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| Lake Itasca, left, CCC rocks, Mississippi River, right "From this point (Lake Bemidji) the ascent of the Mississippi River was due south; and it was finally found to have its origin in a handsome lake, of some seven miles extant, on the height of land to which I gave the name Itasca."--Henry Schoolcraft, 1832, discoverer of the headwaters, with Ozawindib, the expedition's Ojibwe guide It looked quite different back then. In 1832 Schoolcraft saw a respectable stream 20 feet wide and about two feet deep, nestled in an old growth evergreen forest. But by the early 20th century severe logging had so changed the lay of the land all that greeted intrepid tourists was a muddy mess. The 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps changed that by hauling in sand and boulders to create a more winsome beginning. And winsome it is.  Headwaters looking northeast  Mississippi River 100 feet from headwaters  Lake Itasca, from Mississippi River |
Monday, October 11, 2010
Headwaters of the Mississippi
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Port Townsend too has wooden boats in many gardens in various states of restoration ~ or not. Picturesque, in any case, as your photos illustrate. ~ You might like Jonathon Raban's book about his trip down the Mississippi in a canoe (or rowboat?) to report a British take on life along the great river.
ReplyDeleteI've read Raban's book, Bad Land. Excellent work, about the last wave of homesteaders, lured to the Wild West from the confines of eastern offices and factories, in the early 20th century. Alas, the only land left by then was the hardest to farm well. He lives (or lived) in the Seattle area. I'll look for his book about the Mississippi. Thanks for the heads up.
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