Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-10-11
THE MIssIssIPPTs SOURCE.

Lake Itasca is beautiful sheet of wa
ter. OF a greenish hue, set in the midst OF
sandy hills from 80 to $50 feet high. which
are closely covered with dense forests of
pine and spruce. with some oak and 9TH
er green woods that do not recognize.
Its form is three arms, starting from and
surrounding SchoOlcratt's s Island. In the
southwest arm five streams flow, all in
significant except two. The smaller OF
these comes III among the grass and
rushes, eight or nlne feet wide ut i s
mouth, but soon narrowing to mere
woodland rill. The larger contributes
about one-thlrd the volume OF the Mis-
sisslppi.is about fifteen yards wide at its
mouth, and comes in through swampy
ground. We pushed up the stream with
the canoe tor nearly two hundred yards.
then had to land. This, which may be
called Elk River, flows about one mile
from Elk lake. which lies south OF Ita Ca
about one-halt mile, over which heavy
yellow pines grow We had thought
that possibly the Mississippi might be
traced above Itasca, but the character
OF the streams putting into that lake does
not entitle them to be called the river.
Into Elk lake on the south, the survey
ors found two little streams flowing, the
largest, we learn, running probably ten
miles in its dubious course, and starting
from little pool two feet in diameter in
a wide marsh. That is where the far
thest drop OF the Mississippi flows from.
Schoolcratt's island. on which we camp
ed, Us about 100 yards long and one-third
as wide. 1t rises to the height of ibouI
twenty-five feet above the water, and is
covered with quite heavy grove OF
green timber and bushes as well rs
Jungle. 1t is named after Schoolcralt,
who was government commissioner
for treating with the Indians, and made
voyages west from the head of Lake
Superior in 1920, and again in 1922.
The first voyage was with Gov. Lewis
Cass. They assembled the Mississippi
from Sandy lake into Cass lake, and
camped on the north shore. They fixed
the source of the river ut Turtle lake,
some ten or fifteen miles north OF Cass
lake, but did not pursue their cXplora-
tions on account OF the lat ness Of the
season and low water. In 1882 School
craft came up again with large party
and camped on Grand island, where we
now are. Here leaving the main part
VI his coCOTL anu tuc idTSc canoes, he
took fifteen men and five light canoes
and passed up the Mississippi, through
! several lakes, and up the south fork to
its head; then by portage OF six mics
into the southeast arm OF l'asca and
camped on the island which bears his
name. He had an American fl g nailed
to 4 tall pine when he lett, but the Indi-
ans cut it down the next year. School
craft considered himself the first white
man to visit the true source OF the Mis-
sissippi, but William Morrison, some OF
whose relatives and des edants still live
near White Earth, aiterward wrote that
he visited the lake IN 1901, and again in
1872, and is the first white man who ever
saw the lake Schoolcraft's visit was
hurried, and he spent but q few hours
His report to congress is the first descrip-
ton OF The lake and upper river ever
published. Some years later Nicolct i
Frenchman. came through this country
alone on scient tc expedition, and spent
week on the island and exploring the
vicinity OF the lake. Schoolcratt max cs
the lake 80 feet above the levei OF the
sea, and the highest land about ESQ
feet above sea level NicOllet makes
the elevation of the lake over = 900 feet
above The guilt. Correcting his levcs
at Minneapolis, it makes Schoolcraft 8
estimate about right, placiag the lake
about 900 feet above the river nj St Paul