The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-10-27
GOLDEN LET T E h s.
NUMBER EIGHT.
Fneua Our Special Correspondent.

VsRML1oN LAKE GOLD MINES,
Sr. LOUIS, Co., Mimi, Oct, 1866.
IRv unavoidable delay lowing to the slow
mode of conveyance)-some of the letters OF
Oro F;no do not reach us uatil two or three
weeks after they aIe written. The writer Is
therefore wise in not giving the exact date. T.
Ed. PIONEER.
Editor st. Paul Pioneer:
Our last letter was dated at a pointon the
Upper Embarras River where we left that
stream and commenced portage ACROSS the
great Dividing Ridges,-between the waters
of Lake Superior and those of Hudson's Bay.
This portage is about five miles in length, and
passes over an uneven ridge-two thirds of
which is fir and spruce swamp. The upper
or dryer portion of the ridge abounds in yell
low pine and granite lodges.
While making this portage We were threat
ened with violent thunder shower, which Is
certainly any thing but desirable in this miner
al region. On hearing the low distant thun-
der in the distance, and seeing the black por-
tentous looking clouds rolling up from the
northwest, the stalwart sayages carefully put
down their canoe on q low bed of dripping
moss, and catching up short paddle on which
was rudely engraven fash OF forked light
ming, they hastily planted it on low ridge
some twenty rods to the east OF Us with the
exclamation
Thunder here! Kill 'urn! Kaw-acin!"
A dead silence followed for about twen-
ty miuutes, during which every man in the
party puffed away at his pipe, and waited Like
Iicawber to see what would next" turn up"
The coming storm was turned aside from
its threatened course, and passed over to the
of nnf IF ta
water upon our party, but visiting the swamps
two miles to the eastward with deluging
shower, and such fearful flashes of lightning,
g to rive and rend into q thousand splinters a
number of the stateliest pines of the forest and
. high cliff or iron rock few rods distant
The Indians afterward, explained to us that
their an-ne-ma-keGgo6-nd or thunder paddle,
had the power to turn aside all coming show
ers before the rain had commenced to fall, and
that it never failed to exercise that power,
unless it was offended with the thoughts of
some one of the party, (which was sometimes
the case!
Making this portage of five miles in safety,
our little party once more became seated in the
long, light graceful canoe, and now for the
We are now on the South Vermilion River and
but twenty miles from Vermilion Lake. This
river is about fifty miles in length
and drains the northern slope of the Dividing
Ridge. North VermiliOn River constitutes the
outlet of Vermilion Lake, and conveys its wa
tiers into Rainy Lake, from whence it passes
into the Lake Of the Woods and thence into
Hudson's Bay. We give this explicit inforna-
ton for the benefit of those who have been
misled, as we have been, ty imperfect maps Of
this rich and interesting country.
Our general course down the South Vermil-
Ion, Is nearly direct north, and the distance
of twenty miles to the Lake, takes US over in:
Vulnerable rapids that require the utmost skin
and caution to preserve our frail bark from in
with poles and q little wading, to struggle
through with safety, and again we repair to
the shOre at once, and rest our weary limbs
with q dry portage The water has q slow,
sluggish movement between these rapids, as If
urged forward against its inclination, and as if
almost tempted TO rebel against the controlling
powers-leaving the impression on the mind
that We are descending to the gold mines in
unequal bat unmistakable steps.
When within half Q mile of the Lake. We
come to splendid fall of about sixteen feel, of.
fering water power of great value, and one
that win no doubt soon be used for crushing
the rich gold quartz dug from the shores Of
the Lake in this vicinity.
Between five and six hundred acres OF land,
embracing these splendid falls, and q number
of valuable veins Of gold bearing quartz, have
been secured by Minnesota capitalists, and we
learn that it win be brought into market next
spring. From the peculiar beauty and
strength of this position-commandinga as 1t
does the keg to the entire gold fields. and the
only really valuable water-power within many
miles,-we see no reason why this slightly and
romantic epot should not become the favorite
locality for the future CITY OF VKRH1Ios and
ergo, the terminus Of the Dull nth and Vermil-
ion Railroad, which we understand Is to be
pushed ahead with all possible energy.
Vermilion Lake is one of the most beautiful,
and yet indescribably peculiar sheets of water,
that the eye of man ever beheld. It is irregu-
lar in shape, and as hard to describe as TO
shape and form, as q floating thistle seed, or a
moving star.ish. 1t Is in fact all legs, arms,
points, bays, islands and islets and it mea-
sures from twelve to fifteen miles in width by
about twenty-five miles in ength,-the longest
way extending nearly east and west
The Indian name OF this lovely sheet is
"O.ndh-me-ny Sargarogar," which Il derived
from the iron rust always found on portion of
its shores.
From q number OF careful gussses the Lake
il estimated to be about three hundred and
dfiv feet above Lake Superior. The shores of
Lake Vermilion are made up from an almost
unbroken succession of points and peninsulas,
varying from one to three hundred feet in
height, back about half mile from the Lake,
but beautifully diminishing down to the points,
with all the graceful contour of the quarters of
an Arabian charger-until they kiss the water
with banks varying from three inches to forty
feet in height
The majority of these points are composed of
taloose slate sprinkled with iron, and gold
bearing quartzes. As general thing they are
heavily timhered and are covered with thick
moss. On the latter being removed, the eye
beholds bright veins of quartz, lavishly en-
riched with gold not in its native state a. in
California, but more strongly resembling the
iron and copper pyrites of Idaho. That this
quartz Is Of immense value is plainly seen by
the following reports:
The official report of the assay at the mint in
Philad elphia, gives its value per ton at $30.o5
rof. Ke Mt, Of New York, reports its valu
per ton $500.
1t will be remembered that the above re.
ports are made from surface rock forwarded by
Prof. Eames, lat the time of his first visit, soon
after his appointment as our State Geologist;
and If the veins increase in richness as thew
descend, as il almost invariably the case in
Idaho and California, they are likely to nav an
average rate of fifty or sixty dollars to the ton.
These veins vary from three inches to ten
feet in width, and some of them extend for
many miles in length. The general course of
all the veins Is from the northeast to the south.
q