Show I I He Found the Source Father terse ut hla 1 J Y e K i v 2 x i t gr v fe m I s IVr f i t c. c v v vi S Ss s e 4 S Yn inq at Lake Itasca in 1832 U tR t a a. a 1 i a aKif aK c r r o if v ri l f lr 0 w r y S a H n R bM r P Schoolcraft 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE ng Indians called it Tho The FaCher Father Father Fa Fa- Fa- Fa 1 ther Cher of Waters Waters thIs this mighty I stream which flows south r It r through the heart of ot the North l J American continent Its mystery r Its majesty and Its o Q power capo captivated cap cap- i o the imagination of the 4 t r e first white men to hear of It and ilIA 6 sent them upon perilous Journeys Jour jour- I tJ I ne s 's into the wilderness to gaze Iii Z upon the broad sweep of Its wa wa- U I tors The epic of American his history tory could not be complete without without without with with- out Including the story of the Mississippi and It has furnished the theme for what seems destined destined destIned des des- tined to become one of the folk songs of ot the nation Ol 01 Man River To o a Spaniard goes the credit for being the first white man to stand upon its banks and that man was Hernando De Soto who dov d discovered ov- ov ered the thc Mississippi In 1541 although there Is a possibility that Panfilo Narvaez following the coast of the Gulf Gull of ot Mexico saw the mouth of ot the Mississippi as ns early as 1527 or 1528 It was In May 1541 near Chickasaw Bluffs muffs In what Is now the state of Mississippi that De Soto marching westward In search of ot gold reined In his horse on the east bank of the Great Grent River A year later he was to find a watery grave In that stream and the remnant of at his command Under under under un un- der Luis de floated down the river rh-er to the gull gulf and then made their way back to Mex Mex- ico lea So while De Soto has hns the credit for being the first white man to see the tile main stream of ot tho Mississippi It was his lieutenant who ho was most likely the first white man to see e Its southern terminal It was the French however rather than the Spanish who made the Mississippi one ono of the main routes of ot tra travel tra l In extending their empire In the New world Did Pierre Esprit Radisson and Medard Cho art Groseillers fur traders of Three Rivers Quebec discover the Upper MississippI Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- In 1650 Some historians say they did not but Agnes C. C Laut In her Pathfinders of ot the West states unequivocally that they tIley did and produces what seems to be abundant proof to back up her assertions But whether they did or didn't reach rench the tho tho- tho Mississippi only n a few tew more years were to elapse before Frenchmen were to be navigating the upper waters of ot the river river Marquette Marquette the Jesuit priest and Louis Jollet Joliet the fur trader exploring It from the mouth of ot the Wisconsin river in 1673 and following followIng following fol fol- lowing It as ns far south as the mouth of the Arkansas Arkansas Ar Ar- kansas river Louis Hennepin exploring It north from the Wisconsin river rier to the Falls of St SL Anthony Anthony Anthony An An- thony and Rene Cavalier de la Salle In 1632 floating down the Mississippi from the mouth of ot the Illinois to where the Great River empties Into the Gulf Gult the tho first man to follow it for so 80 long a distance and there at the mouth to raise ralso the banner of France and take possession possession posses posses- sion Ilon of ot the vast empire drained by this river In the name of ot his king For more than a century the white men men British British Brit Brit- ish and French Fren-ch busy with their struggle for domination of ot North America did no more to solve the whole mystery of the Mississippi Mississippi Its Its course from source to mouth No doubt there was much speculation as to the origin of this mighty waterway during tills this time but it was not until 1708 that David Thompson a British surveyor and trader for the Northwest company while returning to Grand Portage from a tradIng trading trading trad trad- ing visit to the Mandan villages In what Is now North Dakota found the present body of water known as Turtle urtle lake which ho believed to bethe bethe be betho the tho source of ot the Mississippi But Dut his claims were disproved seven Beven years later by a dashing young American army officer Lieu Zebulon M. M Pike who followed the Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- north to Its headwaters Pike left SL St StLouis Louis on August 0 9 1805 In a keelboat keel with 20 men and provisions for four months under orders orders orders or or- ders among other things to ascend the main branch of the Mississippi to Its source By October Pike had readied reached the present site of Little Falls Minn There winter overtook him and he ho built bunt a n fort for use as his base of or op op- Undaunted by tho the bitter weather Place pike started north early In December traveling by dog sleds bleds over the frozen river He lie reached Sandy lake Leech lake which he considered the main source of or the Mississippi and Upper Red Cedar lake now