Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. — Howard. 3 
representing the board of commissioners for foreign missions. 
The Lac La Biche was known to exist, and Mr. Schoolcraft 
was determined to reach it, earrying out his other objects of 
observation while en route by canoe vovage through lake 
Superior. Messrs. Schoolcraft and Boutwell were personal 
associates, voyaging in the same canoe through lake Superior, 
and while conversing on their travels along the south shore of 
the great lake, the name "Itasca" was selected in the following 
manner, in advance of its discovery by Schoolcraft's party : 
Mr. Schoolcraft, having uppermost in his mind the source 
of the river, expecting and determined to reach it, suddenly 
turned and asked Mr. Boutwell for the Greek and Latin def- 
inition of the headwaters or true source of a river. Mr. Bout- 
well, after much thought, could not rally his memory of Greek 
sufficiently to designate the phrase, but in Latin selected the 
strongest and most pointed expression — Veritas Cajnit. 
This was written on a slip of paper and Schoolcraft struck 
out the first three and last three letters and announced to Mr. 
Boutwell ' that "Itasca shall be the name." However, Mr. 
Schoolcraft says : "Having previously got an inkling of some 
of their (Indian) mythological and necromantic notions of the 
origin and mutations of the country, which permitted the use 
of a female name for it, I denominated it Itasca." 
The party passed over nearly the identical route traversed 
by the Cass expedition, reaching Cass lake July 10th, 1832, 
and upon the advice, information and guidance of Ozawindib, 
a ChippQwa chief, in birch canoes proceeded up the main trib- 
utary of Cass lake, up the smaller or Schoolcraft fork of the 
Mississippi, thence by portage to the east shore of the east 
arm of Itasca lake, and to camp on Schoolcraft island. Dur- 
ing the day Mr. Schoolcraft traversed the entire shores of 
Itasca, erecting the Stars and Stripes on the island ; he 
then returned to Cass lake, thence to Leech lake, down the 
Crow Wing river, and to his home and family. 
For nearly fifty years Mr. Schoolcraft was in the service of 
the government of the United States as a geologist, mineralo- 
gist and geographer, and his reports and communications are 
voluminous, and, for the period of time during which his 
observations were made, were considered highly valuable and 
^ I have a vivid description of the time, place and manner of select- 
ing this name, from Mr. Boutwell in person. — J. V. !>. 
