278 CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN 
carrying with us provisions to last us to Prairie du Chien; or, at least, until we 
could reach the first settlement, which, we were told, was at “Big Bull Falls.” I 
camped that night at the mouth of Bad River, and next morning started, by way 
of Montreal River and the Portage Lake Trail, for the head-waters of Wisconsin 
River. This path, which is used by the Fur Company for the transportation of 
goods to their trading-posts in this section, is estimated at forty miles in length, and 
is certainly one of the worst portages in Wisconsin. 
The dividing ridge between the waters of Lake Superior and the Mississippi, at 
this point, is upwards of 1180 feet above the level of Lake Superior; and is crossed 
by the trail about four miles north of Portage Lake. 
From the last crossing of Montreal River to Portage Lake, a distance of six miles, 
no rocks were observed in situ. Both hills and valleys are covered with boulders 
of crystalline rocks, principally granite, intermingled with fragments of red sand- 
stone and hornblende slate. The hills are covered with a growth of small timber, 
mostly pine, with some maple, oak, and a few aspens, while the valleys support a 
good growth of sugar maple, with undergrowth of the same. Within the last two 
miles, a number of small ponds were seen, a feature which, though very common 
in other sections, had not been observed before on any part of this route. 
After leaving Portage Lake, we passed a series of small lakes, connected by shal- 
low, winding streams, with numerous granite boulders in their beds, and finally 
entered Big Turtle Lake, from the east side of which there is a portage of about six 
hundred yards to Little Turtle Lake. At this place, we camped just in time to 
escape the rain, which had been threatening to fall all day, and now came down in 
torrents. 
The country around these lakes, in its general features, differs from that north of 
the dividing ridge, in having a more sandy and lighter soil, while the conical hills 
have disappeared, and in their stead there are gentle swells, with dry valleys inter- 
vening, and all covered with a dense growth of hard and soft woods, showing the 
capability of the soil for supporting a luxuriant vegetation of a character suited to 
the climate. 
September 25. Turtle Portage is an excellent one, over the plain lying between 
the two Turtle Lakes. At the east end of it is an Indian village, inhabited during 
the summer months by one of the Chippewa bands. Potatoes and corn are raised 
at this village. The soil is underlaid by fine drift, with occasional large granite 
boulders disseminated through it. Along the shores of the lakes, sections of drift, 
from ten to twenty-five feet in thickness, are exposed. 
The outlet from Little Turtle Lake is through a very narrow channel connecting 
it with another lake, which we crossed, and came to the beginning of what is known 
as “ Six Pause Portage.” As the voyageurs had to make a double portage, we took 
our packs and walked on to its termination, at the east branch of the Chippewa 
River, or, as it is commonly called, the Manidowish, where we arrived at noon. 
The trail runs over a sand barren, with the exception of the last half mile, which 
er through one of the worst tamerack swamps I have ever seen. A few stunted 
pines, with occasional patches of coarse grass, is the only vegetation supported on 
thet Aes grounds. 
