Lake Itasca State Park
Headwaters of the Mississipi River
The more we looked at the signs and maps, the more Lou kept asking "how can they possible tell where the actual starting point of the river is?,
and which of little tributaries is supposed to be the Mississippi"?"
Apparently the native tribes kept wondering why the white people kept searching for the source,
couldn't they just enjoy the river for what it was??
All the tourists are enjoying the
"I walked across the Mississippi River" routine
The early explorers were warned that going down the river would be experiencing
class 1 rapids, wetland marshes, muddy bogs, wild animals, and native tribes.
Navigating these widely ranging conditions to travel the 2500 miles is apparently
a big sport today.
The answer to the question of
"why is it so important to find the beginning of the river?"
is the fact that the treaty of the 1783 following the Revolutionary War
"PROVIDED THAT THE UNITED STATES NORTHWEST BOUNDARY SHOULD EXTEND FROM THE NORTHWEST ANGLE OF LAKE OF THE WOODS TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. ITASCA WAS ON THIS BOUNDARY"
(INSCRIPTION ON THE ROCK)
The marshes at Lake Itasca are quite heavy.
When the tour boat had a problem with a stuck rudder,
we just enjoyed some time to chat and get acquainted with others on the tour.
