RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 175 
A faint idea of the appearance of this portion of the country may be obtained 
from a sketch which I took at our encampment of the night of the 21st of June, 
GREAT SAVANNA, RED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 
about one hundred and ten miles below Otter Tail Lake. Nothing, however, but 
personal observation can convey to the mind the singular effect produced by this 
dead, level plain. The line of the horizon is so perfectly straight, that it might 
almost serve the purpose of astronomical observations for determining the altitude 
of the heavenly bodies. While standing on this Great Savanna, straining the eyes 
in quest of some object more prominent than a blade of grass, it occurred to me 
that there is probably no spot on the globe more suitable than this, on which to 
measure a degree of latitude. 
Red River makes a greater sweep to the west than is represented on the maps, 
since it is only after a tortuous course of twenty to thirty miles, with but little 
deviation in latitude, that it bears away to the north, winding, however, in long 
sweeps and curves, and often almost reversing its course, in its endeavours to find 
a channel through this boundless plain. Between the South Bend and Pembina, 
during each day’s journey, we averaged by the course of the stream, thirty-five to 
forty miles, making in the same time only about ten miles of northing. This will 
convey some idea of the winding of this stream over nearly five degrees of latitude. 
A few general remarks will suffice to record our observations from this point to 
the settlements of Red River, since these plains extend the whole distance, inter- 
rupted only by narrow belts of timber along some of the water-courses, and give a 
monotonous sameness to the whole face of the country. 
The descent of the streams watering these plains is effected more by an exca- 
vation into the alluvial deposits, than by any depression of the country. 
The first grove of timber, after rounding the South Bend, is in latitude 46° 12’ 40”, 
where the banks are about fifteen feet above the water-level. In latitude 46° 237 
30”, a belt of timber sets in, and continues, with some interruption, along the banks 
of Red River, on one side or the other, to Pembina. These groves are composed 
