278 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



a scattered and interrupted nature. 

 White and Norway pines occur on the 

 rocky ledges, together with such decidu- 

 ous species as green ash, mountain ash, 

 choke cherry, pin cherry, poplars, 

 alders, and willows. Vacciniums, 

 ledum, bearberry, and other heaths are 

 abundant over the rocky substratum. 



The fauna includes Virginia deer, 

 mink, marten, timber wolf, snowshoe 

 hare, and red squirrel. 



Streams swift to torrential, clear, 

 800-1200 ft. precipitous. 



(a) Duluth + 10 mi. south. N. P. 

 Great Northern and Soo Line R. R. 

 5 mi. east from (w) Thompson. 



Oarleton County, Minn.— C. O. R. 



*Minnesota National Forest'\. (B2.) 

 A large tract of 322,560 acres embracing 

 the Chippewa, Cass Lake and Winne- 

 bagoshish Indian Reservations. It is 

 situated in northern Cass and southern 

 Itasca counties and extends from Cass 

 Lake on the west, south to Leech Lake 

 and eastward to beyond Winnebagoshish 

 Lake; glacial topography, consisting of 

 undulating till and modified drift and 

 extensive outwash plains. Northern 

 coniferous forest made up largely of 

 white, Norway, and jack pines, tama- 

 rack, and spruce; scattered areas of 

 deciduous forest in which birch, poplar, 

 elm, ash, red oak, balsam, poplar, and 

 sugar maple predominate. There are 

 large cut-over areas, but also extensive 

 tracts of original forest. The largest 

 and finest stands of Norway pine still 

 to be found in the state occur in this 

 forest. Second-growth timber on cut- 

 over areas made up principally of birch, 

 poplar, jack pine, norway pine, hazel, 

 l)in cherry, and scrub oaks. Muskegs 

 and spruce-tamarack swamps numerous 

 and of great extent. Over 507o of the 

 tamarack killed by the ravages of the 

 saw fly; the dead trees for the greater 

 part still standing. Marshes, streams, 

 lakes, and ponds numerous. 



Fauna varied and abundant, including 

 Virginia deer, black bear, beaver, 

 timber wolf, coyote, fox, mink, marten, 

 skunk, porcupine, snowshoe hare, and 



squirrels, together with a great variety 

 of water fowl and fish. 



Lakes young, clear; streams clear, 

 moderate. 1300-1400 ft.; rolling. 



Cass Lake + 12 mi. E. Great North- 

 ern R. R. Around Schley; Camping 

 outfit necessary. Cass and Itasca 

 Counties.— C. O. R. 



*Itasca State Park]. (H8.) This 

 state park embraces approximately 

 30,000 acres, at the headwaters of the 

 Mississippi River. It is a region of 

 rough, glacial topography, made up of 

 terminal moraines of several lobes 

 of the late Wisconsin drift, gravelly 

 outwash plains; low, swampy areas, 

 and numerous lakes and ponds. The 

 park lies within the northern coniferous 

 area of Minnesota but there are con- 

 siderable patches of deciduous forest 

 as well as a considerable admixture of 

 birch, aspen, basswood, elm, and maple 

 in many places throughout the conifer- 

 ous forest. The principal hardwood 

 trees are white birch, white elm, green 

 and black ash, bur oak, red and sugar 

 maple. 



The climax forest on the clayey 

 moraines, in some places not touched 

 by the lumberman, is made up almost 

 wholly of Norway and white pine. On 

 the gravelly outwash plains, it consists 

 almost exclusively of jack pine, with 

 either a few scattered trees, or occasional 

 small patches of Norway pine. The 

 climax forest of the swamps is mostly a 

 mixture of tamarack and black spruce. 

 The balsam fir occurs abundantly and 

 in various situations. Often it is found 

 in the mixed evergreen, deciduous 

 forest, on clayey moraines; at times it 

 grows with ash and elm in low or swampy 

 areas, or it may form almost solid 

 patches of second growth on cut-over 

 areas. 



Considerable areas of the park were 

 cut over thirty years ago and these are 

 now found in various stages of reforesta- 

 tion. On the gravelly and sandy out- 

 wash plains occur dense stands of j'oung 

 jack pine; on the more gravelly moraines, 

 jack pine and Norway pine; while on the 



