DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
Short rations.--Empty haversacks and depleted
cartridge-boxes.--Statement of Chenowagesic.--Captain Glazier's
diary.--Vivid description.--Coasting Itasca.--Chenowagesic
puzzled.--The barrier overcome.--Victory! the Infant
Mississippi.--Enthusiastic desire to see the source.--The goal
reached.--A beautiful lake.--The fountain head.--An American the
first white man to stand by its side.--Schoolcraft.--How he came
to miss the lake.--Appropriate ceremonies.--Captain Glazier's
speech.--Naming the lake.--Chenowagesic.--Military
honors.--"Three cheers for the explorer."
Captain Glazier had instructed his Indian guides to wake him early the
following morning, July twenty-second; but when he himself awoke at six
o'clock he found the remainder of the party still sound asleep, the
toilsome portages of the preceding day having completely exhausted them.
Rousing his companions, preparations were begun for breakfast, which
consisted of a small piece of bacon and one "flap-jack" each. But the
determination of the previous night had so inspirited all that the small
dimensions of the breakfast were scarcely noticed, and the conversation
turned upon the absorbing topic--would they discover a source of the
Mississippi other than Lake Itasca?
Chenowagesic again repeated his statement that there was another lake to
the south, which he called Pokegama, meaning, "a lake on the side of or
beyond another lake." This lake, he said, was smaller than Itasca, but
contributed to the latter through its largest inflowing stream. Captain
Glazier, therefore, instructed him to guide them to this lake and allow
them to make their own observations regarding it. Accordingly, breakfast
being over, the canoes were launched and the coasting of Itasca begun.
Captain Glazier's own account of the events succeeding this breakfast on
Schoolcraft Island is so clear, and his description brings so vivid a
picture before the eye of the reader, that it is only necessary to quote
the following passages from his diary for the reader to understand the
importance of the discovery which he made:
"Notwithstanding the fact that we were now confronted with empty
haversacks and depleted cartridge boxes my companions were still eager
to follow my lead in the work of exploration beyond Itasca, which from
the beginning had been the controlling incentive of our expedition, the
grand objective towards which we bent all our energies. To stand at the
_source_; to look upon the remotest rills and springs which contribute
to the birth of the Great River of North America, to write 'Finis' in
the volume opened by the renowned De Soto more than three hundred years
ago, and in which Marquette, La Salle, Hennepin, La Hontan, Carver,
Pike, Beltrami, Schoolcraft and Nicollet have successively inscribed
their names, were quite enough to revive the drooping spirits of the
most depressed.
"During our encampment on the island Chenowagesic again reminded me that
he had planted corn there many years before, and that his wigwam once
stood near the spot where we had pitched our tents. He also repeated
what he had told me before launching the canoes at Leech Lake that the
region about Lake Itasca was his hunting-ground, and that he was
thoroughly acquainted with all the rivers, lakes and ponds within a
hundred miles. He further said that Paul Beaulieu was in error
concerning the source of the Great River, and led me to conclude that
the primal reservoir was above and beyond Itasca, and that this lake was
simply an expansion of the Mississippi, as are Bemidji, Cass,
Winnibegoshish and several others.
"Fully convinced that the statements of Chenowagesic were entirely
trustworthy, and knowing from past experience that he was perfectly
reliable as a guide, we put our canoes into the water at eight o'clock,
and at once began the work of coasting Itasca for its feeders. We found
the outlets of six small streams, two having well-defined mouths, and
four filtering into the lake through bogs. The upper end of the
southwestern arm is heavily margined with rushes and swamp grass, and it
was not without considerable difficulty that we forced our way through
this natural barrier into the larger of the two open streams which flow
into this end of the lake.
"Although perfectly familiar with the topography of the country, and
entirely confident that he could lead us to the beautiful lake which he
had so often described, Chenowagesic was for some moments greatly
disturbed by the network of rushes in which we found ourselves
temporarily entangled. Leaping from his canoe he pushed the rushes right
and left with his paddle, and soon, to our great delight, threw up his
hands and gave a characteristic Chippewa yell, thereby signifying that
he had found the object of his search. Returning, he seized the bow of
my canoe, and pulled it after him through the rushes out into the clear,
glistening waters of the infant Mississippi, which, at the point of
entering Itasca, is seven feet wide, and from twelve to fifteen inches
deep.
"Lusty work with our paddles for half an hour brought us to a blockade
of fallen timber. Determined to float in my canoe upon the surface of
the lake towards which we were paddling, I directed the guides to remove
the obstructions, and continue to urge the canoes rapidly forward,
although opposed by a strong and constantly increasing current.
Sometimes we found it necessary to lift the canoes over logs, and
occasionally to remove diminutive sand-bars from the bed of the stream
with our paddles. As we neared the head of this primal section of the
mighty river, we could readily touch both shores with our hands at the
same time, while the average depth of water in the channel did not
exceed ten inches.
