St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-16

legitimate name for this BODY OF water,
acQuiesced in by legislative ena9tmenf;
and Elk creek takes its name from the
lake. No one of the several brooks
flowing into Elk lake are of any great
Importance, and all OF them were COM
pletely closed with ice in March, 1889,
and ali Of them were dry in August of
the same year.
Geographic discoveries at and above
Itasca lake prior to my survey of 1889 Of
authentic record, worthy of consideration
and belief, are as follows:
William Morrison. first of white men. 1903
II. r. Schoolcraft, Itasca lake ..... 1892
Jean \. Nicollet, five inlets. 1896
Julius Chambers, SEX lake and creek. ..1s72
E. s. Hall. government survey......... ..1Sl5
Hopewell Clark, special survey. 1886
eek lake and creek, discovered by Mr..
Chambers in 1872, are constituted of waters
enormously claimed to be discovered in 1881
by the person referred to in your communi
eation.)
Itasca lake is at the lower depression
of the basin, and fernando de Soto,
Morrison and numerous other lakes are
at the summit of the basin, and the
water pressure from the lakes above
Itasca. the whole being exclusively sup
piled by precipitation, causes contrib
utory inflow into Itasca lake, which is
increased or decreased from time to
time, according to the quantity of rain
fall or duration of drouth, as either may
prevail.
One peculiar significance is demon
strated by the fact that Itasca lake has
q flood plain of but little more than
three feet in elevation above the natural
surface of the lake. The flood plain of
the lakes higher up is ten, fifteen and
twenty feet. Thus while Itasea lake is
always supplied, and sometimes rises
during dry weather. the lakes at the
summit dry down rapidly to lesser
surface area, depending upon rainfall to
supply them.
During the summer of 1890 cOpiouS
rainfall caused Lake Itasca to rise a
foot or more ABOVE Elk lake, and Elk
creek flowed into, instead OF out from,
Elk lake.
The outflow of Lake Pepin, through
which the Mississippi takes it course, is
controlled by the inflow, and Lake
Itasca presents striking similarity.
Infnitesimal deductions are necessar-
lily drawn, however, from ascertained
facts in order to discover the location OF
the ultimate source. Itasca lake lies at
the pit of the basin and receives the
waters discharged INTO it from the sum-
iullS IL, WHICH,. III lCIllls
pass out into the channel below, FORM
ing the main water course of our cOun-
try to the gulf.
Consequent differences may therefore
he drawn by those who still believe that
Itasca lake is the source of the river, it
being situated at the pit Of the lowest
depression of the limited Itasca basin;
but | know it to be fact that there is
greater ultimate reservoir there at the
summit, and it constitutes the ultimate
source.
TO prevent unauthorized, erroneous
and deceptive changes in our state map,
| suggest that resume of the historical
and geographical facts. which led up to
the final determination TO locate the
state park at the source of our great
river, be included in my forthcoming
report, and then, by legislative enact
ment, prohibit within our own state the
illicit changes in the state map so as
siduously persisted in from mercenary
motives.
The law requires me to report de-
tailed chart or the park, and topographic
field notes for that purpose will be COM
pIeted in due time. Very respectfully,
your obedient servant,
j. Y. BRowER, Commissioner.