608 



sciEJsrcE. 



[Vol. VIII., No. 203 



and sufficient outlet underground. This we found 

 to be toward the west, where it bursts forth in an 

 immense spring or pool, marked 2, in the extreme 

 south-eastern quarter of section 21. The lowest 

 point on the hill between the pond and the s^jring 

 is 12 feet above the level of the pond ; and the 

 water, dropping underground, bubbles up in the 

 swamp 200 feet away and 3i3 feet below that level. 

 You will notice that the stream thus passes under- 

 ground from section 22 into section 21, and is there- 

 fore invisible to one following up the course of the 

 section line, — a fact which will be referred to again 

 in a latter portion of this report. Proceeding from 

 the spring marked 2, the water flows in a north- 

 westerly direction, and empties into the lake 

 marked B, — the second one of Nicollet's chain of 

 lakes. The outlet of this lake is on the west side, 

 a stream 3 feet wide and a foot deep, which is 

 joined at a short distance by another from the 

 south. Following up the stream, which joins the 

 main one on section 21, we find it rises on section 

 28 at a spring marked 3, evidently fed by an 

 underground passage from the pond F. These 

 streams are re-enforced throughout their course 

 by springs which ooze fi'om the bases of the hills 

 that line the tamarack swamps ; so that, when 

 the creek leaves lake A, it flows with a brisk cur- 

 rent 12 feet wide and 1 foot deep, which is further 

 re-enforced by numerous springs all the way to 

 Lake Itasca. At the point of its discharge into 

 tlie lake, it is a broad, well-defined stream, 16 

 feet v\ide, and 2^ feet deep at its deepest point. 

 Lake A is ten feet above the level of Lake Itasca. 



Recurring to the subject of NicoUefs three 

 lakes, I recall the fact that Nicollet states, that, 

 at a small distance from the heights where the 

 head waters originate, they unite to form a small 

 lake, from which the Mississippi issues with a 

 breadth of Ij feet and a depth of 1 foot. "■ At no 

 great distance, Jiowever," so Nicollet says, " this 

 rivulet uniting with other streamlets, supplies a 

 second minor lake,''' so we were obliged to look for 

 the upper of the three lakes at a reasonably short 

 distance from the lake B. If the spring, num- 

 bered 2, would fill the bill as a lakelet, it would 

 meet all the other requirements of the case per- 

 fectly. The only alternative seemed to me to be 

 tlie lake marked G. At present the outlet of 

 this lake is obstructed by two beaver dams, and 

 no water flows from it except what little may 

 percolate under these obstructions. Its principal 

 feeder, marked m, rises in a spring in section 27, 

 and is also nearly dry, but there is a small amount 

 of water flowing through its channel. I leave it 

 to you, or to future explorers, to settle the ques- 

 tion as between the spring 2 and the pond C. 



There are four small streams flowing into Elk 



Lake. The first one rises in a spring, the outlet 

 of which flows into a small pond 50 feet in diame- 

 ter in the north-western quarter of section 34. 

 It leaves this pond a brooklet 6 inches wide and 2 

 inches deep, and flows with a rapid current to the 

 centre of section 37, where it is joined by another 

 and larger branch coming from a tamarack 

 swamp in the south-eastern quarter of section 27. 

 At the point where it flows into Elk Lake it is 2 

 feet wide and 6 inches deep. The elevation of the 

 source of this stream at the spring marked 10 is 

 88 feet above Elk Lake and 89 above Lake Itasca. 

 The largest stream flowing into Elk Lake rises in 

 the north-western quarter of section 26 in a spring 

 marked 13. This is joined, at a short distance 

 from its source, by another branch, which is sup- 

 plied by a small lake in section 26, marked N. 

 The outlet of this lake is by an underground cur- 

 rent, it being closed by a beaver dam ; but water 

 has flowed out by a surface outlet at some period, 

 perhaps at the time of Nicollet's visit. Where 

 the main stream enters Elk Lake it is 8 feet wide 

 and a foot deep. This lakelet N in section 26, and 

 its outlet, were to me among the most interesting 

 things found in this region. To my mind they 

 prove conclusively that Nicollet not only explored 

 Elk Lake, but also its feeders. Referring to the 

 copy of his larger map, which you sent me, I find 

 just such a lake laid down at the head of a small 

 stream flowing into Elk Lake from the south-east. 

 This is the most important feeder of Elk Lake, 

 just as Nicollet indicates it to be. The other two 

 streams flowing into Elk Lake are quite small, 

 and originate as shown on the map. We found a 

 dry channel between the lake M and Elk Lake. 

 No water was flowing from this lake, although it 

 probably does discharge some water in the spring 

 and when the water is high. In measuring the 

 amount of water supplied by the various tributa- 

 ries of Lake Itasca, we found the three streams 

 discharging at h, d, and e, fiu'nishing practically 

 all the perennial water-supply of the south-western 

 arm of the lake ; and of this I would estimate 

 that Nicollet's creek furnishes |, and the other 

 two, each about J. 



The work of the government survey. 



It was an important i^art of our task to observe 

 the posts and blazings left by the government sur- 

 veyors, and we carefully ran the main lines with 

 the view of detecting any errors that they might 

 have made. In this part of their work, and also 

 in meandering of the two lakes, our examination 

 proved their work to be correct in every material 

 point. A singular mistake, however, on the gov- 

 ernment plat, is easily accounted for. The course 

 of the stream from lake H until it crosses the south 



