Feather stonhaugJi's Geological Report. 157 



wooded, terminates in a low marshy piece of ground, and was 

 here covered with such great quantities of wild fowl, that they 

 made a noise like thunder when they arose. Its extreme 

 length is about thirty-six miles, and it averages about one mile 

 and three-quarters in width ; the north end for a short distance 

 runs north and south, the central part bears nearly east, and 

 at the other end it inclines to the southeast. From here the 

 distance to Lac qui parle is about thirty miles by the St. 

 Peter's, which is only navigable when the waters are high ; 

 the stream was very small when I crossed it, and ran through 

 low meadows of tall wide grass, which fill this continuation of 

 the valley between Lac qui parle and Eatatenka. Having 

 crossed the valley here, I found myself suddenly amongst 

 immense masses of granite in place, isolated from each other, 

 and occupying several hundred acres. Some of these masses 

 are twenty-five feet high, they extend six or eight miles down 

 the valley, and give its name of Eatatenka, or Great Rocks, to 

 the lake. On the south side of this valley, not far from the 

 lake, a stream comes in called Zoozoo Watapah, or Sandstone 

 river ; it rises high up in the prairie, and is a large stream at 

 some seasons. Lower down another stream comes in on the 

 same side, called Chhray Wakon ; this also rises far in the 

 Coteau, and takes its name from a lofty mound near which 

 it passes, named Chhray Wakon, from a miraculous tradition 

 which the Indians have preserved. As they esteem all medi- 

 cine to be miraculous, the voyageurs frequently translate the 

 word wakon, which generally means something supernatural, 

 by " medicine." Thus the French have called this stream 

 riviere de la Montagne Medicine. Advancing to the southeast 

 I found the prairies on fire in every direction, and having 

 regained the canoe, succeeded, with a great deal of exertion, 

 in descending the St. Peter's and in reaching Fort Snelling, 

 which place I left with two feet of snow on the ground, and 

 exceedingly severe weather. 



