The Coolidge examiner., 1932-07-08

Iected five small canoes in which to travel, and
engaged additional guides. Early on the
morning of July IL he led party OF 10 persons
out OF Cass lake by way of a stream that he
said was the Mississippi. The travellers as
cended this stream TO Lake Bemidji and then
turned south, following the east fork of the
Mississippi now known as the Yellow Head
or Schoolcraft river to its beginnings In
swamp. They then began TO walk over
hardly noticeable portage path toward the
southwest
This journey across the portage began early
on the morning of July 13. The Yellow Head,
carrying conoe, led the way, and the others
came after, some loaded with baggage, others
bearing canoes. Through woods and under
brush they picked their way in Indian file.
Every step we made seemed TO In
crease the ardor with which we were carried
forward" writes Schoolcraft. "rhe desire OF
reaching the actual source OF stream so cele-
brated as the Misslssippi-a stream which La
Sale had reached the mouth OF, a century and
a half Qacklng a year, before perhaps
predominant; and we followed our guide down
the sides of the last elevation, with the expec-
tation Of momentarily reaching the goal of our
journey. What had been long sought, at last
appeared suddenly. On turning out OF a
thicket, into small weedy opening, the cheer
ing sight of a transparent body of water burst
upon our view 1t was Itasca lake-the source
of the Mississippi"
Having found the lake, Schoolcraft was ready
with a for it. The Indians called it
"Omushkos," the Chippewa name for elk; and
fur-traders, who had knowledge of the lakes
existence used the name Lac La Biche, or Elk
lake According to a story told years later by
Boutwell,, Schoolcraft coined the name "Itasca"
while coasting along the south shore of Su-
perior his westward journey. He had asked
the missionary for some classical words mean
ing true source or head of a river. On piece
of paper Boutwell, wrote down 'veritas" and
''caput" the Latin words for truth and head.
Schoolcraft then cut off the first syllable of
"veritas" did the same with the last syllable OF
''caput," Joined what was left and had Itasca"
Such is the story commonly told, but School
craft himself offers a somewhat different expla-
nation. In his History, Condition, and Pros
poets of the Indian Tribes of the United States"
published in 1855, he included in list of Names
Based on the Indian vocabularies' the name
"Itasca" with the following comment: "From
Ia, to be, totosh, the female breast or origin,
and ka terminal subs, infection"
Schoolcraft and his party remained at Lake
Itasca only few hours. Up the long south
east arm they padded to the island that has
since been known as Schoolcraft island. Here
they put put up pole and raised the Ameri-
can flag. The Yellow Head told the explorers
that a tiny creek that could not be called a
river was all that flowed into Lake Itasca from
the south. Both Schoolcraft and Allen showed
their confidence in the Indian by accepting his
statement Leaving to later explorers the task
of making a detailed examination of the shores
Of the lake, they took their departure through
its northward flowing outlet, which they were
surprised to find about ten feet wide with
an average depth of more than foot. This
was the main stream of the Mississippi, and
they followed it to Cass lake. There, on Star
island called by the explorer Colcaspi or Grand
island Schoolcraft gave the Yellow Head a flag
and the presidents medal thus investing him
with chieftainship." On July 16, three days
after the discovery of Itasca, Schoolcraft and
his men were making their way southwark to
Fort Smelling. From that place the explorers
returned to the Sault by way of the Mississippi
and st. Croix rivers and Lake Superior
Though the existence of Elk lake undoubt-
edly was known to fur-traders long before
Schoocraft's visit on July 13, 1882, historians
have not hestated to honor Schoolcraft the
real dscoverer And so this summer the citi-
zens of Minnesota will celebrate the one-hun-
dredth anniversary of the discovery of the
source of the Mississippi river, confident that it
was the achievement of Henry Rowe School
craft.
% by Western Ne REpaper Unon)