which is undisputed, this period is
reduced to 290 years. Hennepin saw it as high as the mouth of the river
St. Francis in 1680. Lt. Pike, under the administration of Mr.
Jefferson, ascended it by water in 1805, near to the entrance of Elk
River, south of the Crow Wing Fork, and being overtaken at this spot by
frosts and snow, and winter setting in strongly, he afterwards ascended
its banks, on snow shoes, his men carrying his baggage on hand sleds, to
Sandy Lake, then a post of the North-west Company. From this point he
was carried forward, under their auspices, by the Canadian train
_de-glis,_ drawn by dogs to Leech Lake; and eventually, by the same
conveyance, to what is now denominated Cass Lake, or upper _Lac Cedre
Rogue_. This he reached in January, 1806, and it formed the terminus of
his journey.

In 1820, Gen. Cass visited Sandy Lake, by the way of Lake Superior, with
a strong party, and exploratory outfit, under the authority of the
government. He encamped the bulk of his party at Sandy Lake, depositing
all his heavy supplies, and fitted out a light party in two canoes, to
trace up the river to its source. After ascending to the point of land
at the entrance of Turtle River into Cass Lake, it was found, from
Indian accounts, that he could not ascend higher in the state of the
water with his heavy canoes, if, indeed, his supplies or the time at
his command would have permitted him to accomplish it, compatibly with
other objects of his instructions. This, therefore, constituted the
terminal point of his journey.

The length of the river, from the Gulf of Mexico to Itasca Lake, has
been estimated at 3,160 miles. Barometrical observations show its
altitude, above the same point, to be 1,680 feet--which denotes an
average descent of a fraction over six inches per mile.

The latitude of Itasca Lake has been accurately determined to be 47 deg. 13'
35"--which is nearly two degrees south of the position assigned to it by
the best geographers in 1783, the date of the definite treaty of peace
between the United States and Great Britain.

The reason of this geographical mistake has been satisfactorily shown in
traversing up the stream from the summit of the Pemidjegomag, or
Cross-water Lake--during which, the general course of the ascent is
due south.

CHAPTER XLIV.

Descent of the Mississippi River, from Itasca Lake to Cass Lake--Traits
of its bank--Kabika Falls--Upsetting of a canoe--River descends by
steps,