341:
both Wolf and Muskeg Lakes were open areas of water in the same enormous and impassable marsh then known as the "Great
Savannah", and travellers took the portage to avoid the worst part of this marsh. With the channelization of the river, Muskeg Lake is no longer open water, and the actual distance from the start of the portage to the river's outlet is only 15.3 miles (24.6 km), as the meanders have been substantially eliminated.
272:. Sediments deposited by the glacial lake are parent to the present soils of peats, silt, and sand; the peats are in marshes which dominate the upper reaches of the river. These marshes, in which the river rises and through which it flows, were known as the "Great Savannah". The lower course was a winding stream with clay banks through a mixed forest; beavers dropped many trees into and across the river.
228:
256:. In fact, the river now known as the East Savanna reversed its course; it once was the far upper Mississippi, flowing southwesterly here on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico, but after the Saint Louis River eroded its way upward to Floodwood, it became the present small, northeastward-flowing tributary of the Saint Louis in the Saint Lawrence watershed.
293:
After we had followed the tortuous river for some miles, we suddenly found ourselves in a labyrinth of channels winding among long rushes, and we were informed that we had entered the Great
Savannah itself. As, however, the rushes almost met overhead, it was impossible to form any impression of it .
279:
from Wolf Lake east for about four miles (six km), then angling northeast and east through what is now prosaically named "Judicial Ditch No. 3". The ditching neither drained the marsh nor made it suitable for agriculture: "The land is still hopeless swamp, and so far as anyone can now see will always
340:
In preindustrial times, the winding river was some 24 miles (about 40 km) from the Saint Louis to the start of the portage. Prior to the channelization of the river described above, Muskeg Lake, several miles to the south of the start of the portage, was considered to be the source. In truth,
243:
was formed from its glacial meltwaters. As that lake receded, its watershed at first was drained by the
Mississippi River, which rose from the northeast at the present headwaters of the Saint Louis River, and flowed southwest to Sandy Lake along the course of the East Savanna. By the process of
174:
The low divide which now separates the
Mississippi tributaries from the East Savanna was part of a historic trade route connecting the Saint Lawrence and Great Lakes to the Mississippi basin, used by fur traders and explorers. Part of that route, including the headwaters of the East and
280:
remain so." As the river leaves the east boundary of
Savanna Portage State Park and enters Saint Louis County, local relief begins to increase, and the channel crosses and obliterates the meanders and oxbows of the former naturally-flowing river.
317:, a historic trade route between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin in central North America. Members of the First Nations, and later fur traders, missionaries, and explorers, ascended the Saint Louis River from its mouth at
291:"The stream wound sluggishly between low banks covered with long grass, from which shot lofty trees, aspen, maple, ash, elm, birch, hemlock, pine, and fir, that met overhead, and formed an agreeable shade from the noonday sun. . . .
461:
Luukkonen, p. 314. A "judicial ditch" is a waterway dug as part of a drainage system established by a local authority in a legal proceeding, with the costs typically assessed against the properties benefited by improved drainage.
500:
Detailed topographic maps are available on the map resources page accessed through the title coordinates. Open GPS Visualizer, zoom in, and follow the East
Savanna upstream (WSW) from the mouth.
479:
pp. 5-8. (August 11, 2007). The judicial ditch which straightened the East
Savanna River and confined it within an artificial channel was dredged in the early years of the twentieth century.
472:
294:. . e . . . found ourselves upon a small circular island, . . . from which we could take an inspection of the Savannah, which was nothing more than a boundless swamp . . . ."
