The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-08-19

States and Canada the International
Joint Commission is at present m
vestigating and preparing to report
as to whether the levels of certain
lakes forming the boundary between
Minnesota and Ontario shall DE
changed.
Location of Rainy .-aAe watershed
The ,aAes IN question begin at
North Lake, about forty miles west
of Lake Superior, and extend to
kainy Lake on the west. They IN
% clude. besides, such weli-knoWn
bodies as Saganaga, KNIFE, bass
wood, Crooked, La Croix, Loon ana
Namakan as well as numerous others
not directly on the boundary put
direcL4y connected. Their course Is
westerly and their intricate net
work forms what is known as the
kalny Lake watershed, vast for
lied lake land of 14,5OO square
miles draining both sides OF the
boundary and flowing maJestlcaiiy
out of Rainy Lake, down Rainy River
into Lake of the Woods, thence down
the Winnipeg River to winnipeg
Lake and eventually by way Of Mel
son river to Hudson Bay-one OF
the imposing water systems OF the
continent.
Public Importance
For the people of the United
States and of Canada, both those
resident in this region and those at
a distance, the present investlga-
ton has a two-fold interest. In the
first place, they must pay the COM
missions bills, covering period OF
years and involving among other
items expensive surveys and engin-
eering reports. Secondly and all
important, they have acquired
UNIQUE interest in the region itself.
In the past twenty years tourists
and summer jewellers from all parts
of the Union and Canada have
learned to love and tire lsure it. More
than that both countries have set
side in the heart of it contiguous
4 -.acts of more than three million
4 ores dedicated to public purposes.
These are known as the Quetlco
Park in Ontario and the Superior
E Rational Forest in Minnesota.
Who Desires Changes
1t so happens that in September,
1925, the Joint Commission held
nearing at international Falls at
hich appeared on of the master
builders of the state, Mr.. E. w.
ackus of Minneapolis, with plan
or converting the boundary lakes
rom International Falls on Rainy
& liver to North Lake near Lake Su-
E ,erior into storage basil-s, the pur-
ose being to augment power posi-
bilities at points on Rainy River
and especially Winnipeg River. His
was the only comprehensive plan pre-
sented for the serious consideration
of the commission and of the two
hundred other delegates present. AS
such, it would seem important to
make a careful and fair analysis of
the proposal in terms Ineligible to
the Iayman, who may be unfamiliar
with conditions. In other words,
what precisely does Mr.. Backus pro-
pose to do with these boundary
lakes, which have assumed such ma
ance and what will be the effect of
his developments, if authorized by
the commission and their respective
governments?
What the Proposal IL
Briefly summarized, the plan Is
to make certain changes in the
dams, which Mr.. Backus already has
at the outlets of Rainy and Namakan
lakes, and to build seven new stor-
age dams, as follows: two on Lac
La Croix, one on Crooked Lake. two
on Eastwood, and two on Saganaga.
According to Mr.. Backus' own esti-
mates Rainy Lake will be raised
three feet above it's present highest
level, Namakan one foot, Lac La
Croix sixteen feet, Crooked and
Saganaga fifteen feet each, and
Eastwood five feet. 1t must be re-
membered that Rainy and the Mama
kan chain of lakes are controlled
by Mr.. Backus' present dams and
maintained at artificial levels far
above the normal. Comparing his
figures on the other lakes to the
high water elevations shown on the
geographical and Typographical maps
of the region, it is significant to
note that the extent to which the
levels will be raised figures out as
follows: Iac La Croix and Crooked
lakes nineteen feet each, Saganaga
fifteen feet, and Eastwood sixteen
feet.
Extent of Boundary Involved
To avoid argument let US take Mr..
Backus' own estimates. The dis
tance along the boundary by shrot-
est canoe route from Saganaga to
international Falls may be roughly
estimated for our purposes at 100
miles In this distance it is Mr..
Bacl1us' purpose to hold at artificial
heights, varying up to 16 feet above
the natural high mark, every lake
and river except a group of smaller
lakes, including Bottle, Iron, Birch
Carp, Knife and Cypress. In other
words, he will impound the waters
of all but one-fifth of this stretch |
of the international boundary, to-
gether with their immediate tribu- |
taries on both sides.
Diversion from Canadian Waters
This is not all. What is not so |
generally known, the plan depends
for its success upon diverting two
of the main lakes into new channels. |