56 THE VERMILION IRON-BEARING DISTRICT. 



The literature of tlie Lake Superior region was very fully reviewed 

 by Prof. C. R. Vau Hise in Bulletin No. 86 of the United States Greological 

 Survey, and that review has been continued by him and Mr. C. K. Leith 

 up to the present time. The writer has used this material freely, and wishes 

 to make acknowledgment here of the assistance afforded by these reviews. 



The abstracts are arranged chronologically, in the order of the publi- 

 cation of the articles abstracted. By following these abstracts critically 

 the reader can acquaint himself with all published articles dealing with 

 the territory. He can follow the development of the views on the geology 

 of the district, which is comparatively difficult of access, and can see how 

 the knowledge concerning it was increased year by year. 



HISTORY OF EXPI.ORATION AKD CHARACTER OF THE ROUTES. 



The international boundary trends a little south of east and north of 

 west, and forms the eastern, northeastern, and northern boundary of the 

 district for a total length of 75 miles. From Lake Superior to Rainy Lake 

 the international boundary follows a chain of rivers and lakes, crossing 

 necks of land at two ^^laces. One of these, known as the Height of 

 Land, is between North and South lakes, and is the divide between the 

 headwaters of Pigeon River, flowing east to Lake Superior, and the 

 waters flowing west to Rainy Lake and finally to Hudson Bay. The 

 other is a narrow strip of land in sec. 24, T. 66 N., R. 6 W., about 600 

 paces in width at the portage that separates the waters flowing northeast 

 into Saganaga Lake and then northwest around the north side of Hunters 

 Island, so called, from the waters flowing northwest and around the south 

 side of Hunters Island, both of these finally uniting- in Lac La Croix. This 

 narrow strip of land, about 600 paces wide at the portage, is all that 

 prevents the body of land, with an area of approximately 1,000 square 

 miles — to which the name Hunters Island was given erroneously, as we 

 now know — from being in reality an island instead of a peninsula. 



As is well known, the rivers and chains of lakes marking the 

 international Ijoundary have been for the Indians the main route of travel 

 from Lake Superior into the Northwest from time immemorial. It was this 

 same route that was followed by the fur traders and explorers who first 

 carried civilization to the Indians of the extreme Northwest — a civilization 

 characterized, when first presented to them, by honesty and good morals in 



