The Coolidge examiner., 1932-07-08

out including the story of the Mississippi and
Il has furnished the theme for what seems des-
tined to become of the folk songs Of the
nation-"Or Man River"
To a Spaniard goes the credit for being the
first white man TO stand upon its banks and
that man was fernando De Soto who "dscov-
cred" the Mississippi in 1541, although there is
possibility that Panhlo Narvaez, following the
coast OF the Gulf OF Mexico, saw the mouth
Of the Mississippi as early as 1927 or 1923. 1t
was in May, 1541, near Chickasaw Bluffs in what
Is now the state OF Mississippi that De Soto
marching westward In search of gold, reined In
his horse on the east bank Of the Great River
year Inter he was to find a watery grave in that
stream and the remnant Of his command, un-
der Luis de Moscosco hoated down the river 10
the gulf and then made their way back to Mex
leo. So while De Soto has the credit for being
the first white man TO see the main stream Of
the Mississippi II was his lieutenant, Moscosco,
who was most likely the first white man to see
Its southern terminal.
1t was the French, however, rather than the
Spanish who made the Mississippi one Of the
main routes Of travel in extending their empire
IN the New world. Did Pierre Esprit Radsson
and Medard Chouart Groseillers, fur traders of
Three Rivers, Quebec, discover the Upper Mis-
sissippi in 1859? Some historians say they did
not, but Agnes c. Laut in her "Pathfnders of
the West" states unequivocally that they did
and produces what seems to be abundant proof
to back up her assertions. But whether they
did or didn't reach the Mississippi, only a few
more years were to elapse before Frenchmen
were to be navigating the upper waters of the
Eiver-Marquette, the Jesuit priest, and Louis
Joliet, the fur trader, exploring it from the
mouth of the Wisconsin river in 1913 and fol-
lowing ii as far south as the mouth of the Ar
kansas river; Louis Hennepin exploring it north
from the Wisconsin river to the Falls of st. An
thony; and Rene Cavalier de Ia Sale in 1852
floating down the Mississippi from the mouth of
the Illinois to where the Great River empties
into the Gulf, the first man to follow it for so
long distance and there at the mouth to
raise the banner Of France and take posses
sion of the vast empire drained by this river
IN the name OF his king.
For more than century the white men, Brit
!sh and French. busy with their struggle for
domination of North America, did no more to
solve the whole mystery of the Mississppi-its
course from source to mouth. No doubt there
was much speculation as to the origin of this
mighty waterway during this time but II was
not until 1898 that David Thompson. a British
surveyor and trader for the Northwest company,
while returning to Grand Portage from a trad
ing visit to the Mandan villages in what is now
North Dakota, found the present body of water
known as Turtle lake which he believed to be
the source of the Mississippi.
But his claims were disproved seven years
later by dashing young American army officer.
Lieut. Zebulon NJ. Pike who followed the Mis-
sissippi north to its headwaters. Pike left St
Louis on August 9, 1906. in a keel-boat, with 20
men and provisions for four months, under or
ders, among other things. to ascend the main
branch of the Mississippi to its source" By
October Pike had reached the present site of
Little Falls, Minn. There winter overlook him
and he built a fort for as his base of op-
erations. Undaunted by the bitter weather Pike
started north early in December, travelling by
dog sleds over the frozen river He reached
Sandy lake, Leech lake, which he considered the
main source of the Mississippi" and Upper
Red Cedar lake, now called Cass lake, which he
reported to be the upper source of the Mis-
sissippi"
His discovery" verified IA years later
when Gov Lewis Cass of Michigan territory
led an exploring party to the shores of Cass
lake in 1920 Cass and his party left Detroit on
May "a In three big birch-bark canoes and on
July entered the mouth of the st. Louis river,