249 
A TRIP IN THE LITTLE FORK, NETT RIVER COUNTRY, MINNESOTA 
BY 
ALBERT B. REAGAN, 
On May 13th Mr. Charles Hartman, Register of the Duluth Land Office, 
and myself set out from the Indian Agency at Nett Lake, Minnesota, on a 
trip in the Little Fork and Nett Lake river valleys. We had camping out- 
fit and had hired three Indians with canoes to take us from place to place 
as we desired. We left the agency at about 2 P. M. and canoed westward 
five miles across Nett Lake and descended Nett river. That night we stayed 
at Glen Thompson’s homestead on the west side of the Bois Fort reserve. 
The next day we camped where the D. R. L. & W. Ry. Co. switch from the 
main line at Kinmount crossed Nett river in the logging days of 1908 on the 
reservation. At this juncture we sent two Indians back to the agency for 
more supplies. This delayed us a day, most of which was spent in camp and 
in visiting the country in the vicinity of the same. May 16th and 17th found 
us at the falls on Nett river. On the 18th we went on down the river to 
where it joins the Little Fork to Dead Man’s rapids and on Monday 1 
walked overland to Celler’s rapids still further up stream. On the 21st we 
descended the Little Fork 65 miles to the town of Little Fork. Here we paid 
off the Indians and Mr. Hartman and myself proceeded on to Big Falls on 
the Big Fork river by railway, some 20 miles southwest of Little Fork 
post office. We spent the 22d at Big Falls and then took the evening train 
northward for home by way of International Falls. Mr. Hartman stopped 
a day at the latter place. but I went on the first train south from Ranire 
over the D. R. L. & W. Ry., arriving at Nett Lake May 23. 
We had been out in all less than ten whole days. We had traveled more 
than 200 miles by water and a little less than 100 miles by railroad. We 
also saw much country that has hitherto received but little mention. 
From its confluence with Little Fork river from where it leaves Nett lake, 
Nett river is a very crooked, much meandering stream. It is some fifty miles 
in length as it runs, while a footman can walk from its mouth to its source 
in one day by cutting across the meanders. The general direction of the 
stream is north of west. Sixteen miles from where it leaves Nett lake, as it 
runs, are a series of pronounced falls, three in number. The distance be- 
tween the first falls and the third is approximately one mile. The first and 
second falls are over Laurentian granites and allied Archaeon rocks. ‘The 
third falls are over upturned lower Huronian rocks along fault lines, cross- 
ing the river at right angles to its course. 
Nett river has but little fall from where it leaves Nett lake to the fall line, 
Its banks do not average four_feet in height and much of the region adja- 
cent to the river is a Swamp. There is evidence that in very recent geolog- 
ical time Nett lake extended to the falls and covered an area of 500,000 
acres instead of 3, of a township as it does now. Furthermore, should 
an earth disturbance raise the falls twelve feet, it would convert the region 
back into a huge lake and the lowering of the same falls twelve feet would 
soon make Nett lake dry. 
