The Somerset reporter., 1895-01-31

HAS The SOURCE OF THE MlsslS-
slPPl BEEN POSITIVELY FIxEDl
The story of the Search For II barring
Two Centuries Lake Itasca and the Lit
tie stream That NlcolIet Chrlstened the
"Cradled Achilles"

"Cradled Achilles"
| have stepped across the Mississippi
river, sad Dr. Coues. at was easy, for
the stream was only about 8 inches wida
and inches deep. | have seen the Fa.
Their Of Waters where he rises literally
cut of the ground and starts as an infant
fivulet. destined TO cut the United States
in twain With the mighty volume of his
adult flood
The story Of the search for the source
Of the Mississippi reads like il romance
After the discovery of the upper river III
lG73 by Joliet and Marquette, and the
discovery Of the falls Of St Anthony IN
1850. by Hennepin, littlo more was
known Of tho Father Of Waters for near
Iva century In 1866 Captain Jonathan
Carver aseended the stream as far rs tho
mouth of Rum river In l9s the ia
nous English astronomer and surveyor,
David Thompson, in the service OF tho
Northwest company reached Turtle
lake This lake, which sends tributary
10 the Mississippi, was for some time
supposed to be the source
The first white man known to have
visited the ncighborhood Of the actual
source Of the Mississippi was William
Morrison, fur trader, who was certain
IL at Lake ltasca in 1903 or 1901 He
never published anything\on the sub.
iect. and il is only very recently that
his priority Of discovery has been known.
. 4. no. : l,a
river WAS Lieutenant Zebulon Mont
gomery Pike He was the first American
citizen to carryfhe flag Of the United
States into northern Minnesota. He WAS
sent by tho government TO treat with
the Indians and stop the sale of liquor
IN that region Incidentally he purchased
for $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
81, 900
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 1906 Oh
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 1920 the Hon. Lewis Cass, ac-
companied by Henry X. 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 1923 an Italian traveller, }. C.
Beltraini, went over David Thompson $
route to Turtle lake and reported that
lake to be tho true source Evidently,
however, he heard from the Indians
about Lake ltasca, for he mapped it with
approximate accuracy, though he was
never there and did not imagine that
the Father of Waters sprang thence
Lake ltasca was rediscoyered in
1892, 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 ItaSca received its present
name, which WAS made up Of parts of
the words Neritas Caput, signitylng the
true head of tho river The Latin was
bad for it ought to have been Verum
Caput Tho lake had previously been
known by tho French name of Lac u la
Biches, meaning Elk Lake This was a
translation OF the Chippewa Omoshkos
Sogiagon.
"Schoolcraft S party made an cXami-
nation of Lake Itasca, being satisfied
that they had found the true source of
tho Mississippi Not again until 1876
did any scientific man visit the spot.
This was Frenchman, j N Nicollet,
who tried to ascertain tho source of the
feeders of Lake Itasca Exploring south
ward, he reached tho springs from which
tho infant river takes its rise. Ii shOnld
he understood that tho Mississippi runs
from its source directly northward for a
distance of so miles before turning about
in a sort of fishhook bend and starting
southwark. TO tho baby stream, before it
enters Lake ltasca, Nicollet gave the po
etio 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 ltascan
basin and determined the latitude, Ion
gitude and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent surveys have only con
tirmed and amplitied his observations
The whole subject of which have
been speaking was befogged and thrown
into dispute recently by a certain Cap
tam Glazier, who, apparently for ne
other purpose than to advertise himself,
published his alleged discovery of new
and true source of the Mississippi BY
reducing the size of Lake ltasca, ignor.
ing Nicollet's Graded Achilles, magni
flying small side lake which he called
Lake Glazier, and by stretching out one
lf the feeders of tho latter, he produced
u distorted map which actually imposed
on the Royal Geographical society of
pltAb biithlli MANY VI 'hp S-ftH : 9huo
originated have crept INTO the standard
maps OF the United States
at may be said that there is nothing
further to be learned about the true
Source of the Father Of Waters. As u
matter of essential fact. the true Upper
Mississippi is the river called the Mis-
sour The stream that flows from Lake
ltasca is merely tributary ! ought not
TO forget To mention that walked along