Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-07-04
THE ANCIENT MISSISSIPPI RIVER
A Theory With Evidence to Back it.
That the Minnesota River, Red River,
Lake Winnipeg. Saskatchewan and AS
sinnibOIne We're the Original Missis-
s'ppi.
Chicago Tribune.

chicago tribune.
The visitor to Fort Smelling, as he
looks upon the junction at that point OF
the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers,
will be struck with the insignificant
measure of the Minnesota river as COM
pared with the magnitude Of its valley,
leaving no question that the great
breadth of that valley was due to q
much greater force than any which is
now indicated, and shows that the river
at some time in the past was much
larger than is the Mississippi at this
time below the junction.
The disproportlon in the size Of the
river valley and of the river itself is even
more striking as the river is assembled,
and while the river diminishes to an in
significant stream, the valley maintains
its wide extent, showing That the river
at some time in its history was not only
the course of deep but also of swift
volume OF water. 1t is matter of in
terest, therefore, to know, if possible,
what was the source of the water which
filed this river and cut out this valley,
and in SO doing discover the wonderful
change which has taken place in the
face ofthe country once drained through
the Minnesota.
BY consulting the map of Minnesota
it will be seen that the western bound
airy of that state is Stone Lake, through
which the Minnesota flows from its
source, Lake Traverse, i'll which the
Red river rises, and Red river, which
thence flows north to Lake Winnipeg.
The distance between Stone Lake and
Lake Traverse is a continuation of the
broad valley of the Minnesota riverand
the present river of that name, reduced
to small volume, extends nearly to
Lake Traverse. Lake Traverse itself is
but lake situated in the centre of an
extension of the same broad valley of
the Minnesota. The Red river has its
headquarters at the junction of two
small streams, ore of which originates
III Lake Traverse, ana its waters are
only prevented by low ridge from
flowing into the Minnesota valley. all
the streams tributary to the Red river
basin, even including the Saskatche-
wan, have their source in higher latl-
tude than their mouths, which indicate
that originally the general slope of the
country was to the south, and that the
vast valley of the Minnesota once
drained the country from Lake Winni-
peg to the Mississippi. The formation
of the land along the. whole valley Of
the Red river is that of an average
level. The width is very great; there is
an absence OF bluffs; the river itself is
slow, and gives the appearance of hay
ing cut its way through an allovial soil
the highest of the banks above the
water increasing from the south until
they are sixty TO eighty feet above the
river when it reaches Lake Winnipeg.
On both sides of the BED river extends
vast open prairie of exceeding fertility
Of soil, and,when examined within the
defined lines of the basin, leaves hardly
II question that ut one time the waters
of Lake Winnipeg, which now flow
through Nelson's river into Hudson's
Bay, once flowed southwardly, covering
this basin or valley of Red river, and
flowing through the Minnesota river in
to the Mississippi river. The Saskatch-
evan and the Assinniboine rivers, two
vast streams originating in the Rock
Mountains, and now emptying int
Lake Winnipeg, then poured their great
volumes of water through the present
valleys of Red river and the Minnesota
river. In that day the present Misls-
sippi river, above the junction of
Minnesota river, was n branch 81 the
main stream, and what are now Known
rs the Minnesota, Red river, LakeWin-
nipeg, Saskatchewan, and Assinnboine
rivers were the original Mississippi rlv-
er, whose sources were affair of IN the
Rocky Mountains. The preselt basin
Of the Red river was then vat wide
spread lake, which has by SOM natural
change been drained and its upply Of
water directed into Lake Winnipeg and
thence into Hudsons bay, LAYING the
once grand and rapid Minnesota small
tributary only to the great Mississippi
river, Of which it was originally an I'M
portant and integral part.
In 1866 congress made N appropria-
ton for q survey of the Minnesota riv-
er, and Major Warren, Of the engineer
corps, was assigned to tn duty. illness
and other causes permitted him to
make only partial report in 1865; but
in 1874 he completed his report, in
which he included Almost interesting
discussion of the wole subject, he
reaching the eonclusvns which We have
briefly stated, that ne whole volume
of water now draine into Lake Winni-
peg, and into Lake Manitoba, and into
the Red river of tb north, once flowed
south through the ,asins OF the Red riy-
er and Of the Minnesota river to what's
now the Mississippi river, and thence