The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-08-29

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E. III. Thompson, of indianapolis, is
canoeing on the lakes at the head
waters of the Mississippi river, writes
from Bemidji, Mimi, as follows;
The difficulties in navigating the
upper Mississippi are artificial and
natural-no logs at present are run
from Lake Itasca, nor, for that mat
ter, ever will be. The farmers have
built fences across the stream and
made foot log bridges. One man who
had a barbed-wire fence over our path
way, we inwardly cursed and another
we blessed for making a swinging
gate. Foot bridges not six inches
higher than the water obliged us to
unload and make a portage TO the
farther side. Even bridges for wag-
onS were too low to permit the boat
going under them.
The natural hindrences were trees
which had fallen across the stream,
and the little water and great rocks
in the rapids. The average depth of
water was about two feet. Granite
boulders were four feet i'm height, and
so thick in places as to prevent pas
sage. There was nothing to do but
to get into the stream and lift our
craft over these rocks. So instead of
making ten miles an hour, we made
scarcely one. We were somewhat
comforted after two days of such slow
progress. in one of which we had cut
away five trees in the distance of a
mile, to learn that one man had been
five and one-half days making the
same distance.
After the rapids came the great rice
marshes, through which the river
slowly moves, going from one side to
the other, in some instances but a few
rods below thesupper turn. How far
from here to Bemidji? Thirty miles
by road and ninety by river.
For considerable part of the river
there are hay marshes, and this grass
is now being cut and stacked. There
the river is bridged by foot logs for
the accommodation of the haymakerS.
L
Twice have / been knocked into the
river in trying to pass under them.
1t would have broken the monotony,
at least to have heard the merry laugh
of some girl and her apology: 81
am SO sorry, but l can't help it. You
did look so funny hanging on to the
log, and your feet in the end of the
boat" But this wetting is matter
of course However, / have learned
the art of getting on these logs and
letting the boat pass under. There is
a knack the greeny has to acquire.
The yield of grass is simply enor-
nous. Four tons of hay to the acre is
not an unusual yield. Stacks are al
most as thick as shocks of grain in a
wheatfield. We passed couple of
wanagans-hOuseboats, in which the
lawmakers eat and sleep. These
boats are moved to some place handy
to the grass cutters, and i'm them they
live through the season. From where
/ sit on a hillside the hills on the
farther side forming the boundary of
the great marsh impress one that it
was once lake. This country will not
long be so largely waste; the home of
the water fowl.
Slowly the annual vegetation is fl
ling it up. Then there is the wash
from the hills. Uncle Sam, some day,
will straighten this stream. and thous-
ands of acres will become arabic.
Springs at various places making yell
low the grass and stones indicate iron
and sulphur. A possible Saratoga is
in this region. There is a natural
beauty in river, marsh and highland,
which can be made more charming by
the hand of man. The edges of these
immense marshes wild rice) are firing
ed by tamarack and beyond them the
Norway and white pine. There is a
little oak and more white birch. Will
lows in places mark the course of the
stream.
The river at this point is perhaps a
little wider than the White at Ind
annapolis, but with ten times the vol
ume of water 1t is deep. Some
miles farther back, where itwas wider
and the current much swifter than
at the ford and the depth was more
than three feet. Through these say
annas the stream is deeper and more
sluggish than through the hills.
Ducks, cranes, bitterns and smaller
waterfowl continually rise before us.
The mink and the water rat ripple
the waters. As we were moving ]
shot at some small bird with my rifle,
and cut off its tail feathers. For
quite mile we were followed by birds
of the same kind, which loudly ac-
cused us of the indignity offered one
of the family.
/ must not omit the prettiest pict-