Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-01-24
DOESTHIS SETTLEIT?
HAS THE SOURCE OF THE MIssIs-
SlPPl BEEN POSITIVELY FIxEOi


tie Stream That NIcollet Christened the
"CradIed Achilles.
81 have stepped across the Mississippi
river, " said DR.. Coues. sit was easy, for
the stream was only about inches wide
and inches deep. l 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.
1.-The story Of the search for the source
of the Mississippi reads like romance.
After the discovery of the upper river in
1878 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
ly a century. In 1866 Captain Jonathan
Carver assembled the stream as far as the
mouth of Rum river. In 1898 the fa-
nous English astronomer and surveyor,
David Thompson, in the service of the
Northwest company, reached Turtle
lake. This lake, which sends tributary
to the Mississippi, was for some time
supposed to be the source.
1.-THE first white man known to have
visited the neighborhood Of the actual
source Of the Mississippi was William
Morrison, fur trader. who was certain
ly at Lake ftasca in 1903 or 1904. He
never published anything on the SUBJ
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
gomery Pike. He was the first American
citizen to 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 all 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 no
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.
"In 1920 the Hon. Lewis Cass, ac-
companied 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 1898 an italian traveller, J. G.
Beltrami, went over David Thompsons
route to Turtle lake and reported that
lake to be the true source. Evidently,
however, he heard from the Indians
about Lake Itasca, for he mapped it with
approximate accuracy, though he was
never there and did not imagine that
the Father of Waters sprang thence.
Lake Itasca was rediscovered in
1882, when Schoolcraft, accompanied by
Lieutenant Allen, United States army;
the Rev. Mr.. Boutwell, and others, was
guided to the lake by Chippewa In
dian, known as Yellow Head. On this
occasion Lake ftasca received its present
name, which was made up of parts of
the words Veritas Caput, signifying the
true head of the river The Latin was
bad, for it ought to have been Verum
Caput. Tho lake had previously been
known by the French name of Lac la
Biches, meaning Elk Lake. This was
translation of the Chippewa Omoshkos
Sogiagon.
"Schoolcraft's party made an exami
nation Of Lake hasca, 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 a Frenchman, j. N. Nicollet,
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
distance of so miles before turning about
in a sort of fishhook bend and starting
southwark. To the baby stream, before 1t
enters Lake Itasca, 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, lon
gitude and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent surveys have. only con-
firmed and amplified his observations.
"The whole subject Of which have
been speaking was befogged and thrown
into dispute recently by certain Cap
tain Glazier, who apparently for no
other purpose than to advertise himself,
published his alleged discovery of new
and true source of the Mississippi. By
reducing the size of Lake Itasca, ignor-
ing Nicollet's Graded Achilles, magni-
flying small side lake which he called
Lake Glazier, and by stretching out one
of the feeders of the latter, he produced
distorted map which actually imposed
on the Royal Geographical society of
Great Britain. Many of the errors thus
originated have crept into the standard
maps of the United States.
ut may be said that there is nothing
further to be learned about the true
source Of the Father Of Waters. AS q
matter of essential fact, the true Upper
Mississippi is the river called the Mis-
souri, The stream that flows from Lake
Itasca is merely tributary l oughtnot
to forget to mention that walked along
the bed of the stream termed by Captain
Glazier the infant Mississippi for con-
siderable distance dry shod. The little