This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 Excerpt: ... charged with carbonic acid. A weathering of this sort is accordingly observed on both sides of the Mississippi, on a distance of eight miles, from St. Peter's to the Falls of St. Anthony; at which latter spot it takes place to a greater extent. The underlying sandstone, being very friable, is easily acted on by ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 Excerpt: ... charged with carbonic acid. A weathering of this sort is accordingly observed on both sides of the Mississippi, on a distance of eight miles, from St. Peter's to the Falls of St. Anthony; at which latter spot it takes place to a greater extent. The underlying sandstone, being very friable, is easily acted on by meteoric and atmospheric agencies. The first effect of these is to form excavations in the sandstone, which, crumbling in, carries along the superincumbent limestone thus deprived of its support. In ascending the Mississippi in this last-mentioned distance, the traveller is astonished to find its bed so little encumbered by the debris of this limestone; and at the St. Anthony, he is still more surprised not to find a larger accumulation of detritus at the foot of its falls. This is owing to the solvent properties of the water previously alluded to; so that I have not the least doubt that the limestone at one time covered an extensive tract of country, and that the waters reaching the sandstone, the result of this species of denudation has brought about the peculiar configuration of the surface in this region of country, as seen on the left bank of the Mississippi, going from the St. Peter's to Carver's cave, and over the whole district watered by La Hontan and Vermillion rivers, and other places. These causes of erosion are doubtless still in full activity, and hence I am inclined to think that the recession of the Falls of St. Anthony is much more rapid than is generally supposed. As it is possible to find elements for the measurement of this result, 1 made surveys of the locality in the month of March, 1839. I have appended to this report a chart of the falls, exhibiting diagrams of their dimensions at that time, which will enable future generatio...
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Seller's Description:
Good. Senate issue, 1 of 300. Bound in modern green cloth. Gilt titling on spine. Foxing throughout. Light crease in center of text. Contains": "Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River From Astronomical and Barometrical Observations Surveys and Information." Large fold out map, 92 x 76 cm. Map in poor condition, chipped and torn along many folds in several pieces. Scale 1: 1, 200, 000. This map was the first detailed modern depiction of the Great Lakes region and the primary source for the area at that time. Goetzmann states that Nicollet's "Map of the Hydrographic Basin of the Upper Mississippi River" was "based on some 90, 000 instrument readings and 326 distinctly determined astronomical points. With its overall regional concept of a 'hydrographic basin, ' Nicollet's map and the accompanying report were years ahead of their time. Had he lived one more decade, Nicollet would undoubtedly have become the official government cartographer of the whole trans-Mississippi West". Significantly, text contains the first description of early St. Louis. Explorers Club blind stamp on title. Provenance: Explorers Club (NYC) book plate. Signed on book plate by James B. Ford. Ford was the President of the Club, the Club's library is named after him. References abound: Goetzmann, Exploration and Empire, 1993, p.313; Howes N-152; Sabin 55257; Streeter III: 1808; Wagner-Camp-Becker 98; Schwartz and Ehrenberg, pages 267-8, plate 165; Graff 3022; Wheat, Transmississippi West II, p. 180.
