The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-17

With the Money Appropriated by
the Legislature the Limits of the
Preserve Can Be Considerably
Extended-SOme of the Tracts 1t
Is Proposed to Buy-A Trail to Be
Cut Shortly.
Gov. Lind and party, consisting of At
torney General Douglas and Judge Mitch
eli, returned yesterday from what has
proved both a delightful and instructive
visit to the Itasca state park, where sew
eral days were passed in the enjoyment
of the picturesque natural beauties of
the region.
Since making a personal inspection of
the wonderful natural resources of the
park Gov. Lind is more favorably i'm
pressed than ever with the possibilities
of making this the most favored and val
ued park property in the state, and the
enthusiasm of both himself and party is
unbounded.
The object of the visit was to determine
what additional tracts of land at the
| head waters of the Mississippi and con-
tiguOus to the park, could be purchased
with the $4,000 appropriated at the last
session of the legislature, and as the
amount is limited, the selections must
OF necessity be made with care so as to
secure the best land, and at the same
time not exceed the sum at their dis
posaI.
In the opinion of the governor the
limits of the park can be extended one
or two tiers of towns on the west, one
or two on the south, and at least one
on the north of the park, the present
limits of which are thfrty-five miles
square.
The tracts picked out for the purchase
We're McMullens homestead, on the
north arm, and some timber land on the
east arm, which has recently been some
what damaged by fire; a tract between
Mary lake and Itasca, and another ad-
Joining the Mississippi springs. These
purchases will give the state the entire
ittoral Of the lake, with the exception of
that small part at the outflow of the Mis-
sissippi which projects beyond the limits
of the park, and which, Of course, there
is no authority to purchase.
What most impressed the governor
was the great wealth and eXuberance
OF the flora and fauna of the park, the
variety and extent of which is simply
fish of many choice varieties, and there
is an abundance or deer, moose and the
smaller kinds of game. On the little
three-acre island named after School
craft he noted the presence of the fol-
lowing trees and shrubs: Kalsam, birch,
elm, sumac, Eastwood, choke cherry,
hazel, black haW, oak, white pine, Nor
way pine, jack pine, spruce, tamarac,
poplar, ash, diamond willow, dwarf will
low hahn of ,tiIaa6 arroyU x,yOCd cOft
maple, northern dwarf maple, ironwoOd,
Virginia creeper, poison ivy, wild rose,
raspberry, gOoseberry, bitter sweet,
pigeon cherry, June berry, red elder,
wild grape, high bush cranberry, wild
black currant, kinnikinnick - thirty-six
varieties in all. AS for fauna, the park
is already recognized as a sheltered coun-
try by the wild game, though there has
been some poaching. Moose and deer
frequent it. In a boat row of two miles
the governor saw live deer.
In order to facilitate access to the
park the governor has decided to take
sufficient money from his contingent
fund to pay for cutting IL trail from
Mary's lake to Lake Fernando de Soto,
and thence to Mississippi springs, a dis
tance OF from fifteen to twenty miles.
In speaking of the latter, he said he is
convinced that they are the real source
of the Mississippi as claimed both by
Nicollet and Grower.
The scheme of Col. Cooper for a 5000
square mile park he regards as visionary
and contrary to the conditions and habits
of the people. He favors instead num-
Der of small parks at Leech and other
lakes favored by nature.
No great expense is contemplated in
keeping up the park, as all that is need
ed is some good roads, proper care and
fire protection. He things that the park
will yield from 10000 to 100000 feet of
pine annually without impairing it's
growth, and he thinks all land that is
not fit for settling should be reserved