Itasca, Lake

Itasca, Lake
Lake, northwestern Minnesota, U.S. Occupying an area of 1.

8 sq mi (4.7 sq km), it is located 1,475 ft (450 m) above sea level. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's theory that Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi River has been widely accepted. He is generally credited with originating the name Itasca, but Indian legend mentions I-tesk-ka, the daughter of Hiawatha, whose tears of anguish at being spirited away to the netherworld were the source of the Mississippi.

* * *

      lake regarded as the main source of the Mississippi River, in Clearwater county, northwestern Minnesota, U.S. The lake, of glacial origin, covers an area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 square km) and has a maximum depth of 40 feet (12 metres). From the lake's surface, which is 1,475 feet (450 metres) above sea level, the Mississippi flows southward 2,350 miles (3,780 km) to the Gulf of Mexico (Mexico, Gulf of).

      The fur trader William Morrison may have been the first white man to visit the lake in 1803 or 1804. It was explorer and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe), however, who proposed Lake Itasca as the true source of the Mississippi in 1832. French explorer Joseph Nicollet (Nicollet, Joseph Nicolas) surveyed the area in 1836 and confirmed Schoolcraft's claim. Some geologists, however, have believed that other glacial lakes in the region also supply the headwaters of the river.

      Schoolcraft is generally credited with having coined the name Itasca from the Latin words veritas (“truth”) and caput (“head”). Native American legend, however, mentions I-tesk-ka, the daughter of Hiawatha, whose tears of anguish at being spirited away to the netherworld reputedly formed the source of the Mississippi.

      The 50-square-mile (130-square-km) Itasca State Park was established around the Itasca basin in 1891. The lake is stocked with game fish and is popular with boaters.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Itasca, Lake — geographical name lake NW central Minnesota; generally considered as source of Mississippi River …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Lake Itasca — Geographische Lage Itasca State Park, Minnesota, USA Zuflüsse Nicolett Creek …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • lake — lake1 /layk/, n. 1. a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land. 2. any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil. 3. (go) jump in the lake, (used as an exclamation of dismissal or impatience.) [bef. 1000; ME lak(e) …   Universalium

  • Lake — /layk/, n. Simon, 1866 1945, U.S. engineer and naval architect. * * * I Relatively large body of slow moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin. Lakes are most abundant in high northern latitudes and in mountain regions, particularly …   Universalium

  • Lake Itasca — The source of the Mississippi River on the edge of Lake Itasca Location Itasca State Park, Clearwater County, Minnesota, USA …   Wikipedia

  • Itasca — is the name of some places in the United States:*Minnesota: ** Itasca County, Minnesota ** Itasca Township, Minnesota ** Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River ** Itasca State Park * Itasca, Illinois * Itasca, Texas * Itascatown,… …   Wikipedia

  • Itasca — ist der Name mehrerer Orte in den Vereinigten Staaten: Itasca (Illinois) Itasca (Texas) Itasca Township (Kansas) Itasca Township (Minnesota) Schiffe: USS Itasca (1861) USCGC Itasca (1929) Sonstiges: Itasca State Park Itasca County Lake Itasca …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Itasca — [i tas′kə] Lake [coined by SCHOOLCRAFT Henry Rowe < L (ver)itas, truth + ca(put), head, in ref. to other alleged sources] lake in NW Minn., a source of the Mississippi: c. 2 sq mi (5.2 sq km) …   English World dictionary

  • Itasca — Itasca, 1) der äußerste nordöstlichste Theil von Minnesota, zwischen dem Obern See u. dem Britischen Nordamerika, ungefähr 800 QM.; Flüsse: Rainy, Mississippi, St. Louis River, zahlreiche größere u. kleinere Seen; der ganze Landstrich bildet eine …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Itasca State Park — Geobox|Protected area name = Itasca State Park category = Minnesota State Park category iucn = IV image caption = The source of the Mississippi River at the north end of Lake Itasca country = United States country state = Minnesota state state… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”