The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-08-24
LAKE NEEPIGON.
From the Houghton Mich Gazette.
THE LATEST DISCOVERY AROUND THIS NEW
INLAND SEA.

INLAND SEA.
From the Houghton (Mich.) Gazette.
For msny generations Lake Neepigon
has been known only to the traders, trap
pers, and Indlans in the employ of the
Hudson BAY Fur Company. The policy
Of this, ike all fur companies, has been
to exclud ,ettlements and explorations.
It is not more than five years since the
mystery in which Lake Neepigon had
been 50 ug enveloped began to be dis
aipated actual surveys The Fur Com
pany having had trading posts there
about two centuries, and their agents
have co ne out annually to Lake
Superior and Fort William but
they brought no geographical
knoWled Q with them. IF they cared for
geograp ), their lips were sealed to this
subject Nv tile interests of their employ
ers, who~c viii is to them absolute law.
The q neral impression has been that
Lake n epigon is located about eighty
miles no th Of Lake Superior,and that it
IS as lag Like Erie.
Duri g the past three years the govern
ment OF NADIA has been extending it's
surveys 10 the public lands along the
north ;, Il Lake Superior, past Fort
WiIlisnl coward the Red River country.
Mr. H. K, one of the Provincial survey
Ors,s m fraverse of the Neepigon Riv
er in 1865, and found the distance to the
lake t. in "a right line less than thirty
miles. lie lake, instead of lying east
and west 300 miles in length, has its
longest diameter north an south seventy
miles It's breadth east and west being
fifty miles. It's height above Lake Supe-
rior is oct rmined approximately at 313
feet, OF 933 feet above the ocean.
In 1869, Robert Bell, an assistant geol
0gist and engineer of the Canada Survey,
in com; any with Surveyor McKellor,
made the entire circuit of Lake n eepigon
exploI II geographically and geologi-
caLly. ON the reports and maps of
those hc Il explorers which are before US
we arc ing the materials for this arti-
Gle. l. a decided relief to know the
truth ut every country. Lake Nee
pigon ccessble and has around it a
Yaluab country. It has shore line of
about 5o0 miles Of navigable water, and
pr0ba 1000 islands. Its waters are
clear, and pure, and its outlet the
larges' Ter Of Lake Superior. A large
part q Elc rocks are such as produce cop
per. Nj srs. Bell and McKellor were di-
rected j.. experiment. III reference to a rail
way Is Ia the mouth of the Neepigon to-
wards setting sun, and they found no
obstac in a distance of 400 miles in
that a. cion. From Camp Alexander,
at thI ,og Of the first great rapid, it is
only ,u.5va miles to southern arm of
the n j. gun by land Near the south
west t If the lake at Grand Bay, with
only 4 IVY feet of elevation between
them, Black Sturgeon river has it's
rise. ite space between them is so mar
row ana 80 lnw that in a high stage of the
lakes waters appear to flow over the
interyc .ug ground from the lake into the
head a. h 5 river Neepigon, in Chippe-
way, signifies deep and clear water.
Whtn the party reached the head of
this 81 the lake it was divided, Mr..
Nick al following the right hand Or
easter tore and Mr.. Bell the Western.
They Travelled in canoes Indian fashion,
takins 10 courses with theodelite and
the di .auce with thermometer. They
also tex observations for latitude and
longii e. At the end of eight weeks
they la. at the northern extremity of the
lake, wing had pleasant and prosper
Gus journey. The latitude of the north
ern e\t,lmity is 10 deg. Is min. north.
It's Surroundings are less mountainous
than J. re Superior. To the north, be,
tweer Aeeplgon and Hudson Bay the
count IS represented by the Indians to
be coIu paratively level. .....s..
The Ombablka river coming in from
that ojllction heads with the Albany
river, mich discharges into salt water at
James bay, and between them is supposed
to be fiat, limestone region. This is one
of the outes ofthe Hudson Bay Company
to the posts on Hudson Bay
Sor invest of Lake Neepigon, between
it and Thunder Bay of Lake Superior,
the country is represented as capable of
guilty ron, and the climate the counter
part Quebec. From thence westerly
to La Winnipeg and the Red River
count :, the country becomes more level.
The t,er part will produce wheat, and
the CT = jand rye, barley and oats. Grass
and V &etables are of the best kind, as
has b II shown by the gardens and pas
lures / The Hudson Bay Company for the
past i years. If it was part of the
United states, the Neepigon and Red
River country would no longer be deser,
prodt og nothing but wild animals and
wild men.
STAT EA{ENT OF THE DOCTOR WHO