Northern Historically

     Long Lake, the largest and last of the series, is six or seven miles long; it has a great many bays and inlets, with wooded promontories between.  Our guide informed us that the waters of the lake flow both ways from it - From its northeast end towards the waters of Lake Superior; from its southwest extremity towards the tributaries of the Mississippi.  The appearance which it presents, seen from the southwest end, where the portage trail strikes it, is represented in Plate 19.
     The only living thing, which we noticed about these lakes, except a couple of Indians, who happened to be travelling the same route as ourselves, were several northern divers, Colymbus Glacialis, whose shrill and peculiar cry rung through the solitude, at one time resembling the scream of children in the distance, at others, imitating the sound of loud, convulsive laughter.

Chapter 4...
Formation of Lake Superior...
     Adjacent to the northeast end of Long Lake, there rises a ridge sixty-eight feet above the level of the sheet of water.  This appears to be the highest ground we passed over in crossing from the headwaters of the tributaries of the Mississippi to those of Lake Superior.  The trail descends from the summit of this ridge for nearly four miles; then it ascends the first trap range associated with the Lake Superior formation, which reaches the surface on this route.  Where the trail crosses it, it is nearly two hundred feet lower than the summit level in sight of Long Lake. The time which elapsed (an hour and half) between the two observations, prevented me from making a precise calculation of the difference of elevation.
     Much of the trap of this range has that peculiar mottled appearance that was noticed in many of the boulders between this point and the Namah-kahgun, and also, to some extent, on the Chippewa. On breaking it up, spherical pieces, about the size of a small marble, are found embedded.  Though remarkably hard and heavy, it has a great tendency to decomposition, and, no doubt, produces a good soil; though a general character of the soil in the vicinity is rather more siliceous than that derived wholly from trap rocks.  The growth of maple timber around is such as indicates good upland.  The ground is somewhat broke, yet not so much so as to render it unfit for agricultural purposes.  In some of the hollows are small ponds, or morasses, even on quite elevated situations; this is so common an occurrence through the trap ranges of Wisconsin and Michigan, that is has led to the supposition that they may once have been rents or craters for the exit of lava; be this as it may, they often have a very circular form, with no apparent outlet or inlet.
     A quarter of a mile north of the trap range is an exposure of red sandstone conglomerate, a constant associate of Lake Superior formations, which now commence and take the place of the crystalline rocks of the interior of the Chippewa Land District.
     Adopting the general conclusions prevalent through the Lake Superior country, we might at once set down this ridge as a mineral tract, since what are considered the two essentials, trap and conglomerate, are found together.  I am, however, not disposed to adopt such sweeping generalizations.  With respect to this ridge, I content myself, for the present, by remarking that where we crossed it the rocks are not exposed to the disclosure of mineral veins.  My observations on it, however, were necessarily limited and superficial, the object being a rapid reconnaissance of the country, with a view to gain a general idea of its geology and agricultural capabilities, rather than a detailed examination of any particular spot.
     Four or five miles beyond the conglomerate exposure the trail strikes Alder Creek, the headwater of the Bad River (Mauvaise Rivair), where it winds through a strip of rich alluvial land.  The stream here is a mere brook, with barely enough water to float a canoe. Though so small, it furnishes, even here, delicious speckled salmon trout. They lurk in the cool  pools of still water, under the shelving bank, and can be caught with such facility that hundreds may be taken in one day.  The angler who undertakes to decoy them from their cool retreat, must be prepared to carry on, at the same time, an incessant combat with mosquitoes and gnats that swarm all through this country during the summer months.
     After embarking in our canoes, which had been transported between nine and ten miles from Long Lake,  we had for several miles to contend with overhanging branches of alders and willows, which interlace across the stream, close down upon the water. After two hours of bush whacking we reached the mouth of astream coming in from the west, which our guide informed us came from Long Lake.  It is about the same size as the branch we were navigating. A few hundred yards below this, the winter trail to La Pointe crosses the stream.  About half a mile further, we pass the mouth of the Mushkeg branch on the right.  The additional water, furnish by these two streams, was now sufficient to enable us to float down without much obstruction, either from shoals or trees.  It is called five miles to the mouth of the Long Lake River and five and a half to the Mushkeg fork.  Here, as the name implies, the banks are low and marshy; the only kind of timber in sight was a species of small willow.
