Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-08-24
LAKE NEEPIGON.
The Latest Discoverics Around this New
Inland sea.
From the Houghton Gazette.


From the Houghton Gazette.
For many generations Lake Neepigon
has been known only to the traders,
trappers, and Indians IN the employ of
the Hudson's Bay Fur Company The
policy of this, like all Fur Companies,
has been to exclude settlements and ex-
plorations. 1t is not more than five
years since the mystery in which Lake
Neepigon has been so long enveloped
began to be dissipated by actual sur
veys The Fur Company have had
trading posts there about two centuries,
aud their agents have come out annual
ly to Lake Superior and Fort William
but they brought no geographical
knowledge with them If they cared
for geography their lips were sealed to
this subject by the interests of their
employers, whose will to them is abso
lutte law
The general impression had been
that Lake Neepigon is located about
80 miles north of Lake Superior and
that it Is as large as Lake Erie.
During the past three years the gov
eminent of Canada has been extending
its surveys to the Public Lands aloug
the shore of Lake Superior, past Fort
William toward the Red River coun-
try. Mr.. Herrick one of Provincial
surveyors, made traverse of the
Neepigon River in 1866 and round the
distance to the Lake to be in a right
line less than thirty miles. The Lake,
instead of lying east and west 200
miles in length, has its longest diane
ter north and south seventy miles; its
breadth east and west being fifty miles
Its height above Lake Superior is de-
termined approximately at 3l3 feet, or
920 above the Ocean.
In 1860 Robert Bell, an assistant
geologist and engineer of the Canada
survey, in company with Surveyor Nc
kellor, made the entire Circuit of Lake
Neepigon, exploring it geographically
and geologically. From the reports
and maps of those bold explorers which
are before us we are culling the mater
ials for this article. 1t is decided re-
lief to know the truth about every
country. Lake Neepigon is accessible
and has around it valuable country
1t has a shore line of about $50 miles of
navigable water, and probably 1000
islands. Its waters are clear, cold and
pure, and its outlet the largest river of
Lake Superior. A large part of the
rocks are such as produce copper.
Messrs. ,Bell and Mckellor were di-
rected to Experiment in reference to
railway from the mouth of the Neepi-
gon towards the setting sun, and found
no obstacles III distance of 100 miles
in that direction. From Camp Alexan-
der, at the foot of the first great rapid,
it is only II miles to a soushern arm of
Neepigon by land. Nearth southwest
angle of the lake at Grand Bay, with
only few feet of elevation between
them, the Black Sturgeon river has it's
rise, The space between them is SO
narrow and SO low that in high stage
of the lakes the waters appear to flow
over the intervening ground from the
lake into the head of this river. Neep-
lyon, in Chippeway, signifies deep and
clear water
When the party reached the head Of
the river at the lake it was devided.
Mr.. McKellor following the right hand
or eastern shore, and Mr. Bell the
western They travelled in canoes In
dian fashion, taking the courses with
a theodclite and the distance with
micrometer They also took obserya-
tions for latitude aud longitude. At
the end of eight weeks they met ut the
northern extremity of the lake, having
had pleasant and prosperous journey.
The latitude of the northern extremity
Is 80 deg. - min. north. Its surround
ings are less mountainous than Lake
Superior To the north, between
Neepigon and Hudson's Bay the coun-
try is represented 10y the Indians to be
comparatively level,
The Ombabilka river coming in from
that direction heads with the Albany
river which discharges into salt water
at James Bay, and between them Is
supposed to he a fiat limestone region.
This is one of the routes Of the Hud-
son Bay Company to their posts ON
Hudson Bay.
Southeast of lake Neepjgou, between
it and Thunder Bay of Lake Superior,
the country is represented as capable
of cultivation, and the climate the couu-
terparn of Quebec From thence west
erly TO lake Winnipeg and the Red
river country the country becomes
mure level. The dryer part viii pro
duce wheat and the clay land rye, bar
ley and oats Gcaas and vegetables are
of the best kind. us mas been shown 10y
the gardens ana pastures Of the Hudson
Bay Company for the past 100 years. -
Ii it was a part of the United States,
the Necpigou and Red river country
would no longer be "a desert producing