/S(>ii)'r<' of the J//'ss/'s.s/'j/ji>/' Ti/'r>>/\ Jii'tHiur. 201) 
Itiki'. (tf (louhtful I'xistt'iKT. to tlie Mississippi Springs. Floating 
Moss lake. Wliipplc lake, the Triplet lakes. ^lorrison lake and 
Hernando De Soto lake, the last named being the most elevated 
and distant water from the gulf of ^lexieo within the Missi.ssippi 
basin, exclusive of waters emanating from the summit of the 
Roeky mountains at the source of the ^Missouri. 
Elevations above the sea at the greater ultimate reservoir are 
as follows: 
Kept. 
Xlcollet's lower lake 1,47:! 
Nicollet's middle lak<' 1,474 
Nicollet's upper lake 1,50!» 
Mississippi spriuiis 1,.")48 
F'loatin^• Moss lake 1.5G1 
Whipple lake l,o64 
The Triplet lakes 1,568 
Morrison lake 1,571 
Hernando De Soto lake 1,571 
Summits of Hauteur de Terre 1,070 
The summits of the Hauteur de Terre (hight of land), imme- 
diately west of Hernando Be Soto lake, divide the ultimate waters 
of the Mississippi from those of the lied river of the North. 
The first surface tlowage in the greater ultimate reservoir is a 
tiny brook connecting Whipple lake with Floating Moss hike. 
Down the incline from Floating Moss lake the Mississippi springs 
send forth a surface channel to Nicollets upper lake, while three 
hundred feet west and twenty feet lower the channel again a[)pears 
in a continuous surface fiowage to Tta.sca lake, which is !I.20U 
feet to the north. It might be well to mention the fact that the 
head of Howjird creek, a small and pictures([ue little stream with 
several miniature waterfalls, in connection with the infant Mis- 
sissippi, constitutes the longest surface channel shown as follows: 
Fi'.-t. Miles. 
Gulf of Mexico to Itasca lake 2,54(i.52 
Thence to the mouth of Nicollet's iidant Mississippi. . 17,J)2(i 
Thence to head of Howard creek ll,12<i 
3!),052 5.50 
From Gulf to head of Howard creek 2 552.02 
Other channel distances are: 
Mil.■^. 
From the uulf to tlie liead of Mary creek 2,551.50 
From the gulf to the head of IJoutwell creek 2,550 74 
From the gulf to the Elk lake 2,540.00 
From the gulf to the extreme limit of the greater ultimate 
reservoir it is 2,555.25 
From the gulf to the extreme limit of the lesser ultimate reser- 
voir it is 2,558.47 
