. The source of the Mississippi, comprising, I. Letter from Messrs. Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor, & company, II. e supplied b\ under-ground currents and reservoirs from the lakes andthe Height of Land, and, as they cannot bedrained,no amount of settlement or clearing will changethem. They are among the permanent featiuesof the country. Lake Itasca of to-day is the samem its main features that it was when Nicollet wasthere, and for a hundred years before. Its levelmay have been a little higher, tho siurface of Elk Lake may have been a littlo lower, Itasca mayhave spread out over some acres more of
. The source of the Mississippi, comprising, I. Letter from Messrs. Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor, & company, II. e supplied b\ under-ground currents and reservoirs from the lakes andthe Height of Land, and, as they cannot bedrained,no amount of settlement or clearing will changethem. They are among the permanent featiuesof the country. Lake Itasca of to-day is the samem its main features that it was when Nicollet wasthere, and for a hundred years before. Its levelmay have been a little higher, tho siurface of Elk Lake may have been a littlo lower, Itasca mayhave spread out over some acres more of Lake may have been somewhat smaller in itssurface extent ; thus they may have come morenearly together, and nearer to being one continu-ous body of water. But the main features ofthis remarkable basin will remain the same forgenerations to come, and Liike Itasca will bo then,as it is now, the first important reservoir of all thesprings that food the head waters of the MississippiRiver. OBSERVATIONS. Our meteorological observations were takenwith an effort at system ; but it is sufficient, per-. ITASCA LAKE AND VICINITY. FACSIMILE COPY OF NICOLLETSMAP DEPOSITED IN THE OFFICE OP , , lSGG-37. haps, to say that the atmospheric temperaturevaried from 20 to 70 degrees during the five daysthat we were at Lake Itasca, and that we had theextremes of clear weather and invigorating at-mosphere, and of desolate, soaking rain. Theseverest storm overtook us when we were within5 miles of Lake Itasca, and we passed a mostunenviable night in an improvised camp. Wetook tho temperature of the water in Elk Lakeand Lake Itasca when the temperature of the 16 REPORT OF THE I. B. T. & CO. EXPLORATION. atmosphere was 51° F., the temperature of tliewater being 46°. The temperature of the waterin the second lake on Nicollets creek was 42*^. MISHAPS. Among the mishaps wliich invariably attendsuch explorations, were two that are worthy ofnote, — the loss of my revolver, and th
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