The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-25
DOLLY WARDEN CANOE.
An Expedition to the Source of
the Mississippi
Canoe Cruise on American Waters Descrip-
ton Of the Dolly Warden and Her 0ntft.
WHITE EARTH, CHIPPEWA RESERVATION, |
Mimi June 1870

WHITE EARTH, CHIPPEWA RESERVATION
Mimi, June a. 1872. !
The voyage OF the canoe Dolly Warden. down the
Mississippi will be watched with great interest
throughout the land. Nothing OF the kind has ever
been undertaken in this country. Knowing that
the actual Of the longest river in the world,
although within the boundaries OF the United States
was unknown to geogrephers and unvisited by a
single white man, it early determined that the
voyage OF the American pioneer pleasure canoe
should begin at the very springs, Lake Hasca,
from which the Mississippi takes its rise, The sue
sees OF the expedition, 1t was foreseen, would at
Gnce open up to the world region comparatively
unknown The maps OF the Upper Mississippi region
were admitted by the best geographers to be ut
terly unreliable above Brainerd, MIMI. and the gov
erpment surveyors at st. Paul could not furnish The
HERALp correspondent with any reliable informa-
ton regarding the country.
The canoe Dolly Warden was competed in Troy,
N. y and has the following dimensions :-Length,
II feet; beam, IS inches; depth amidships 101S
inches; at the stem Dow, 2oR, and at the stern,
I7S inches. This gave the canoe fine lines and a
strong shear. A large air chamber at each end
rendered the craft safe in the event of q capsize.
The hun was of paper and the deck of red cedar.
A layer of paper over the wooden deck secured
absolute protection from the distressing leaks
which more or less exist in all wooden lap-streak
boats. The midships section between the two
~ atertight bulkheads was set apart for the cabin
hs dimensions were Length, ieet breadth
rs inches; height forward 10 inches. The
aGer end OF the cabin included the Well
hGie, in which the canoeist sat when sailing
or padding the craft This well was divided,
by a temporary bulkhead, into two compart-
mepts and the locker thus formed just aft OF the
canceist's seat, stOwage capacity was had for the
clothing and provisions Of three months voyage.
Just forward OF the stretcher place was provided
for the famous 'Rob Roy cuisine which was made
Nnpl ser and ~
nished by J. MacGregor, ESD. of Trinity College,
Cambridge, England. With this ingenious appa-
Tatus dinner is prepared from canned meats and
soups in lees than fifteen minutes.
The new craft was provided with two masts. The
mainmast was fitted tocarry spirit sail, having
a reach OF seven feet from peak to end OF boom.
This mast was in two sections, with Sliding
gunter that the sail could be quickly reeed down
TO four and a half feet. The small iigger,
carried on the mizzenmast, and the jib completed
the work Of the sailmaker A double bladed pad
die was included in the outfit to be used for pro-
pulsion when the wind was adverse,
After LnDumerable coats OF varnish the canoe was
announced complete, and was ontatted and pro-
visioned prior 30 leaving by express for st. Paul.
The first mate then entered the following in
yentory in the log book
CARGO DOLLY WARDEN.
Fittings-Iasis, boom spirit galley, sails hair seat
sadds waerPrqo sheet blanket MESQUITE bar can s
long kniie blocks and taeSe, wnaxends tools Copper
bail BALL and sp e Tps
suits Of blue cn navy ann DERBY coat
slippers rubber shoes brushes comb, scissors needles
pins thread and umbrella.
food.-Condepsed coffee, cans, q condensed soups
q Lebg's extract OF meat q tea, pound hard bread
cheese brandy, concentrated milk sugar. salt cigars
and matches
o. Weight Of canoe SO pounds; fittings lO1z baggage,
iGss4, and galley, AZ pounds. II.
6PropelIng Power-Paddle and sail.
SO1itted out and proyisioned the canoe was shipped
70 st. Paul Thence, May 30 via the Lake Superior
and Northern Pacific railroads, the Dolly Warden
reached Oak Lake station on May 81. This station
j. situated 30 miles west OF Duluth and sixty miles
east OF the Red River of the North On the road
Duluth to Brainerd freight ran OH the track
and very nearly preciptated the entire train into
the ditch. The feelings OF the crew may be
imagined until he had ascertained that the
little craft, which he had brought 1000
miles, was uninjured. After n nights rest
In the freight depot at Oak Lake station, the
canoe was loaded upon wagon procured from
IN Indian, and the craft and crew started for
twenty miles ride across the trackess prairie to
White Earth, on the Chippewa Indian Reservation.
The prairie was quite rolling and vas interspersed
with uDnumbered small lakes, which gllstenedm most
beautifully In the sunlight of the first summers day
Of the year 1872, The prairie stretches away to the
north as far as Pembna and to the Minnesota
River on the SOUTH Numerous wigwams were
passed and the young Indians frequently congre-
gated about and followed the wagon TO look at the
gistening hun of the Dolly Warden. After four
hours Of driving mostly by the compass, the crew
and canoe reached the trading post III White Earth.
Both now within about thirty-1ve miles OF Lake
Itasca but the county between here and the lake
Is untrayeed forest OF pines and scrub oaks, in
terspeTsed with many small rivers. The canoe will
have to be carried on the backs OF two Indians this
entire distance,