364 EXPEDITION TO THE 



life that grow spontaneously, and with a little cultivation it 

 might be made to produce even the luxuries of life. Wild 

 rice grows here in great abundance, and every part is filled 

 V(^ith trees, bending under their loads of fruits, such as plums, 

 grapes, and apples. The meadows are covered with hops 

 and many sorts of vegetables, while the ground is stored 

 with useful roots, with angelica, spikenard, and ground- 

 nuts as large as hen's eggs." We were not so fortunate as 

 to meet with those apples, plums, and other good things, 

 Avhich grew spontaneously sixt)'- years since in the country. 



The St. Peter, in our opinion, probably never can be 

 made a commodious stream ; for although it flows over 

 gradations, and not upon a slant, yet as these gradations 

 are accumulated into the upper third of the distance 

 between Big Stone Lake anil the mouth of the river, 

 the expense of rendering it navigable, by damming and 

 locking, would far exceed the importance of the object. 

 The plan would doubtless be found very practicable, but 

 the scarcity of water during the greater part of the year 

 Avould render these works unavailing. From considera- 

 tions upon which it is unnecessary to dwell, and the accu- 

 racy of which might be disputed, though they appear tons 

 to lead to correct results, we have estimated the fall in the 

 river, or difference of level between the Lac qui parle and 

 the mouth of the river, at about fifty or sixty feet. Accord- 

 ing to this estimate, the average fall does not exceed two 

 or three inches per mile. 



The river having taken a bend to the west, we con- 

 tinued our route in what appeared to have been an old 

 water-course, and, within three miles of the Big Stone 

 Lake, found ourselves on the banks of Lake Travers, 

 which discharges its v/aters by means of Swan or Sioux 