"Every paddle-stroke seemed to increase the ardor with which we were
carried forward. The desire to see the actual source of a river so
celebrated as the Mississippi, whose mouth had been reached nearly two
centuries before, was doubtless the impelling motive. In their eagerness
to obtain a first view of the beautiful lake toward which we were
paddling, and greatly annoyed by the slow progress made in the canoes,
my brother and Paine stepped ashore and proposed a race to the crest of
the hill which Chenowagesic told them overhung the lake. To this
proposition of my companions I made objection and insisted that all
should see the goal of our expedition from the canoes. What had long
been sought at last appeared suddenly. On pulling and pushing our way
through a network of rushes similar to the one encountered on leaving
Itasca, the cheering sight of a transparent body of water burst upon our
view. It was a beautiful lake--the source of the 'Father of Waters.'
[Illustration: Lake Glazier--source Of The Mississippi.
Discovered By Captain Glazier, July 22, 1881.]
"A few moments later and our little flotilla of three canoes was put in
motion, headed for a small promontory which we discerned at the opposite
end of the lake. We paddled slowly across one of the purest and most
tranquil sheets of water we had encountered in our voyage. Not a breath
of air was stirring. We halted frequently to scan its shores, and to run
our eyes along the verdure-covered hills which enclose its basin. These
elevations are at a distance of from three to four miles, and are
covered chiefly with white pines, intermingled with the cedar, spruce
and tamarack. The beach is fringed with a mixed foliage of the evergreen
species. At one point we observed pond lilies, and at another a small
quantity of wild rice.
"As we neared the promontory towards which we were paddling, a deer was
seen standing on the shore, and an eagle swept majestically over our
heads with food for her young, which we soon discovered were securely
lodged in the top of a tall pine. The water-fowl noticed upon the lake
were apparently little disturbed by our presence, and seldom left the
surface of the water.
"This lake is about a mile and a half in its greatest diameter, and
would be nearly an oval in form, but for a single promontory which
extends its shores into the lake so as to give it in outline the
appearance of a heart. Its feeders are three boggy streams, two of which
enter on the right and left of the headland, and have their origin in
springs at the foot of sand-hills, from five to six miles distant. The
third is but little more than a mile in length, has no clearly defined
course, and is the outlet of a small lake situated in a marsh to the
south-westward. These three creeks were named in the order of their
discovery: Eagle, Excelsior and Deer. The small lake, which is the
source of Eagle Creek, I called Alice, after my daughter.
"Having satisfied myself as to its remotest feeders, I called my
companions into line at the foot of the promontory which overlooks the
lake, and talked for a few moments of the Mississippi and its explorers,
telling them I was confident that we were looking upon the True Source
of the Great River; that we had completed a work begun by De Soto in
1541, and had corrected a geographical error of half a century's
standing. Concluding my remarks, I requested a volley from their
fire-arms for each member of the party, in commemoration of our
discovery. When the firing ceased, Paine gave me a surprise by stepping
to the front and proposing 'that the newly discovered lake be named
"Glazier" in honor of the leader of the expedition.' The proposition was
seconded by Moses Legard, the interpreter, and carried by acclamation,
notwithstanding my protest that it should retain its Indian name,
Pokegama.
"Much to the surprise of every one, as we were about closing our
ceremonies, Chenowagesic assumed an oratorical attitude, and addressed
me as follows in a few words of true Indian eloquence: 'My brother, I
have come with you through many lakes and rivers to the head of the
Father of Waters. The shores of this lake are my hunting-ground. Here I
have had my wigwam and planted corn for many years. When I again roam
through these forests, and look on this lake, source of the Great River,
I will look on you.'
"The latitude of this lake is not far from 47 deg.. Its height above the sea
is an object of geographical interest which, in the absence of actual
survey, it may subserve the purposes of useful inquiry to estimate. From
notes taken during the ascent it cannot be less than seven feet above
Lake Itasca. Adding the estimate of 1,575 feet submitted by Schoolcraft
in 1832, as the elevation of that lake, the Mississippi may be said to
originate in an altitude of 1,582 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Taking
former estimates as the basis and computing reasonably through the
western fork, its length may be placed at 3,184 miles. Assuming that the
barometrical height of its source is 1,582 feet, it has a mean descent
of over six inches per mile.
"At Lake Bemidji the Mississippi reaches its highest northing, which is
in the neighborhood of 47 deg. 30'. The origin of the river in an untraveled
and secluded region between Leech Lake and the Red River of the North,
not less than a degree of latitude south of Turtle Lake, which was for a
long time supposed to be the source, removes both forks of the stream
outside the usual track of the fur-traders, and presents a good reason,
perhaps, why its fountain-head has remained so long enveloped in
uncertainty."
The information imparted in the foregoing extract brings the whole gist
of the important discovery within the compass of a few paragraphs, and
it will be readily seen from this clear description of the new-found
lake that the source of the Mississippi is at last correctly located.