     About eight miles below we passed another branch of the Bad River, coming in from the southeast, and three or four miles further the Pike branch, below which are the first trees of any considerable size, a few elms and basswood; the latter increase in size and number as one descends.  A few miles further on, the banks were overgrown with wild roses, which scented the air for miles.  This part of the river is a striking contrast to the wilderness of swamp above.
     About thirty miles from the place of our embarkation are the first rapids. No ledges of rocks could be seen, but there are boulders of trap in the channel of the river.  The banks begin here to rise to the height of from twenty to thirty feet. At a sudden bend of the river a few miles further, on the right bank, is a landslide of drifted materials of from twenty to thirty feet in height, which exposes only reddish sand with a few small boulders scattered through it.  The river was here obstructed by several log drifts, through which we sometimes had to cut our way, and sometimes to make a portage over them.  After passing these obstructions, several other landslides afforded good sections of red marly clays and sands, which have been derived from the destruction of the argillaceous and arenaceous beds of the red sandstone formation of the Lake Superior country during the periods of oscillation and disturbance, when the trap, forcing for itself a passage, through these strata, rent them asunder, elevating some portions some hundreds of feet above their original position, and tilting others at high angles.  These movements of the surface, and consequent change in the level of the waters of these regions, must necessarily have produced powerful currents, which, sweeping to and fro, denuded the exposed edges of strata and scattered the sediment derived there from far and wide.
     The same kind of deposits prevail to the Slave Rapid of Bad River from the water level to the subsoil.  Some of the beds effervesce with acids, indicating a percentage of carbonate of lime.  Where these calcareous beds form the sub-stratum, the soil resting thereon is usually both rich and durable.  The hills on the Bad River, composed of these drifted red clays and sands, vary from twenty to a hundred and twenty feet. They support a dense growth of birch, balsam fir, hemlock, and basswood.  Below the Slave Rapids belonging to the original red sandstone formation appear in place above water level and extend for three or four miles, whilst immense numbers of trap boulders line the banks of the river.
     At a very swift rapid, which was supposed to be about seven miles above the lowest portage, trap appeared to be in place, protruded through the beds of red sandstone and marl, which here dip to the northeast or east-northeast and have very much the lithological character which the red sandstone of the Potomac River possesses.  Part of it is a conglomerate and part an easily decomposing red marly rock, sometimes with mica and sometimes with argillaceous spots of deeper red than the mass of the rock.  Some attempt is said to have been made at mining near the lowest portage, but with what success I could not learn. The surface indications, so far as my cursory examination will warrant an opinion, are unfavorable for the discovery of valuable and productive veins of ore.
     After leaving the portage there are but few more rapids, and none so rough and swift as those we passed above.  We had, however, to make several portages afterwards around rafts of logs and drifted trees, which entirely blocked up the channel of the river.
     The banks below the last portage become generally lower, though some ten or twelve miles above the mouth of the west fork of Bad River, there are some red marly banks of considerable height that come occasionally up to the river, but no rock is exposed.
     At the confluence of the two principal forks of Bad River, i.e., the east and west branches, is an Indian village of about a hundred souls.
     The maple land in the vicinity of the east fork is a good quality and lies well for farming purposes.  This branch of the Bad River is clearer than the one we descended.  The turbidness of the west fork seems to be due to the Pike branch, the only muddy tributary that was observed.
     It is four miles from the confluence of the east and west branches of the Bad River to Lake Superior.  On either side the land is low and subject to be overflowed, but it affords a growth of grass, which supplies the inhabitants of Madeline Island with their winter hay.  No high land extends down to the lakeshore between the mouth of Bad River and the east point of the Chequamegon Bay, opposite Madeline Island.
     On the afternoon of July 4, 1847 we reached Madeline Island, and were very kindly received by Mr. William Warren, the Indian interpreter.  Here our canoes had to be taken to pieces to clean them from the sand and earth, which had collected between the bark and frame work, and otherwise undergo a thorough repair.  Our stores had also to be replenished, as the stock with which we left the Mississippi was exhausted.

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