286 A Recent Visit to Lake Itasca — Upham. 



lished by that society. He also agrees with Nicollet and would 

 apply the name Mississippi river to the largest tributary of lake 

 Itasca, which Mr. Clarke calls Nicollet's creek. My own prefer- 

 ence, and I think also that of the people of Park Rapids and the 

 whole Itascan region, is for the latter name, leaving lake Itasca 

 to be regarded as the true head of the Mississippi, in accordance 

 with the etymology of its name. 



With Mr. Greorge M. Carson, of Osage iu northeastern Becker 

 county, a nephew of the famous guide and scout. Kit Carson, the 

 friend and companion of Fremont, I started at sunrise Wednesday 

 morning, September 18, 1889, to visit lake Itasca and the north- 

 wardly flowing portion of the Mississippi to Section 28, Town 146, 

 Range 35, where the river begins to take a generally eastward 

 course. The purpose of my journey was to observe the character 

 of the drift deposits of that area, and, learning that the nearest 

 farmers are about twenty miles distant from Itasca, I availed my- 

 self of the opportunity to accompany Mr. Carson, who was going 

 with his team and lumber wagon to carry goods to an Indian trad- 

 ing-post in the Section 28 mentioned, and to bring back a load of 

 Seneca snake-root, which is dug in great quantities by the Indians. 

 We were provided with provisions and blankets for camping out; 

 and two days were occupied in going, one day for resting our horses 

 at the trading-post, and two days in returning. 



Our route from Osage to Itasca passed west and north of 

 Straight lake, and through the north edge of Two Inlet lake to 

 avoid crossing its principal inlet, the head stream of the Fish Hook 

 river. This road is joined by that leading from Park Rapids to 

 Itasca at a distance of about three miles northeast of Two Inlet 

 lake, between the two fording-places of Dinner creek, which is the 

 eastern one of the two inlets. About two miles farther north 

 and a mile east of the Itasca road, this f reek has its source in Little 

 Man Trap lake, about two miles long, so named because its many 

 peninsulas and tamarack swamps at the head of its bays baffle the 

 hunter, or the "cruiser" in search of pine lands, who attempts to 

 pass around it. A dozen miles east-southeast from this is a larger 

 Man Trap lake, much more beset with these difficulties. From 

 either Osage or Park Rapids, which lies ten miles farther east and 

 is the county seat of Hubbard county, the distance by road to lake 

 Itasca is about thirty miles; but the distance from the middle 

 point of the road between Osage and Park Rapids, where it crosses 



