Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

River, to Huron Bay, and gives the traveller a view of rough conical peaks. These characterize the coast for a couple of days' travel. They are noted for immense bodies of iron ore, which is chiefly in the condition of iron glance. [46] At Presque Isle, it assumes the form of a chromate of iron in connection with serpentine rock. We encamped on level ground on a sandstone formation, in the rear of Granite Point, and had an opportunity of observing the remarkable manner in which the horizontal sandstone rests upon and against the granitical, or, more truly, sienitic eminences. These sandstone strata lap on the shoulders of the primitive or crystalline rocks, preserving their horizontal aspect, and forming distinct cliffs along parts of the coast. This sandstone appears, from its texture and position, to be the "old red sandstone" of geologists.

      The next morning (23d) we quitted our encampment at an early hour, in a haze, and urged our way, with some fluctuations of weather, an estimated distance of eleven leagues. This brought us, at four o'clock in the afternoon, to Huron River. Sitting in the canoe, in a confined position, makes one glad at every opportunity to stretch his limbs, and we embraced the occasion to bathe in the Huron. The shore consists of a sandy plain, where my attention was called to the Kinnikenik, a plant much used by the Indians for smoking. It is the uva ursi. I had seen it once before, on the expedition, at Point aux Barques.

      We inspected here, with much attention, an Indian grave, as well from the care with which it was made, as the hieroglyphics cut on the head-posts. The grave was neatly covered with bark, bent over poles, and made roof-shaped. A pine stake was placed at the head. Between this and the head of the grave, there was placed a smooth tablet of cedar wood, with hieroglyphics. Mr. Riley, our interpreter, explained these. The figure of a bear denoted the chief or clan. This is the device called a Totem. Seven red strokes denoted his scalp honors in Indian heraldry, or that he had been seven times in battle. Other marks were not understood or interpreted. A paling of saplings inclosed the space.

      On the following morning, our camp was astir at the customary early hour, when we proceeded to Point aux Beignes, a distance of six miles. Attaining this point, we entered Keweena Bay, coasting up its shores for an estimated distance of three leagues. We were then opposite the mouth of Portage River, but separated from it a distance of twelve miles. I was seated in Lieutenant Mackay's canoe. The whole squadron of five canoes unhesitatingly put out. The wind was adverse; before much progress had been made in crossing, three of our flotilla, after struggling against the billows, put back; but we followed the headmost one, which bore the Governor's flag, and, seizing hold of the paddles to relieve the men, we succeeded in gaining the river. The other canoes came up the next morning, at seven o'clock, when we all proceeded to cross the Portage Lake, and up an inlet, which soon exhibited a rank growth of aquatic plants, and terminated, after following a very narrow channel, in a quagmire. We had, in fact, reached the commencement of the Keweena Portage.

      Before quitting this spot, it may be well to say, that the geology of the country had again changed. Portage Lake lies, in fact, in the direction of the great copper-bearing trap dyke. This dyke, estimating from the end of the peninsula, extends nearly southwest and northeast, probably seventy miles, with a breadth of ten miles. It is overlaid by rubblestone and amygdaloid, which latter, by disintegration, yields the agates, carnelians, and other silicious, and some sparry crystalline minerals, for which the central shores of Lake Superior are remarkable. Nearly every part of this broad and extensive dyke which has been examined, yields veins, and masses of native copper, or copper ores.

      The word was, when we had pushed our canoes into the quagmire, that each of the gentlemen of the party was to carry his own personal baggage across the portage. This was an awkward business for most of us. The distance was but two thousand yards, but little over a mile, across elevated open grounds. I strapped my trunk to my shoulders, and walked myself out of breath in getting clear of the brushy part of the way, till reaching the end of the first pause, or resting-place. Here I met the Governor (Cass), who facetiously said: "You see I am carrying two pieces," alluding to his canoe slippers, which he held in his hands. "A piece," in the trade, is the back load of the engagee.

      On reaching the termination of the second "pause," or rest, we found ourselves on a very elevated part of the shore of Lake Superior. The view was limitless, the horizon only bounding the prospect. The waves rolled in long and furious swells from the west. To embark was impossible, if we had had our baggage all brought up, which was not the case. The day was quite spent before the transportation was completed. This delay gave us an opportunity to ramble about, and examine the shore. In a boulder of serpentine rock, I found an imbedded mass of native copper, of two pounds' weight. On breaking the stone, it proved to be bound together by thin filaments of this metal. Small water-worn fragments of chalcedony, agate, carnelian, and other species of the quartz family were found strewn along the beach, together with fragments of zeolite. Masses of the two former minerals were also found imbedded in amygdaloid and trap-rock, thus denoting the parent beds of rock. In the zeal which these little discoveries excited on the subject of mineralogy, the Chippewa, Ottowa, and Shawnee Indians attached to the expedition participated, and as soon as they were made acquainted with the objects sought, they became successful explorers. They had noticed my devotion to the topic, from the time of our passing the Islands of Shawangunk, Michilimackinac, and Flat-rock Point, in the basin of Lake Huron, where organic forms were chiselled from the rock; and bestowed on me the name of Paguäbëkiegä. [47]

      It turned out the next morning, that the whole of the baggage and provisions had not been brought up, nor any of the canoes. This work was early commenced by the men. About half the day was employed in the necessary toil. When it was concluded, the wind on the lake had become too high, blowing in an adverse direction, to permit embarkation. Nothing remained but to submit to the increased delay, during which we made ourselves as familiar with the neighboring parts of the lake shore as possible. During the time the expedition remained encamped at the portage, I made a short excursion up the peninsula northeastwardly, accompanied by Captain Douglass, Mr. Trowbridge, and some other persons. The results of this trip are sufficiently comprehended in what has already been stated respecting the geology and mineralogy of this prominent peninsula.

      On the following morning (27th) the wind proved fair, and the day was one of the finest we had yet encountered on this fretful inland sea. We embarked at half-past four A. M., every heart feeling rejoiced to speed on our course. The prominent headlands, west of this point, are capped, as those on its south-eastern border, with red sandstone. The wind proved full and adequate to bear us on, without endangering our safety, which enabled the steersmen to hold out boldly, from point to point. We had not proceeded far beyond the cliffs west of the portage, when the dim blue outlines of the Okaug or Porcupine Mountains [48] burst on our view. [49] Their prominent outline seemed to stretch on the line of the horizon directly across our track. The atmosphere was quite transparent, and they must have been seen at the distance of sixty miles. Captain Douglass thought, from the curve of the earth, that they could not be less than eighteen hundred feet in height. We successively passed the entrance of Little Salmon-Trout, Graverod, Misery, and Firesteel Rivers, at the latter of which a landing was made; when we again resumed our course, and entered the Ontonagon River, at half-past three in the afternoon. A large body of water enters the lake at the spot, but its mouth is filled up very much by sands. One of those curious refluxes is seen here, of which a prior instance has been noticed, in which its waters, having been impeded and dammed up by gales of wind, react, at their cessation, with unusual force. The name of the River Ontonagon [50] is, indeed, due to these refluxes, the prized dish of an Indian female having, agreeably to tradition, been carried out of the river into the lake.

      Captain Douglass made observations for the latitude of the place, and determined it to be in north latitude 46° 52´ 2´´. The stationary distances of the route are given in the subjoined list, in which it may be observed that they are probably exaggerated about one-third by the voyagers and northwest traders, who always pride themselves on going great distances; but they denote very well, in all cases, the relative distances.

Stationary Distances between Michilimackinac and the River Ontonagon.
	Miles.	Total Miles.
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