Lake Itasca

The Mississippi River begins it's two thousand three hundred and twenty mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico by overflowing the edge of a picturesque little lake in north western Minnesota. The Gulf of Mexico is due south, but the Mississippi, in contrary fashion, embarks on its trek by flowing due north. The first of many indications that this river itself and the history that surround it are, as Mark Twain said, "in all ways remarkable."

Lake Itasca, unlike many of the thousands of lakes in the region, does not derive its name from names of the Chippewa Peoples who have inhabited this land since long before European settlers arrived. Neither is it named after the first European to have laid eyes upon it or settled on its shore. Rather, Itasca is a fabricated name made up by borrowing and splicing together halves of two latin words, "veritas caput" which translates as "true head." Henry Schoolcraft made up the name (with a little missionary help) and it has stuck. Mr Schoolcraft was the first person of European descent to visit Lake Itasca or at least the first person of European descent who was expressly searching for the source of the Mississippi when he arrived there in July 1832.

Like the name of its source lake, the headwaters of the Mississippi is also fabricated having been moved and reconstructed by the Parks Service in order to provide a more rewarding experience for tourists. Think of it as the Mississippi's "New Deal." Work by the Civilian Conservation Corp began in 1933 and was completed in 1939 with trees planted, a new channel dug, swamp filled in and a hidden dam with "natural" rocks bolstering the flow of the river. Indeed, from end to end and all through its middle the Mississippi River bears the scars and shackles of our attempts to harness its power, beautify its appearance and control its might. Attempts that Old Man River mostly tolerates until he's feeling contrary like he was in the summer of 1993.

Click the headwaters on the map below for an aerial view.

The Mississippi's story is one contrary happening after another. Is Lake Itasca it's source? If you look closely at a map of Lake Itasca you'll see that it is fed by Elk Lake. Elk Lake is smaller than Itasca, but is it too small to be considered the source for the Mississippi. Notice the three streams that feed into Elk Lake. There is also a stream that feeds into the bottom of Itasca's west arm. Nicollet Creek, which would be too small to be granted headwater consideration under normal circumstances, can be traced back to a spring. Springs are traditionally "headwater" favorites. Both Elk Lake and Nicollet Creek have in the past been claimed the true source of the Mississippi. Where does the water in the Mississippi really start from? If you follow the watershed for lake Itasca all the way back you'll end up at Hernando de Soto and Morrison lakes.

The river itself is misnamed, the Mississippi should by rights end at St. Louis and the Missouri should flow on to the Gulf (the Missouri from its source to its confluence with the Mississippi is longer than the Mississippi's entire 2,320 miles). And speaking of names, rivers around the world are traditionally assigned the feminine gender, we speak of the Missouri as she, but not the Mississippi. He's the old man river. The Mississippi and its history contain more than the usual amount of blunders, oddities and contrary happenings.

Should you be fortunate enough to visit Lake Itasca and the Mississippi Headwaters, don't be contrary yourself and risk souring a good time. So what if the Mississippi Headwaters were manufactured by the Parks Department--they did a good job. I remember when I first discovered that the Mississippi should end at St. Louis. I felt somehow cheated, my river idol was a sham. I got over it. Now take off your shoes and socks and wade into the stream. If it's an average day there should already be a collection of children knee deep in the water playing, sifting through stones on the bottom and having a general good time.

Take your lead from the children, while their parents are standing on the shore remarking, "and did you know that Willard Glazier in 1887 succeeded in convincing everyone that the true source of the Mississippi was Elk Lake, which he named Lake Glazier...," go on and get into the water. The first time Isaac and I were there we used his shoes as toy boats and floated them down the river. It was good fun. Stand in the current and feel the force of the river pushing against your legs. Don't bother pondering the paradox of a river that is always moving and yet always there, just enjoy the feel of it. Put the pamphlet away that's full of facts like, 1475 feet above sea level and such. See if your shoes will float. Play with the river, it'll play back.

P.S. When we first visited Itasca, Isaac carried there half a mussel shell that he had picked up from the bank of the Mississippi at the other end in Venice LA. He left it in the rocks that form the headwaters. If you ever find it you'll know where it came from--pitch it back in.