called caned Cass Cam lake hake which he reported to be the upper source of ot the Mis Mis- His discovery cry was verified 14 11 years later when Gov Lewis Cass of ot Michigan territory led lcd an nn exploring party to the tile shores of ot Cass lake In 1820 Cass and nd his party left Detroit on May 24 21 In three big birch bark canoes and on July C b entered the mouth of ot the St St. Louis river riper Lake Itasca M passed the present site of Duluth Minn an and landed at the American Fur company's post o of Fond du Lac From there he proceeded by bywell a awell awell well known route part waterways and par part portages up the St. St Louis and East Savanna Savann rivers and down the tho West Savanna to Sand Sandy lake He lIe then went up the Mississippi to Upper Red Cedar lake which was named Cassina Hi the present Cass lake and this lake he confirmed Pikes Pike's report as ns the true source of the Mis Mis- But Pike was not destined to have hav havethe havethe the honor of ot becoming the discoverer eror of the th true source of or the Mississippi That honor was to be reserved for an AmerIcan American Amerlean Amer Amer- Ican lean mineralogist named Henry Rowe Schoolcraft Schoolcraft Schoolcraft School School- craft and It Is his feat which Is the occasion fo foan for foran foran an Interesting centennial celebration In n Minnesota Min Min- this summer On July 13 3 1832 Schoolcraft Schoolcraft School School- craft discovered what Is now known as ns Lake Lak Itasca and which has officially been determined the true head of the Mississippi and In recognition recognition of that fact twelve communities In the vicinity of Itasca state park organIzed Into what Is known as ns the Ule Northwestern Minnesota Historical association will commemorate the I event with a n pageant which Is free to the tile publIc public pub pub- lIc He which will be staged on the tile banks of ot Lake Itasca and to which the tho whole nation Is Invited The dates for the pageant ar are July 13 10 16 and 31 August 14 11 and 2 23 and September 4 In addition addition addi- addi tion to these pageants the Minnesota Historical society will m hold Its annual meeting In the park on July 10 16 and most of ot Its program will be devoted devoted devoted de de- de- de voted to the history of ot Schoolcraft's exploration Few stories of ot exploring expeditions and discoverIes discoveries dis- dis In American history have hae so many romantic romantic ro ro- mantic mantle elements In them as has the story of ot Schoolcraft's achievement He was born at nt HamIlton Hamilton Ham Ham- Ilton N N. Y March 28 1703 and was educated at Middlebury and Union colleges Schoolcraft was one of ot the first Americans to become Interested Interested interested In In- In mineralogy and geology and because of ot those Interests made his first trip to the Mississippi MississIppI Mis Mis- valley In 1817 Schoolcraft accompanied Governor Cass' Cass expedition expedition expedition ex ex- In 1820 as ns mineralogist and although he seems to have accepted Cass Cass' belief that Cass lake was the true source of the Mississippi the mineralogist took careful note of that fact tad that thai Cass lake had two Inlets Indicating that there must be some body of ot water which fed ted Cass Cam lake ako and which therefore might more properly be regarded as the source But nut he had hael no opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- op- op at the tho time to pursue his In 1822 the semi-diplomatic semi position of Agent o of Indian Affairs In the Northwest was created nn and t Schoolcraft being best fitted for forthe the he post because of ot his knowledge of the InMans Indians Indians In In- Mans was given glen tho the appointment In 1832 COPS Cass who was wa then s secretary of ot war Instructed his former mineralogist to conduct conduct conduct con con- duct an exploration into the country west wet of the Great Lakes the tho principal purpose ose being one of ot pacification For tho the had hUll received a painted war club and pipe from Chief Black Hawk of ot the Sauls who was preparing to resist what he ho considered the unjust aggressions of the whites In the state o of Illinois Schoolcraft was Instructed to checkmate the activities of tho the Sank Sault leader among the to try to bring about a lasting asting peace between them and their hereditary bored bored- tary enemies the Sioux to gather as much Information about them as he could and to see to It that as many as possible were vaccinated vac vac- ac- ac For purposes of evangelical observation ob ob- ob- ob a missionary William T. T Boutwell was attached to the party Dr Douglass Houghton Hough Hough- ton on went to vaccinate the Indians and a military milItary mil mil- tary escort consisting of ten en soldiers commanded command command- ed by James Allen was provided Schoolcraft's party te left t Sault Ste. Ste Marie on June 7 1832 and went by way of or Fond Fowl du Lac and the Savanna portage to Sandy and Cass lakes akes While be he was still sUll on Lake Superior he met or the tho Yellow Head a n Chippewa Chippewa Chip- Chip ewa Indian whoso whose home was vas at Cass lak lake This Indian