Year: 1861

at Fort Ripley, Rev. E. G. GEAR, to @. W..
WooLEY, Esq, gives the particulars of the
discovery of a beautiful lake, hitherto en-.
tirely unknown to white men, although o7ly
six miles distant from the Fort. We are
permitted to make the following extracts
from the letter:


The first time the existence of the lake
was announced in the fort, was in the early
part of the fall, or the latter part of sum-
mer, by man in the vicinity who goes by
the name of Lying Jack, but nobody be-
lieved him. A man who has the reputation
of lying on all occasions, when the truth
would answer the purpose quite as well, is
seldom believed, even when he speaks the
truth. This is the unfortunate condition of
poor Jack. But it occurred to me that
even Jack would not tell lie without some
motive; and very improbable that he would
fix apon lake within six miles of the Gar
rison, with two small islands in it, to
impose upon the simple, and in the
end make himself more contemplate.
I therefore questioned him on the subject,
and came to the conclusion that Lying Jack
spoke the truth, once at least, in his life.
But in this conclusion could find no one
to coincide, and was laughed at for my ere.
dulity. Soon after, l met companion of
jacks from the city of Grow Wing, and
entered upon the subject with him, and he
affirmed, not only the existence of the lake,
but declared that one of the islands was up
perpendicularly from the water three times
higher than the flag staff. Our flag staff is
reputed to be one hundred and thirty feet
high, and large lake within six miles of
the Post with perpendicular rock in it
three times as high, was an impossibility,
and I was laughed at again for my pains.
l lowered the heighth of the rock to the
level of the flag staff, and maintained the
existence of the lake, upon the credibility
of the witnesses, though I admitted they
might not be credible in other matters. In
deed, knew they could not deceive me in
the material facts of the case. During this
state of things, one of the men, simple
Dutchman. reported that he had been out
to the lake and caught fish, being directed
by Jack to follow the trail beyond the sugar
camp. But the man, after all, could throw
but little light on the subject, and was sup
posed not to be very familiar with truth.
The discussion rather died away, and the
lake came near being forgotten, when one
morning, after guard mount, Capt. Davis,
Mir. Watson and Mr.. Spencer, the sutler,
left the garrison on horseback for parts un-
known. Retreat and tattoo beat off, and
these gentlemen did not make their appear
ance. 1t leaked out that they had gone in
search of the lake, or on some other wild
goose chase. The night was dark, cold,
and rainy. The morning appeared, but the
gentlemen aforesaid did not come with it.
The whole of this community was thrown
into stew, if not into conniptions, for fear
these gentlemen would not turn up. The
Colonel sent out party to look for them.
The party came back no wiser than they
went out-their report was, non inventi
sunt. At last, however, Ito make long
story short } sometime near noon, these gen.
tlemen came into the garrison in very sol.
emn and quiet way, with their garments not
q little "tattered and torn" A more woe.
begone looking trio of adventures could
not easily be found anywhere. They had
been "lost in the woods" and had been more
than twenty-four hours without food, fire,
light, or covering, except the trees of the
forest. To add to their misery, it had rained
all night, and had not the sun shown his
face in the morning and answered the pur-
pose of a compass, no one knows what might
have been their fate. They had found the
way to the sugar camp without difficulty,
and then lost the scent, and became entan-
gled 10 the wilderness. They treed coon,
but did not find the lake. l should have
laughed in my turn, had not the occasion
been rather too solemn, for they felt and
looked as if joke would be out of place.


Well, few days after, Mr.. Spencer
plucked up courage, and started out again,
and, when be returned, proclaimed the lake
discovered, and related many marvels re-
specting it-even making the island higher
than the flagstaff. The exact heighth of this
wonder is not yet ascertained. 1t is quite
curiosity, Notwithstanding. The Colonel,
when the right time came about, sent out a
party of men and cut road through to it,
following, with few deviatiops, the old
Indian trail beyond the sugar BUSH. took
an early opportunity after this to visit the
lake with Mr.. Spencer, and as said in my
other letter, it is the most beautiful sheet of
water / have ever seen. We Judge the dis
tance, from the time it takes horse to walk
it, to be about six miles. -


The lake is from two to three miles in
width, and more than twelve miles long, and
has margin of rare beauty, of fine sand and
pebbles, and broad enough, from the posi-
tion l occupied, as far as the view extended,
to accommodate carriage. 1t is sur
rounded with dark, dense forest of pines
and other timber, with high land opposite
to the position from which I saw it. From
that point, only part Of the lake is seen; for
it turns around headland, and glances off