The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-02-06
DOES THIS SETTLE 1T?
HAS THE SOURCE OF THE Mlssls-
slPPl BEEN POSITIVELY FixeDf
The Story OF the Search For IL During
Two Centuries Lake Itasca and the Lit
tie Stream That Nicoiiet Christened the
aCradied Achilles"

nave steppeu aCroSS tne mlssisslppi
river. said DIR Coues 1T was easy, tor
the stream was only about 8 inches wide
and inches deep have seen the Fa
ther of Waters where he rises literally
out of the ground and starts as an infant
rivulet, destined to cut the United States
in twain with the mighty volume of his
adult food
The story Of the search for tho source
Of the Mississippi roads like romance.
After tine discovery OF the upper river i'll
1913 by Joliet and Marquette, and the
discovery of the falls of st Anthony in
1850, by Hennepin, little more was
known of the Father of Waters for near
Iva century In 1906 Captain Jonathan
Carver assembled the stream as far as the
mouth of Rum river In 1908 the ia
nous English astronomer and surveyor,
David Thompson, in the service of the
Northwest company, reached Turtle
lake This lake, which sends q tributary
to the Mississippi, was for some time
supposed to be the source
THE first white man known to have
source of the Mississippi was William
Morrison, fur trader. who was certain
ly at Lake Itasca in 1903 or 1904 He
never published anything ON the sub
ject, and it is only very recently that
his priority of discovery has been known.
The next explorer of the sources Of the
river was Lieutenant Zebulon Mont
IL .
citizen 10 carry the flag of the United
States into northern Minnesota. He was
sent by the government to treat with
the Indians and stop the sale of liquor
in that region Incidentally he purchased
for $3.50 and some whisky tract Of
land nine miles square, which included
the present site of Minneapolis. Con.
gress subsequently voted an additional
payment to the Indians for this tract OF
$4,000
Lieutenant Pike proceeded by boat
to the vicinity of the present Little Falls
in Morrison county, MINI. He got nc
farther with boats, and so continued his
journey through the winter Of 1866 on
snowshoes and with sledges northward.
He finally reached Leech lake This lake
he mistook for the source Of the Missis.
sippi, and his report on this subject was
held to be correct for some years after.
ward.
I'm 1890 the Hon. Lewis Cass, &C.
oompanied by Henry r. Schoolcraft, the
historian, Went on an exploring expedi.
tion up the Mississippi as far as Cass
lake, so named at the time by School.
craft In 1928 an Italian traveller, j. 9.
Beltrami, went over David Thompson
route to Turtle lake and reported that
lake to be the true source. Evidently,
however, he heard from the Indians
about Lake Itasoa, for he mapped it with
approximate accuracy, though he wal
never there and did not imagine that
the Father of Waters sprang thence
Lake Itasca was rediscovered in
1889. when Sohoolcraft, accompanied by
Lieutenant Allen. United States army
the Rev Mr. Boutwell, and others, wal
guided to the lake by q Chippewa In
dian, known as Yellow Head. On thii
occasion Lake itasca received its present
name. which was made up Of parts Of
the words veritas Caput, signifying the
true head Of the river The Latin wal
bad. for it ought to have been verun
Caput. The lake had previously beer
known by the French name of Lao Ia
Bichea meaning Elk Lake. This was Q
translation Of the Chippewa Omoshkoi
Sogiagon.
'Sohooloraft's party made an exami.
nation of Lake Itasca, being satisfied
that they had found the true source OF
the Mississippi Not again until 1886
did any scientific man visit the spot.
This was q Frenohman, j N Nioollet,
who tried to ascertain the source of the
feeders Of Lake Itasca Exploring south.
ward, he reached the springs from which
the infant river takes its rise Itshould
be understood that the Mississippi runs
from its source directly northward for q
distance Of 90 miles before turning about
In sort of fishhook bend and starting
southwark. To the baby stream, before il
enters Lake ltasca, Nicollet gave the po-
etic name of Graded Achilles. He es.
tablished its course in connection with
three small lakes. since named Upper.
Middle and Lower Nicollet lakes-that
is to say, he found that the little river
ran through two of these small lakes
and connected with the third. This ex-
plorer mapped the whole of the Itascan
basin and determined the latitude, Ion
gitude and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent surveys have only con-
frmed and amplifed his observations