The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-07-08

out Including the story of the Mississippi and
it has furnished the theme for what seems des-
tined to become of the folk songs of the
nation-"OP Man River"
To Spaniard goes the credit for being the
first white man to stand upon it's banks and
that man was fernando De Soto vino "discov-
cred" the Mississippi in 1541. although there is
possibility that Panflo Narvaez, following the
coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the mouth
of the Mississippi early 1927 or 1928 1t
was in May, 1541, near Chickasaw Bluffs in what
is the state of Mississippi that De Soto,
marching westward in search of gold, refined in
his horse on the east bank of the Great River.
year later he to find watery grave in that
stream and the remnant of his command I'M
der Luis de Moscosco, foated down the river to
the gulf and then made their way back to Mex
leo. So while De Soto has the credit for being
the first white to see the main stream of
the Mississippi. it 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
I'm 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 "Pathfinders of
the west states uUeQulNOCd1y IudI luey ulu
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
river-Marquette, the Jesuit priest and Louis
Joliet, the fur trader, exploring it from the
mouth of the Wisconsin river in 1878 and fol-
lowing it as far south the mouth of the Ar
kansas river; Louis Hennepin exploring it north
no Wisconsin river N thp Falls of ST n
thony; and Rene Cavalier de la Sale in 1852
floating down the Mississippi from the mouth Of
the Illinois to where the Great River empties
into the Gulf, the first to follow it for so
long a 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
fish and French, busy with their struggle for
domination of North America, did no more to
solve the whole mystery of the Mississippi-its
course from source to mouth. No doubt there
was much speculation as to the origin Of this
mighty waterway during this time but it was
not until 1898 that David Thompson, British
surveyor ana 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-
sssppi north to it's headwaters. Pike left ST.
Louis on August g. 1906, in a keel-boat, with 20
men and provisions for four months, under
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, MINI. There winter overlook him
and he built a fort for use as his base of OPP
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 supper source of the Mis-
sissippi"
His discovery" was 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
passed the present site of Duluth. Minn- and
landed at the American Fur company's post of
Fond du Lac. From there he proceeded by
well known route, part waterways and part
portages, up the st. Louis and East Savanna
rivers and down the West Savanna to Sandy
lake He then went up the Mississippi to Upper
Red Cedar lake which was named Cassna (the
present Cass lake, and this lake he confirmed
Pixies report as the true source of the Mis-
siSsippi"
Spaniard, Frenchman, Englishman and Amer
lean had all had their turn at discovery" Of
various parts of the Father of Waters 1t now
remained for a man of another nationality to
take hand in solving the mystery of the river.