Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1896-12-18
Drainage of North America.

Drainage of North America.
A water-parting is height of land
which separates two or more river
systems. There are three principal
water-partings in North America,
namely: The Rocky Mountains, APP
palaching Highlands and the Height
of Land. The Rocky Mountains sep
arate the Pacific and Gulf systems.
The Appalaching Highlands separate
the Atlantic aud Gulf systems, and
the Height of Land extends along the
northern part of the United States and
north of the Great Lakes separating
the Arctic, Atlantic and Gulf systems.
The South Pass in the Rocky Mount
aims is the great divide of North
America. 1t is at the source of the
Missouri, Platte, Columbia and Colo
RADIO rivers.
The principal river systems of
North America are the Gulf system,
the Atlantic system, the Arctic system
and the Pacific system. There are a
great many rivers in each of these
river systems. The principal ones of
the Gulf system are the Mississippi
and the Rio Grande. The Mississippi
is 1855 miles long, but with it's tribut-
ary, the Missouri, it is 1900 miles
long, 'and it is navigable ullto St.
Anthony Fall, Minneapolis. 1t rises
near Lake Itasca and flows southwark
through the Great Central Plain and
enptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Its
waters are clear until after the Mis-
souri, flows into il, then the water be-
comes very muddy. 1t deposits the
mud at it's mouth, forming a delta. and
extending it's length over q mile every
year. The river is very crooked but
it straightens it's banks forming bay
Gus. Towards its mouth it is higher
than the surrounding country and the
people have built levees along its
banks to keep it from overaowing.
The Rio Grande is l,SOO miles long.
1t rises in Colorado, flows south
through New Mexico and follows the
boundary between Mexico and Texas
emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
Most OF the rivers of the Atlantic
system are short but swift and are
used mostly for running manufactures
and saw-mills. The principal river is
the St. Lawrence. Including the
Great Lakes it is 1884 miles long and
is now navigable to Duluth. 1t con-
tains the most beautiful water of any
river in the world. Its banks are
high bluffs and there is beautiful
scenery along them.
The principal rivers of the Arctic
system are the Mackenzie and Nelson.
The Mckenzie is the outlet of lakes
Great Bear, Great Slave, Wollaston
and Reindeer and it empties into the
Arctic Ocean. The Nelson is the out
let of lakes Winnipeg, Winnipegosis
and Manitoba and empties into
Hudson Bay.
The principal rivers of the Pacific
system are the Yukon, Fraser, Column
bia and Colorado. The Yukon river
is two thousand miles long and it is
navigable about one thousand miles.
1t rises in the northern part of the
Rocky Maintains, flows northwest
through Alaska and empties into
Bering Sea. 1t is the seventh river in
size but it's volume of water is greater
than that of the Mississippi. It is
from six to fifteen miles wide for 500
miles of it's course. The Fraser is six
hundred miles long and is navigable
one hundred and fifty miles. 1t has
many cascades, beautiful scenery and
contains minerals. The difference be-
tween high and low water of the Fraser
is about ninety feet. The Columbia il
400 miles long and is navigable
l about six hundred miles in four sec
tions making portages necessary. 1
is formed by the Columbia Proper
l which rises j in Canada, the Clarl
which rises in southwestern Montana
, and the Lewis which rises in Wint
2 River Mountains, Wyoming. 1t hal
many cascades and deep gorges. 1
7 also has a very swift and clear curren
} and it is noted for it's salmon fisheries
1 The Colorado is formed by the Greer
river which rises in Wind River
t Mountains and the Grand River which
rises in the Rocky Mountains o
northern Colorado. Its course il
southwesterly through Utah ant
Arizona and it empties into the Gull
: of California. Its length is 2,O0(
miles and it is navigable about si2
, hundred miles to the foot of Grani
Canon. It is noted for the canons
which extend one thousand miles o.
J it's course and for it's narrow fertile
valleys, from two to eight miles wide
The deepest canon is about sever
thousand feet deep. There is very