Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-02-16
DOESTHIS SETTLEIT?
HAS THE SOURCE OF THE Mlssls-
slPPl BEEN POSITIVELY FixeDi

slPPt BEEN POSITIVELY Fxeoi
Tho Story Of thc Search For ~ During
Two Centuries Lahs itn,cn and the Iit.
tie Stream That Nleoiiot Chriitoned tho
"Cradicd Achilles"
i have stopped across tho Mississippi
river " said Dr. Coucs ut was easy. Tor
the stream was only about @ iuchos wido
md inches deep j have seen tho IN
thor Of Waters where ho rises literally
out OF the ground aud starts ns ON infant
iivulot destined tocut tho United States
in twain with tho mighty volume Of his
adult flood.
"Thestory Of tho search for tho source
OF The Mias .iYp, reads like "a romance.
Aftlr the discovery of tho uupof river ia
1913 by Joliet and Marquette and tho
discovery of tho falls OF ST. Anthony in
1850 hy Honuepiu, litiio moro was
known OF Che Father OF Waters f0rncar.
Iva century In 1900 Captain Jonathan
Carver aseondel tho stream ns faras tho
mouth Of Rum river n 1905 tho a.
nous English astronomer and surveyor,
David Thompson. in tho service OF tho
NorthwUst company reached Turtio
Lake This lake. which sounds tributary
TO the Mississippi was Tor some tiuo
supposed 60 Do the source.
"Tho lni white man known e. have
visited tho nsighborh01d Of the actual
source OK thc Mississippi was William
Morrison, % fur trader. who was certain.
ly nt Lake ltuca in 1903 OR 1904 Hs
utvor published any,hing on tho sub.
lect, and % i8 only very recently that
msrr.outy OF discovery has boon known.
Tho next explorer OF che sources az tho
river was Lieutenant ZcbuI0u Mont.
geometry Pike uowas tho nrst American
oitizon 20 carry che Gag Of tho United
States into northern Minnesota 10 was
fout by tho government 60 treat with
tho Indians and stop tho aalo OF liquor
in thatropion Incidentally hopurchalol
for $3.50 and some whisky tract Of
land nino miles square. which included
the present sito Of Minneapolis Con.
gross subsequently voted uu additional
payment to tho Indians for thia tact OF
e2,OOO.
Lieutenant Pike proceeded by boat
90 the vicinity OF thonroscnt LittloFalls
Ina Morrison county, MINI. Ho got no
farther with boats, aud 800 continued bis
journey through tiowiutoru of l-0j.B uu
mowshoos and with sleiggl um,bward.
Ho ilnallyroaoh1d Lcech l1.o. This llto
no mistook Tor tho source ct tho Misis.
sippi, and his report on this subject was
held % DO correct for some years after.
ward.
'ln 1890 The Hon. LOWS Cars. 90.
companiod by Henry II. sghoolcran. tho
historian, won't on on exploring ozpodi.
ton up the Mississippi ns far as Caa
lake, 80 named 10 the limo by School.
craft In 1923 an Italian trayulor. y. G.
BOltrami, went over David Thompson
route 20 Turtle lnko aud reported that
lake to be tho true source. Evidently,
however, ho heard from tho Indians
about Lake ltasca, FOR ho mapped 10 with
accuracy, though leo was
never thoro and did not imagine that
tho Father Of Waters spranR thence.
Lake Itasca was rodiscovcrod IN
1899, when Schoolcraft, accompanied by
Lieutenant Allou. United States army;
Pho Row. Mr. Boutwell, and othags. was
guided 70 tho Lake by % Chippewa In.
dian, known as Yellow Head. on this
occasion Lake Gtascz received its present
name, which was made up of parts Of
tho words Veritas Caput. signifying tho
'truo head OF tho river The Latin was
bad for &c ought % have boon Vorum
Cnput Tho lake bad previously boon
known by tho Fronch uamo of Lao IN
Bichgs, meaning Elk Lake. This was.a
Translation Of tho Chippewa Omoshkos
sogiagon,
"Sohoolcrait's party made nn oyami.
nation of Lake Itusca, being satisfied
that they had found the true source OF
the Mississippi Not again until 1880
aid any scientific man visit tho spot
This was o Frcnohmnn, j. N. Nicolluf,
who tried % ascertain tho source of tho
iocdors OF Lake lu9ca Exploring south.
ward, DO reached the sprug from which
the infant river takes its rise. ItGh0uld
DO understood that tho Mississippi runs
from it, source directly uorthward for
OF 6Omilci before turning about
In n sort Of nshhuok bond and starting
To tho baby stream, uafuroit
enters Lake ltgsea Nioollot gave thopo.
etc unmeof Graded Achilles Ho cs.
iablshgl hoo course iu connection with
throo small lakes, since namol UppU,
Middle and Lower Nicoll0, laboa-tAat
IL 60 aay, ho found that tho littlo river
ran through two OF these small lakes
and connected with the third This ox.
plor0r mapped thr whole 1t the Itascan
baiin and determined Tho latitude lon.
g.tudo and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent surveys hayo only c0u.
lrmCd and ampliilod bis observations.
"Tho whole subject % which ] havo
boon HpaaEurwa6 hgigggOl and thrown
into dispute r.reutly ly certain Cap.