244 
THE SPORTSMANS AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. 
than the Wisconsin, the Black, the Chippewa, 
the Fox, the St. Croix. on the northwestern 
boundary, or the Menominee, on the north- 
eastern, and a hundred others which invite 
him to launch his craft upon their broad cur- 
rents, and explore their beauties from mouth 
to souree. Embarking at the mouth of the 
Wisconsin, just below Prairie du Chien, the 
voyageur will have before him ere he reaches 
its source a trip of six hundred miles, or a 
river two hundred miles lorger than the Con- 
necticut. Winding its way peacefully the 
greater part of its course through the prairies 
it passes at several points through scenery of 
peculiar grandeur, the equal of which is not 
seen on any New England river. In Richland 
county the river is bordered hy sandstone bluffs 
over two hundred feet high. It is here four 
hundred feet wide. Arriving at Portage the 
voyrgeur can cross into the Fox River and be 
borne on its current a hundred and fifty miles 
to Lake Winnebago and Green Bay. The Fox 
passes through extensive mar-hes covered 
with tall grass and wild rice These marshes 
abound in wild-fowl and snipe. The Fox is, 
for the most part, an uninteresting and tame 
stream with the exception of the Grand Chute, 
where for several miles the banks are high and 
steep, and the current strong and rapid. 
If the voyageur continues his course from 
Portage to Kilbourn City, twenty miles distant, 
he enters the famous Dells, whose picturesque 
beauty has often been described. 
here for several miles flows between perpen- 
dicular cliffs three hundred feet high in a bed 
only forty feet in width. Above Stevens’ Point 
the river flows for two hundred miles through 
the pine forests. It rises in the Lac Vieux 
Desert, a small but lively lake, that contains 
three islands. The country for many miles 
around the lake is one of great fertility not- 
withstanding that its name implies a desolate, 
barren reigon. It is said to have received its 
name from an old deserted planting ground of 
the Indians near it. The lake, and the numer- 
ous small streams which empty into the Wis- 
consin as it winds its way through the vast 
piueries, are filled with trout. Ducis are plen- 
tiful, and bears and deer abound in this reigon. 
One of the most interesting trips which can 
be found in the Northwest is to ascend the 
Mississippi from La Crosse to St. Paul. The 
tourist will enjoy the fine scenery of the Up- 
The river 
per Mississippi, and the sportsnian will like- 
wise improve the opportunity to try his hand 
at cat-fishing. About eighty miles above La 
Crosse is an expansion of the river to three 
miles in width, known as Lake Pepin, which 
mention is made on page 113. The celebrated 
Maiden Rock, with its oft told legend of a fair 
Indian maiden betrothed against her wishes 
by her father to one whom she did not love, 
who flung herself from the rock into the river, 
two hundred feet below, to escape the marri- 
age, will interest the tourist here. Leaving the 
Mississippi at St. Paul, he may cross over to 
the St. Croix about ten miles distant and re- 
embark in a canoe for a trip of ninety miles 
up this river which passes through a country 
rich in picturesque scenery, to the portage of 
the Brule River, which empties into Lake Su- 
perior near Superior City. The Brule is a 
small stream, but i, surpasses, if possible, the 
St. Croix for beauty. Its banks are lined with 
beautiful verdure and shrubbery, and so nar- 
row is the stream in some places that the trees 
interlock their branches overhead making a 
natural bower. This stream, like all the other 
streams in the northern part of the State, is 
well stocked with speckled trout, while the 
surrounding country is good huntirg ground 
for deer, bears, grouse, and ducks. At Supe- 
rior, steamer can be taken for Bayfield and 
Ashland, two interesting and popular Sum- 
mer resorts, where the whole season could be 
delightfully spent in company with the gun 
and rod, and in excursions to thefamed Apos- 
tle Islands which lie near them. 
To those desirous of navigating a river full 
of falls and rapids, and partaking in its genral 
character of a mountain stream, the Menomo- 
nee in the extreme northeastern part of the 
State presents itself. Itis here that sturgeon 
are still taken, and the sportsman will find 
it one of the strongest attractions to visit this 
stream. The Menomonee rises in the Katakit- 
tekon country in the northern part of Wis- 
consin, the same reigon which gives source 
to the Wisconsin, the Chippewa, the Montreal 
and the Ontonagon rivers of Michigan. Its 
general aspect is exceedingly picturesque. A 
series of falls and chutes at short distances 
necessitate light portages by those who at- 
tempt the difficult and exciting task of ascend- 
ing it in a canoe or boat. Two weeks have 
been consumed in overcoming its rapids and 
