water passing swiftly
along beneath tue earth, hundreds OF feet below
the surface.
Another very noticeable feature IN this lake
is the extraordinary dep:h o: its waters. 50
great indeed is tina! uepti, m.te evident By the
soundngs made near the shore with ordinary
liaes, Of from fifty to one hundred eet in length.
with SO rapid a descent to The bottom beyond az
to make any further attempts to reach it with
such means, entirely IN VAIN SO great is oby-
ously that depth AS 10 have induced the popular
belief that the lake is DDttomless. TINS, now
ever, would involve an assumption 50 contrary
to all analogy, that We scarcely need pronounce
it wholly erroneous
Such are the physical features Of this unique
little mountain lake and its picturesque sur
roundings. But as deeply interesting as the
place is of itself to the lovers OF the wild and
wonderful in nature, it becomes invested with
an additional and almost a mysterious interest
from the Indian traditions with which il is as.
ISOLATED. The exact character of these trad
tons it is now difficult to sscery in: since. hv
their TRANSMISSION, from some unkaown age IN
the past, through the successive generations of
the Red man up to the advent of the Whites.
and then through the latter to the present time
they have nov become extremely variant and
coniuseu. Blu, their etec; on the minds OF the
natives was always the same-always to cause
them to look upon the lake as place Qccursed-
AS the abode OF the Evil Spirit, AID therefore to
be dreaded aud avoided. they would never fish
III the lake, nor knowingly eat IL fish taken from
Its waters. Nor would they, it is said, even
Willingly approach the place but, on the con-
trary, III passing through the yicinage make
wide circuits round to avoid iJ. Thisls a pecu
marty III Indian superstltlons, which, as far IA
we know, has never been found connected with
any other place IN the country. Other places,
Ike the noted rock prolnontory Of lake SUPERIOR
have been viewed by the natives as the abodes If
evil spirits, who were to be propitia,ed By the
incense OF burning tobacco. BuG nowhere else
IL Is believed, have notions OF this kind been car
RED SO far as to lead 70 the supposi;ion that the
hl'ciul influences Ell. sp.rits could tontam,n.
ale the fish IN the waters.
What moustrous event then cou Lave occur
red hcie nc the site of this lake to craa,a ,h"so
singular superstI,ions among the Indians L.
Among the most definite OF these traditions 40
s'clated with the place, as gathered iron old
settlers who formerly were ln in,.yc,,,,n ,.;.t