The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-01-17
DOES THIS SETTLE IT?
HAS TnG SOURCE OF THE MISsIS-
s!PPi BEEN POSITIVELY FlxEDy


The Story OF the Search For 1t During
Two Centnr ies--L Lake Itasca and the Lit
tie Stream That NicoIlet Christened the
"Cradled Achilles"
II have stepped across the Mississippi
river. said DR.. Coues ut was easy, for
the stream was only about inches wide
and inches deep | have seen tho Fla.
ther of Waters where he rises literally
out of the ground and starts as al infant
rivulet destined 10 cut the United States
IN twain with the mighty volume of his
aGult flood
The story Cf the search for the source
CT the Mississippi reads like romance
After the discovery Of the upper river il
1918 by Joliet and Marquette, and the
discovery OF the falls of st. Anthony III
1850. by Hennepin, little more was
known of the Father of Waters for near
Iva century. In 1866 Captain Jonathan
Carver assembled the stream as far as the
mouth of Rum river In 1898 the ia
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.
Tho first white man known to have
visited the ncighborhood Of the actual
source OF the Mississippi was William
Morrison. fur trader. who was certain
~ ut Lake Itasca in 1903 or 1904. He
never published anything on the sub
Juct. 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.
gonery Pike He was the first American
citizen to carry the flag of the United
sent by the government to treat with
the Indians and stop the sale of liquor
III 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 mlstook for tine source of the Missis-
slppi. and his report OH this subject was
held to be correct for some years after
ward .
In 1920 the Hon. Lewis Cass. &C.
conIpanied 10y Henry r. Schoolcraft. the
historian. went on an. exploring expedi-
ton up the Mississippi as far as Cass
lake. SO named 1T the time by School.
craft In 1873 a.. Italian traveller, j &.
t5eltramI, went over David Thompson 8
route to Turtle lake and reported that
lake 70 be the true source Evidently,
t.owever. he heard from the Indians
ahGnt Lake t.nsca. for he mapped it with
a2;roSlnata accuracy, though he was
ever there and did rot imagine that
she Father of Waters spraug thence.
Lake lr#sca was rr,i,scovered in
l&32. wien si0hoolcratt. accompanied by
.Leutan;;"t Aliau. Un:tua States army;
tiGa Rev III I,.,rgwGli i.::d others. was
r5.laeu u ike lake by !; Chippewa In
nlan kIiOV.n d. Yellow Head On this
occasion Lake lt:lSCa received its present
came. whi"h waS made up Of parts OF
tie words N"rIras Eapu:, aignifying the
true bead OF the river The Latin was
bad. foi il Onoht to have been Nerum
t'aput TIE lake had previously been
Known tv the French name of Lac la
Riches III oaning Elk Lake This was 4
TRANSLATION Ut the Chippewa Omoshkos
Soslagon
''Scho0lcr2ets party made an eSaUi.
nation OF Lake ltasca. being satisfied
that they had found the true source Of
the Mississippi Not again until 1886
did any Sclu;ltitic man visit the spot
This was a FTrnchinan, } N Nicollet,
who tried 10 ascertain the source Of the
feeders of Lake ItaSca Exploring south.
ward, he reached the springs from which
the infant river takes it's rise ltshould
tie understood that the Mississippi runs
from its source directly northward for
distance Of 80 miles before turning about
Ill a sort Of fish hook bend and starting
southwark To TIE baby stream, before 1t
enters Lake ItaSca. Nicollet gave the pc;
etc name of Graded Achilles He es-
tabliShed IFS course in connection with
three small lakes, since named Upper,
Middle and Lower Nicollet lakes-that
ls to say he fouud that the little river
ran through two of these small lakes
amt connected with the third. This ex.
iiiorer mapped the whole OF the ltascan
tusln and determined the latitude, Ion.
citude and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent Surveys have only con-
tlmed and amplifisd his observations.
The whole subject of which have
been speaking was befogged and thrown
INTO disputa recently by certain Cap
tam ilaLlcr. who. apparently for no
other purpose than ia advertise himself,
;.ubllslie, his alleged discovery of new
and true source of the Mississippi BY
reducing the size Of Lake It.Yca. ignor-
!Ig Nicollet GRABBED Achilles, nagn..
lying d small side lake which he called
Lake GliGitr. and by stretching out one
Of the feeders of the latter. he produced
{. distorted map which actually imposed
OH the Royal Geographical society OF
tireat Britain Many of the errors thus
originated have crept into the standard
maps of tho United States '' =" Z
1t may be said that there is nothing
furthereto be learned about the true
source ,,f the Father, Of Waters. AS o
matter of essential fact. the true Upper
Mlssissipp,sis the river called the Mis-.
souri, The stream that flows from Lake