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and unites thirty-five miles south of Lower Red Cedar Lake. It is fifty yards wide, and is navigable to its source. St Croix river rises near the thirty-sixth degree of latitude, a short distance from Burnt Wood river of Lake Superior, and runs a south west course to the Mississippi, through the Lake St Croix, which commences 500 yards from its outlet. The lake expands to two or three miles, and is thirty-six in length. Major Pike remarks, that its navigation is uninterrupted, through its whole course the current is gentle, and as the portage to Burnt Wood river is but half a mile, it affords an excellent channel of communication with Lake Superior. On the bank of this river the French had a fort of the same name, about forty leagues from its mouth, and twenty-five from Lake Superior, to which they found an easy route, by the channel of the Neouatsicoton, which discharges its waters near the bottom of the lake, now called the Burnt Wood river. The St Croix river enters thirty miles above Lake Pepin. Rivière de la Montagne, or River of the Mountain, falls into the upper end of Lake Pepin, which also receives another small stream. Chippeway, or Sauteaux river, enters the Mississippi, at the lower end of this lake, and, at the distance of thirty miles, it divides into two branches, the eastern and northern, which approach near to those of the Montreal and Menomonie, that flow into Lake Superior. It has other considerable branches, the Rufus, Vermillion, and Copper rivers, and is described to be a deep, wide, and majestic stream. The next rivers which enter the Mississippi are the Buffalo, Black, and Prairie le Cross

rivers. Black river, which rises near the source of Fox river of Lake Michigan, runs nearly parallel with the Ouisconsin, and near its mouth is 200 yards wide. The Ouisconsin (called by the French Ouisconsing) takes its rise above the forty-fifth degree of latitude, near the source of the Montreal river of Lake Superior, and north of that of the Fox river,* with which it runs in a southern direction, separated by a high ridge to near the Carrying place, where it takes a south-western direction, to its junction with the Mississippi, in latitude 43° 23', a distance, in following its course, of 240 miles. It is more than 100 yards wide, at the Carrying place, and about half a mile near its outlet; and, throughout all this distance, it "flows with a smooth, but strong current." When the water is low, the navigation is impeded in some places by bars of sand. The traders of Michillimackinac send their goods through the channel of the Fox and Ouisconsin rivers to the Mississippi, for the purpose of exchange with the Indians living between St Louis on that river, and the Du Corbeaux, or Crows' river, in latitude 45° 50′. The French, at an early period, saw the great importance of this river, in a commercial point of view; and a fort, called St Nicolas, was constructed at its mouth, by Perrot, an inhabitant of Canada. † The southern parts of this territory are watered by Rock river, which is said to rise near Green Bay of

In the Western Gazetteer it is said "to head east of the source of Fox river."

+ Bellin, p. 123.

Lake Michigan, and to run a course of 450 miles, for 300 of which it is navigable. * Numerous lakes are interspersed throughout the interior of this territory, which are generally the sources of the principal rivers.

Extent of Navigable Waters.-Coast of Lake Michigan is 280 miles; east and west coast of Green Bay, 235; coast of Lake Huron, 50; Strait of St Mary, 55; coast of Lake Superior from its outlet to the Grand Portage, 800; Plein and Depage, 200; Chicago, Wakayah, Masquedon, Milwakie, Saukie, &c. all entering the lake between Chicago and the mouth of Green Bay, 400; Fox river, Crocodile, and De Loup, 250; Menomonie, Rouge, Gaspard, and Sandy, running into Green Bay, 350; Manistic and Mino Cockien, 150; St Ignace and Little Bouchitaouy, 120; Great Bouchitaouy and Minaston, 140; rivers flowing into Lake Superior, American side, 1500; Mississippi, from the Red Cedar Lake to the Illinois boundary, (in latitude 42° 30′,) 1000; Tributaries of the Mississippi, above the falls of St Anthony, 550. Chippewa, Buffalo, Ouisconsin, &c. 1300; part of Rocky river and branches, 570; interior lakes, 150; total, 8100 miles. t

Islands. At the entrance of Green Bay of Lake Michigan, a chain of islands, called the Grande Traversée, extend from north to south about thirty miles. They afford fine shelter to the canoes from the winds which sometimes blow with violence across the lake. These islands are small and rocky; and between them

Western Gazetteer, p. 252.

+ P. 264.

are shoals, but in one place there is sufficient depth of water for a vessel of sixty tons. The Beaver Islands run about thirty miles across the northern extremity of Lake Michigan. Their soil is poor. Near the east end of Lake Winnebago is a small island about fifty acres, on which is situated the great town of the Winnebagoes, which is thirty-five miles by the course of the river from Green Bay. The Mississippi river, between Lake Pepin and the junction of the St Croix, is full of islands, some of which are of considerable length.

Minerals.-Silver ore has been found on the south side of Lake Superior, near Point aux Iroquois, fifteen miles from the falls of St Marie; a lump of ore weighing eight pounds, of a blue colour, was discovered by Captain Norburg, a Russian gentleman in the English service, who carried it to England: it produced sixty per cent. of silver. The lead mines of Dubuque (the name of the proprietor) extend from within a few miles of the Mississippi, to the distance of twenty-seven or twenty-eight leagues between the Ouisconsin and Rocky branches, occupying a breadth of from one to three miles. The annual produce of metal is from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds. Copper ore and native copper seem to abound on the southern coast of Lake Superior, and on the banks of some of its tributary streams. †

Carver, p. 29.

In the bed of the Ontonagon river, which runs in a northern course into the lake, there is a mass of pure copper measuring

Caverns. On the eastern bank of the Mississippi, at about thirty miles below the falls of St Anthony, is a remarkable cavern, called by the Naudowessie In

water.

twelve feet in circumference at one extremity, and ourteen at the other. When the river is low, its upper surface appears above the This metal is very pure, and so ductile that it can easily be hammered into any form. Pieces of several pounds have been separated by an axe or chisel, by Dr Francis Le Barron, apothe cary-general of the United States; and by Mr Henry, one of the agents of a British company employed to search for this metal. This author * says, "that the Ontonagon is remarkable for the abundance of virgin copper which is on its banks and its neigh bourhood. The copper presented itself to the eye in masses of various dimensions. The Indians showed one of twenty pounds weight. They were in the practice of manufacturing this metal into spoons and bracelets for themselves." At the distance of ten miles from the mouth of this river, he discovered a mass of this metal which he supposed to weigh five tons, from which he sepa rated 100 pounds by means of an axe. The waters of Roaring river, which runs in an eastern direction into Lake Michigan, are impregnated with copper, and the fish which inhabit them are believed to be of a poisonous quality. Carver states, that he saw mines and masses of native metal on the St Croix river, and another river 100 miles west of the peninsula, and vast beds of ore on the Islands, (p. 105, 135.) These copper mines are also described by M'Kenzie. In the year 1809, an American officer with a party of men was sent to explore this treasure, but we have not heard what was the result. It is stated by the author of the Western Gazetteer, that a company was forming in 1816 for the purpose of working these mines. There is an easy and cheap water carriage for the metal through Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, and by the Oswego river, Oneida Lake, Mohawk river, and Hudson to New York.

Travels and Adventures in Canada, and the Indiana Territories, &c.

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