The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-11
DOES THIS SETTLE IT?
HAS THE SOURCE OF THE MlsslS-
SlPPl BEEN POSITIVELY FIxeDl


tie Stream That Nicollet Christened tn.
''CradIed Achilles"
Il have stepped across the Mississippi
river. said DIR. Coues. lit was easy, fol
the stream was only about s inches wide
and inches deep have seen the Fa
Their 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 flood.
1.-The story of the search for the source
of the Mississippi reads like romance.
After the discovery of the upper river in
1913 by Joliet and Marquette, and the
discovery of the falls of st. Anthony in
1880, by Hennepin, little more was
known of the Father of Waters for near.
ly a century. In 1895 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 "a 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 Itasca in 1903 or 1904 He
never published anything ON the SUBJ
tct, 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, Mimi. He got no
farther with boats, and No continued his
journey through thewinter of lS05-6 on
snowshoes and with sledgos 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
lin 1920 the Hon Lewis Cass &C
companied by Henry II. Schoolcraft, the
historian, went. oman exploring expedi-
ton up the Mississippi as. far as Cass
lake, so has,sed aetthe time. by School
craft In 1923 aheftalian Traveller, j. g.
Beltrami, went over DAVID Thompson s
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
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 ltasca 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. The 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 ltasca, 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 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. 1t should
be understood that the Mississippi runs
from its source directly northward for
distance of 80 miles before turning about
in sort of fishhook bend and starting
southwark. To the baby stream before it
enters Lake Itasca, Nicollet gave the po-
etio name of Graded Achilles. He es-
tablished its course in connection with
three small lakes, since named Upper,
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, Ion
yitude and altitude with such accuracy
that subsequent surveys have only con-
irmed and amplified his observations
'"The whole subject of which have
been speaking was befogged and thrown
nto dispute recently by certain Cap
who, apparently for no
,ther purpose than to,advertise himself,
his alleged discovery Of new
md true source of the Mississippi. By
educing the size of Lake Itasca, ignor@
ng Nicollet's Graded Achilles, magni- |
ying small side lake which he called |
lake Glazier, and by stretching out one
Il the feeders of the latter, he produced |
! distorted map which actually imposed
m the ROYAL Geographical society of |