Mound Builders in Northeastern Minnesota — Stuntz. 85 



of land and the mountains that divide the waters of the gulfs of 

 St. Lawrence and Mexico from those that flow north intoHudsons 

 bay. Crossing that summit and descending Pike river Vermillion 

 lake is reached. Traditions of the Chippewa Indians inform us 

 that they found these trails in their present condition when they 

 drove the Sioux Indians out and took possession of the country. 



AVhoever these people were, they have left some traces of 

 their partial civilization and some evidences of their migrations 

 and settlements, as well as of their occupations. They were a com- 

 mercial people. They navigated the rivers and improved the chan- 

 nels of many of them on their great water routes by rock dams, so 

 as to shorten the portages — a species of slack water improvement 

 that greatly facilitated their travels. 



They had settlements at Vermillion lake. They reached these 

 settlements by the route before described. The lakes, seven in 

 number, forming the chain through which the Embarras river flows 

 are connected by stretches of rapid, shallow water. Above the low- 

 est or last lake, as the Chippewa name Esquegamo signifies, the chan- 

 nel has evidentlv been contracted by piling in bowlders of sufficient 

 size to resist the power of the current and of sufficient height to 

 flood the stream and allow boats of light draft to pass to the next 

 lake. A second and a third rapid has been improved in the same 

 way. At the crossing of the Vermillion road over the Embarras 

 river, in Town 58, Range 16 west, the improvement is very marked; 

 although the dam is not high it is sufficient to enable loaded 

 canoes to pass through two stretches of river, several shallow bays 

 and three lakes, a distance of five miles. The rocks (mostly gran- 

 ite bowlders) are of such a size and so placed as- to resist the strong- 

 est currents of the spring freshets. They are altogether too heavy 

 to have been transported there by any boat or mechanical rigging 

 known or used by the race of Indians now inhabiting that region. 

 The last rapid on the Embarrass river at the head of Wine portage 

 on this route is improved in the same way, and is of sufficient 

 height to flood the stream and make it navigable for nine miles 

 above them. Crossing the height of land on the trail used by the 

 -present Indians, a distance of five miles brings us to Pike river 

 flowing into V^ermillion lake. This stream is only about two rods 

 wide and about the same size as the Embarras river at the 

 other end of the portage. The Pike would not be navigable 

 for canoes in a dry time, were it not for a similar improvement in 