was hired to guide ulde the party He lie Heed led ed the explorers to Star Island In Cass Cam lal mice lake e where his village was located From this place Schoolcraft planned to push on Into the wilderness through one of or tho the inlets that he had observed In 1820 1520 hoping to Und rind the true source of ot the Mississippi The Yellow Head who know knew the region well was ready read to help him He Be Ie drew maps col col- d five fie small canoes In which to travel and engaged additional guides Early on tho the morning of July 11 he ho led a party of ot 10 16 persons out of ot Cass Cam lake by way of a stream that he said was the Mississippi The travelers ascended ascended ascended as as- this stream to Lake BemidJI and then turned south following the tho east enst fork of ot the Mississippi now known as the Yellow Head Hend or Schoolcraft river to Its beginnings In a swamp They then began to walk over a hardly noticeable portage path toward the southwest This Journey across the portage began early earlyon on the morning of ot July 13 The Tho Yellow Head nead carr carrying a conoe led the tho way and the others othera came after some loaded with baggage others othera bearing canoes Through woods and underbrush underbrush underbrush under under- brush they picked their way in Indian file tHe Every step we made seemed to increase Increase increase in In- crease the ardor with which we were carried forward writes Schoolcraft The desire of reaching the actual source of a 0 stream so celebrated celebrated celebrated cele cele- as the Mississippi Mississippi-a a stream which La LaSalle LaSalle Lasane Salle sane had reached the tho mouth of or a n century and a half nalI lacking a year before was perhaps predominant and we followed our guide down the sides of the last lost elevation with the expectation expectation tation of ot momentarily reaching the goal of our Journey What had been Ion long sought at nt last appeared suddenly On turning out of a thicket into a small weedy opening the cheerIng cheerIng cheering cheer- cheer Ing sight of or a transparent body of water burst upon our view It was Itasca Hasca lake the lake the source of the Mississippi Having found the lake Schoolcraft was ready with a name for tor It The Indians called It the tho Chippewa name for tor elk and traders fur who had knowledge of the lakes lake's existence used the name Lac La Ln Bache or Elk lake According to a story told years later by Boutwell Schoolcraft coined the tho name Itasca while coasting alon along the south shore of ot Superior Superior Superior Su Su- Su- Su on his westward Journey He had asked the missionary for some classical words meanIng meaning mennIng mean mean- Ing true source or head of or a river On a n piece of paper Boutwell wrote down crIbs veritas and caput tho the Latin words for truth and head Schoolcraft then cut off orr tho the first syllable of at veritas did lid the same with the last syllable of ot caput Joined what was left and had Itasca Such Is the story commonly told but Schoolcraft Schoolcraft Schoolcraft School- School craft himself offers a somewhat different nation In his History Condition and Pros peets of ot the Indian Tribes of the United States published In 1855 1555 he included In a list of Names Based on tho the Indian Vocabularies the name Itasca Hasca with the following wIng comment From Fromin la in to be the female breast or origin and ka ha a terminal subs BUDS inflection Schoolcraft and his party remained at nt Lake Itasca only a few hours Up Ul the long southeast southeast south south- east enst arm they paddled to the Island that has since been known as Schoolcraft Island Here they put put up a 0 pole and raised the thc American American Ameri Ameri- can flag The Yellow Head told the explorers that a n 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 or making a detailed examination of the shores of ot the lake they took their departure through h hits its ts northward flowing outlet which they were Vere surprised to find about ten feet teet wide with an nn average depth of ot more than titan a foot This was the main wain stream of ot the Mississippi and they followed It to Cass Cam lake There on Star Island called by the explorer or Grand Grauel I island Schoolcraft gave the Yellow Head a tI flag Hag and the presidents president's medal thus Investing him with chieftainship On Ou July 10 16 three days duys after the discovery of ot Itasca Schoolcraft und and his ils men were making their way southward to Fort Snelling I From rom that place the explorers returned to the Sault by way of the MI Mississippi and St St. Croix rivers and Lake Superior Though the existence of ot Elk Elle luke lake undoubtedly undoubtedly edly was known to traders fur long before Schoolcraft's visit on July 13 1832 historians have hu not hesitated to honor Schoolcraft as the ther thereal r real cal 11 discoverer And so BO this summer the tho citi- citi ens of Minnesota will celebrate the one one hun hun hun- anniversary of ot the tho discovery of at the source of ot tho the Mississippi river confident that It was the achievement of Henry Rowe 1 craft raft cc Q by Por Union |