MICE A TEE eee See ST eee ee ee ee T SV 
EXPLORATIONS FROM A. D, 1800 To A, p. 1832. 29 
‘t Qn the portion of the Mississippi above Cass lake, which was the least known of any part 
of the river and route, I bestowed on the tracing and computing of distances the most unre- 
mitted attention." 
To Lieutenant Allen we are indebted for the first topographical and hydrographical delinea- 
tion of the source of the Mississippi, and this, somewhat improved by Mr. Nicollet, is our 
authority at the present day for the Mississippi above the mouth of Swan river. Lieutenant 
Allen was a companion of Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft, whose labors and writings are so well known. 
SCHOOLCRAFT’S NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION TO THE SOURCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN 1832. 
The title of this work is as follows: '' Narrative of an Expedition through the Upper Mississippi 
to Itasca Lake, the actual source of this river, embracing an exploration through the St. Croix and 
Burntwood (or Brule) rivers, in 1832, under the direction of Henry R. Schoolcraft. New York, 
Published by Harper & Brother, No. 82 Cliff street.—1834.’’ This book is embellished by ‘‘A 
sketch of the sources of the Mississippi river, drawn from Lieutenant Allen’s observations in 
1832, to illustrate t inland journey to Itasca lake, in two sheets, on a scale of about 
11 miles to an inc 
Mr. Schoolcraft’ 8 -— on the expedition, in 1832, was to aklini a reconciliation of the 
difficulties between the Chippeway and Sioux Indians. The routes he pursued were nearly 
those mapped by Lieutenant Allen, as already described. 
In the same book is a brief account of Mr. Schoolcraft’ s examinations, in 1831, (in connexion 
with his duties in relation to Indian affairs) of the country between Lake Superior and the 
Mississippi. His route lay up the Mauvaise or Bad river to its source, and thence down the 
Chippeway to its mouth. 
Mr. Schoolcraft had also accompanied General Lewis Cass in his expedition to the sources of 
the Mississippi in 1820, at which time the highest point reached was the lake called Red Cedar 
by Pike, but since generally known as Cass lake. 
Mr. Schooleraft published a beautiful description of this expedition, called *' Narrative 
Journal of Travels from Detroit, northwest through the great chain of American Lakes, to the 
sources of the Mississippi river, in the year 1820. By Henry R. Scoooleraft. Albany: Published 
by Es. «£ E. Hosford.—1821.’’ It is accompanied by a map on a scale of 65 miles to an inch, 
biting the region bounded by the 1st and 21st meridians west from Washington, and the 
41st and 51st parallels. 
The Misissippi river, extreme sources Messrs. Allen and Schoolcraft have the oai 
of first exploring, was discovered by Hernando de Soto, who reached its banks probably near 
Memphis, in 1541. Father Marquette and Sieur Joilet first saw it in 1673. Father Hennepin 
visited it in 1680, and named the St. Peter’s river and the Falls of St. Anthony. The mouth 
was discovered in 1683 by the Sieur La Salle, who sailed down the Illinois river to the Missis- 
sippi, and navigated it to the Gulf of Mexico. M. Le Sueur visited it probably as early as 
1695, at which time he discovered the blue earth on the St. Peters. In 1702 he floated two 
thousand pounds of this material to the mouth of the Mississippi. These statements in regard 
to the discovery of the Mississippi I have taken principally from Mr. Keating's narrative of 
Major Long's expedition to the sources of the St. Peter's river. 
We are indebted to Captain Jonathan Carver, who visited the Upper Mississippi in 
1166— 68, for much of our early knowledge of the Upper Mississippi valley, although some of 
his statements must be received with caution. He claims to have first conceived the 1dea of 
