Chippewa village at the mouth of the Ontonagon--Organize an expedition to explore its mineralogy--Incidents of the trip--Rough nature of the country--Reach the Copper Rock--Misadventure--Kill a bear--Discoveries of copper--General remarks on the mineral affluence of the basin of Lake Superior 94
Proceed along the southern coast of Lake Superior from the Ontonagon, to Fond du Lac--Porcupine range of mountains--Streams that run from it, at parallel distances, into the lake--La Pointe--Group of the Federation Islands--River St. Louis--Physical geography of Lake Superior 102
Proceed up the St. Louis River, and around its falls and rapids to Sandy Lake in the valley of the Upper Mississippi--Grand Portage--Portage aux Coteaux--A main exploring party--Cross the great morass of Akeek Scepi to Sandy Lake--Indian mode of pictographic writing--Site of an Indian jonglery--Post of Sandy Lake 110
Reunion of the expedition on the Savanna Portage--Elevation of this summit--Descent to Sandy Lake--Council with the Chippewa tribe--Who are they?--Traits of their history, language, and customs--Enter the Mississippi, with the main exploring party, and proceed in search of its source--Physical characteristics of the stream at this place--Character of the Canadian voyageur 118
Proceed up the Mississippi River--Its velocity and character--Swan River--Trout River, and Mushcoda or Prairie River--Rapids ascended--Reach, and make a portage around Pakagama Falls--Enter a vast lacustrine region--Its character and productions, vegetable and animal--Tortuous channel--Vermilion and Deer Rivers--Leech Lake branch--Lake Winnipek--Ascent of the river to Upper Red Cedar, or Cass Lake--Physical character of the Mississippi River 126
Physical traits of the Mississippi--The elevation of its sources--Its velocity and mean descent--Etymology of the name Mississippi--Descent of the river to Sandy Lake, and thence to the Falls of St. Anthony--Recross the great Bitobi Savanna--Pakagama formation--Description of the voyage from Sandy Lake to Pine River--Brief notices of the natural history 137
Description of the descent from Pine River--Pine tracts--Confluence of the Crow-wing River--Enter a sylvan region--prairies and groves, occupied by deer, elk, and buffalo--Sport of buffalo hunting--Reach elevations of sienitic and metamorphic rocks--Discover a pictographic inscription of the Sioux, by which they denote a desire for peace--Pass the Osaukes, St. Francis's, Corneille, and Rum Rivers--St. Anthony's Falls--Etymology of the name--Geographical considerations 145