Many others have attempted to find it: Schoolcraft was sent out by the
Government especially for its discovery, but it remained for Captain
Glazier to successfully accomplish an undertaking which had hitherto
baffled the most determined explorers. This, too, he did entirely at his
own expense, and with no other motive than such as an ardent search
after truth inspires in ambitious minds. He had long doubted that Itasca
was the source of our greatest river. He knew no other way of satisfying
his doubt than by going himself to the remotest headwaters of the mighty
stream. He therefore went there, for with him to think is to determine,
to determine is to act. Friends tried to persuade him he was engaging in
a useless and extravagant expedition, and those to whom he applied for
information respecting the country through which he must pass warned him
that he would have to undergo many hardships; but to all this advice he
turned a deaf ear. His active, energetic, and enterprising temperament
was proof against all fear of discomfort, and his desire to know the
truth overruled every other feeling. And, when at last he stood by the
beautiful lake, the goal of his search, all the trials and annoyances of
his arduous journey sank into insignificance--lost in the depths of his
content.
His companions gazed with delight upon the peaceful scene which lay
before them; and, as they noted the peculiar outline of the lake, what
wonder that the thought came--this was indeed the heart of the
Mississippi, pulsating with life for the great stream flowing onward and
ever onward, enriching and ennobling the land, until at last it loses
itself, by reason of its own vastness, in the waters of the Ocean.
They rejoiced, too, that the first white man to stand at the
fountain-head of America's greatest river was an American--an American
who had fought bravely and suffered many privations for his country. And
as they watched the eagle, whirling in his flight over their heads, they
felt glad that he had chosen this spot for his home, in which to rear
his young in the same proud, free spirit which made him so fit an emblem
for their glorious land.
Much astonishment was expressed by those of the party who were aware of
Schoolcraft's expedition in 1832, that he should have missed finding
this lake so closely connected with Itasca, and various were the
surmises as to the cause of this remarkable oversight. One plausible
suggestion was, that the rushes and reeds had so obstructed the entrance
of the stream into Itasca, that not having a previous knowledge of its
whereabouts, there was nothing surprising in its being overlooked. By
far the most probable theory, however, was advanced by Captain Glazier,
who stated, quoting Schoolcraft himself as authority, that when he
reached Itasca he was too much hurried to make a thorough exploration.
He had made an engagement to meet some Indians in council at the mouth
of the Crow-Wing River, fully seven days' journey from this point, and
he had not more than the seven days to accomplish it. Accordingly, as
his mind had been prepared by his guides all along to accept Itasca as
the true source, he only stopped long enough to see and hurriedly coast
the lake, and then returned to the Indian council on Crow-Wing River.
This is Schoolcraft's own statement, and there can be no doubt that it
is the true reason for his failure to locate the source correctly. He
never saw the beautiful lake to the south of Itasca, fed by the springs
and streams of the marshes which give birth to the Infant Mississippi.
Therefore, he could not know that Itasca was but an expansion of the
stream, like other lakes in its onward course, a sudden growth, as it
were, which gave promise of the vast proportions the mighty giant would
hereafter assume. There would be something almost sad in his coming so
near and yet missing the mark at which he had aimed, if it were not that
he lived and _died_ in the belief that he was right in his assertion
that the great Father of Waters rose in the lake which he, oddly enough,
named Itasca. Oddly, because Itasca is a name given by the Indians to
the mysteries of their religion and necromantic arts, and Schoolcraft,
by his decided statements in regard to the lake, succeeded in enveloping
in mystery the true source for another fifty years. Why it should _ever_
have been a mystery is a question often raised; but there can be no
doubt that it is owing to the fact that no fur traders and but few
Indians ever penetrate the boggy, swampy, lake-covered regions of
Northern Minnesota.
Our explorers, having finished their survey of the lake, now disembarked
and prepared to hold suitable and becoming ceremonies to celebrate their
momentous discovery. First they drank of the clear, cool water to the
health of Captain Glazier, who had led them on to making this grand
achievement. The Captain then thanked them in a few eloquent and
appropriate remarks for their good wishes and also for their faith in
him, and the determination they had shown to stand by him until he had
reached the goal he sought. He spoke, too, of the magnitude and
importance of their discovery, of the knowledge it would add to the
geographical lore of the country, and of the strangeness of the fact
that the source of their mightiest river had so long been a disputed
question. The cause of this he attributed to the peculiarities of the
region in which it rose, the many lakes and swamps making much traveling
impracticable; and recalling the hardships which they themselves had
encountered, expressed his belief that it was not to be wondered at that
earlier explorers had been deterred from making the venture at a time
when civilization was even further remote than it was at present. He
then recounted some of the exploits of the heroic old explorers, and,
reminding his companions that three hundred years had passed away since
white men first beheld the mighty stream by whose cradle they were now
standing, he congratulated them on completing the work begun by De Soto,
Marquette, La Salle, Hennepin and Joliet.
When he had finished Captain Glazier, true to his soldierly instincts,
proposed firing six volleys over the lake, one in honor of each member
of the party. This was accordingly done, and Mr. Paine closed the
ceremonies by leading off with three hearty American cheers for "the
discoverer and the discovery." The Indians chimed in with a Chippewa
yell, and then, while the air was still reverberating with the sound of
their voices, they all paused to take in once more the scene of their
explorations.