GREAT FALLS OF LITTLE DOG RIVER. 



41 



water-worn fragments of rock ; this was particularly 

 noticed on the flanks and surface of the lower plateau. 



The upturned roots of trees in the track of a tornado, 

 which must have occurred here some years since, afforded 

 an excellent opportunity for examining the soil and sub- 

 soil of the lowest plateau, and the flank of the upper one. 

 The upturned roots of large aspens, birch, and pine 

 showed everywhere a gravelly loam containing pebbles 

 from one to six inches in diameter. On approaching the 

 source of Little Dog Eiver, a black spruce swamp was 

 found to occupy an extensive area but little above the 

 level of the river. The clay soil in this swamp was 

 covered to the depth of two feet with moss, which was 

 again largely overgrown with the Labrador tea plant. 

 Small holes in the moss, filled with clear, cool, limpid 

 fluid, afforded a striking contrast to the heated waters of 

 the rivers and lakes ; the temperature of these shallow 

 wells did not exceed 42°, while the water of Great Dog 

 Lake, tested a few hours afterwards (half-past 5 p. m.), 

 was 69°, a difference of 27°. 



The Great Dog Mountain derives its name from a mur- 

 derous conflict between the Sioux and Ojibways, which 

 occurred some centuries since on or near this eminence. 

 The figure of a dog, in commemoration of this event, is 

 carved on the side of the mountain. It was nearly ob- 

 literated when Major Long passed through the country 

 in 1823, and we could not discover it in 1857. The Sioux 

 and Ojibways were at war when the French traders and 

 missionaries first visited the head of Lake Superior, which 

 event may be placed as early as the year 1620.* 



The great falls of Little Dog Eiver are surprisingly 



* Schoolcraft. History of the Indian Tribes of the United States, 

 Part VI. 



