170 



FORMATIONS OF 



over good ground, leads to a third lake, of nearly circular form, with no inlets, and 

 of smaller dimensions, being a mile to a mile and a half in diameter. A portage, 

 of some fifty yards, brought us to a fourth lake, formed of two nearly circular 

 basins, connected by a narrow water communication. These two lakes are nearly 

 on the same level, with a low ridge between them of about fifteen feet in height. 



From the southwest end of this fourth lake, a portage, of a mile and a quarter, 

 crosses a gently undulating prairie, to near the northeast end of Otter Tail Lake. 

 This prairie is about eighty feet above the fourth lake, and divides the waters 

 flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from those flowing into Hudson's Bay. It is by 

 far the most habitable country that came under our observation, between Crow 

 Wing and Otter Tail Lake. 



Our observation, by Polaris, on the 14th of June, gave for the latitude of Leaf 

 River, about forty miles above its mouth, by the meanders of the stream, 46° 30' 

 27". By meridian altitude of the sun, on the 15th, at a station situated seven to 

 eight miles east-northeast of the first of the above lakes, the latitude was found to 

 be 46° 28' 8". On the 17th, by meridian altitude of the sun, our encampment, one 

 mile below the northeast end of Otter Tail Lake, was found to be in latitude 46° 

 24' 1". 



It appears from these observations, that Otter Tail Lake, as well as the head- 

 waters of Leaf River, are represented, on Nicollet's maps, too far to the north, by 

 from twelve to fifteen miles. The direction of the last fifteen or twenty miles of 

 Leaf River, as well as the position of the four lakes, require considerable alteration. 

 The latter, instead of lying east of the middle of Otter Tail Lake, are situated near 

 its northeastern termination, and have a general relative bearing, as they succeed 

 each other, of west-southwest and east-northeast, instead of west, or west by north. 



Otter Tail Lake is about twelve miles in length by four wide. The northern por- 

 tion of it has a bearing nearly north and south, while the southern part lies south- 

 southwest and north-northeast. The soil near the lake is siliceous. The best, which 

 is in the vicinity of the old trading-post, is a tolerably good second-rate soil, support- 

 ing a growth of white oak timber. A short distance below the trading-post, in a 

 southeast direction, is a fifth lake, which intervenes between Otter Tail Lake and 

 the fourth lake. In high stages of water, a portage can easily be made into this lake, 

 saving at least half or two-thirds of the distance of the portage between the fourth 

 lake and Otter Tail Lake. The land between the fourth lake and the stream which 

 enters Otter Tail at its northern extremity, is open undulating prairie. 



These regions are frequented by a beautiful species of pelican (Pelecanus iracliy- 

 rhyncus), of snow-white colour, with a few jet-black feathers in the wing. 



Otter Tail Lake is quite shallow ; half a mile from the shore, we found it to be 

 hardly four feet deep. The temperature of the water, on the 18th of June, was 65°, 

 while that of the air in the shade was 64°. The erratic blocks heaped together on 

 the most conspicuous point of the west shore, vary in weight from a few pounds to 

 several tons. The height of the bank measured forty-three feet. It gradually 

 declines toward the lower end of the lake. Pieces of the same fossiliferous lime- 

 stone observed on the east shore, also occur here, of larger size. During the few 

 days we tarried in this neighbourhood, we had several opportunities of witnessing 



