Lake Itasca

Lake Itasca is a Minnesota historical marker in Hubbard County.

U. S. highway 71, nearest point to the Lake and Itasca State Park, sec. 20, T. 143 N., R. 35 W. · location approximate

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In Itasca State Park, about 5 miles northwest of this point, lies Lake Itasca, regarded as the approximate source of the Mississippi River by H. R. Schoolcraft and W. T. Boutwell who visited and named it in 1832. The name was made from the two Latin words, "ver-itas" (truth) and "ca-put" (head).

Verbatim 1940 text, presented as a historical record, not current interpretation. Minnesota now calls the 1862 conflict the U.S.-Dakota War and has since replaced the wording on some of these signs.

TodayHistorical map

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Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps

Historical maps covering this location

1825 · 1825 State of Minnesota (Historical map archives, georeferenced via Allmaps)
1859 · Colton's Minnesota & Dakota (1859) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1869 · Johnson's Minnesota (1869) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1870 · Burritt's Sectional Minnesota (1870) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1874 · Map of Northern Minnesota, 1874. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Colton's Minnesota & Dakota (1859), 1859, covering the location of Lake Itasca, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Colton's Minnesota & Dakota (1859), 1859, covering this location. Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours and the location is approximate.

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What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

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The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyExpected here. This page shows the older published text, and some signs were recast later. Telling us still helps.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

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Marker data: Minnesota Historical Records Survey Project, Work Projects Administration, Guide to Historic Markers Erected by the State Highway Department Cooperating with the Minnesota Historical Society (1940)

Lake Itasca

Historical maps covering this location

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