278 CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN 



carrying with us provisions to last us to Prairie du Cliien ; 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 

 passes 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 

 the high grounds. 