908:
568:
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140:
211:
origin, and meant a "treeless area". The word was used here to refer to the marshy grasslands where the river begins and through which it flows. The
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Ojakangas & Matsch (1982), pp. 110-111; Sansome (1983), pp. 129-31; Waters (1977), pp. 26, 28-29; Hart (1931), pp. 403–06,
794:
Tomorrow's
Habitat for the Wild & Rare, An Action Plan for Minnesota Wildlife, Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
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131:. With a total length of 15.3 miles (24.6 km), the river rises in Wolf Lake, a small body of water within a spruce
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is part of the
Tamarack Lowlands Subsection within the Northern Minnesota Drift Plains Section of the
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Saint Louis River and tributaries; East
Savanna River originates in Aitkin County (at left)
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and then the Mississippi east of the present divide, diverting their waters southeast to
669:"Some Account of the Department of Fond du Lac or Mississippi by George Henry Monk Esq"
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168:
164:
892:
652:
Between the Waters: Tracing the Northwest Trail from Lake Superior to the Mississippi
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located a half-mile (0.8 km) to the west of Wolf Lake, on the other side of the
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65:
35:
372:
U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.
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to the Atlantic Ocean. A few thousand years ago the East Savanna was part of the
152:
90:
723:
Minnesota Underfoot: A Field Guide to the State's Outstanding Geologic Features
671:, accompanying an 18 April 1807 letter to Roderic Mackenzie, a partner in the
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227:
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874:
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325:), then went up the East Savanna to the portage, crossed the portage and the
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itself, originating in northeast Minnesota and flowing southwesterly to
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167:, from which the great river drained down its present valley to the
226:
583:"The Geologic Origin of the Savanna and Prairie River Portages"
439:
Tamarack Lowland Subdivision, Ecological Classification System.
219:, was more precise, being translated as "marsh-portage river".
132:
313:
The stream was part of the Northwest Trail, and led to the
287:
631:
Le Conte, Joseph, (June Drenning Holmquist, ed.) (1951),
329:
to the West Savanna, and descended that stream to the
275:
The river now flows through a channel, following the
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58:
50:
41:
31:
26:
21:
842:, Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press,
817:Minnesota place names: a geographical encyclopedia
690:Ojakangas, Richard W.; Matsch, Charles L (1982),
694:, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,
633:"Joseph Le Conte's Early Geological Excursion"
469:Minnesota Drainage Law Analysis and Evaluation
248:, the smaller Saint Louis River captured the
8:
569:Feature Detail Report for East Savanna River
199:, kept the name given by French explorers,
548:Axelson, Gustave (January–February 2008),
798:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
772:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
749:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
626:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
550:"In the Vanishing Footsteps of Voyageurs"
466:Smith, Louis N. and Holtman, Charles B.,
423:The Geology of the Lake Superior Region
362:
787:"Tamarack Lowlands Subsection Profile"
496:
494:
18:
909:Rivers of St. Louis County, Minnesota
721:Sansome, Constance Jefferson (1983),
717:, London: William Blackwood and Sons.
368:
366:
7:
840:The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota
796:. Division of Ecological Services,
573:Geographic Names Information System
904:Rivers of Aitkin County, Minnesota
725:, Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press,
618:Lake Information Report, Wolf Lake
115:is a small yet historic stream in
14:
139:, and flows northeasterly to the
16:River in Minnesota, United States
768:Ecological Classification System
554:Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
577:United States Geological Survey
427:United States Geological Survey
764:"Tamarack Lowlands Subsection"
675:. This report is reprinted in
1:
425:, vol. 52, pp. 112 et seq. (
42:Physical characteristics
914:Tributaries of Lake Superior
821:Minnesota Historical Society
684:Minnesota Historical Society
654:, Duluth: Dovetailed Press,
644:Minnesota Historical Society
612:Minnesota Historical Society
599:Hart, Irving Harlow (1927),
594:Minnesota Historical Society
581:Hart, Irving Harlow (1932),
560:(416): 50–63, archived from
147:, whence its waters flow to
101: • elevation
77: • elevation
667:Monk, George Henry (1807),
351:List of rivers of Minnesota
197:Saint Lawrence River Divide
60: • location
930:
838:Waters, Thomas F. (1977),
819:(3 ed.), Saint Paul:
714:Minnesota and the Far West
305:Minnesota and the Far West
181:Savanna Portage State Park
137:Savanna Portage State Park
650:Luukkonen, Larry (2007),
601:"The Old Savanna Portage"
85:
46:
237:last continental glacier
203:. This French word for
270:Laurentian Mixed Forest
105:1,230 feet (370 m)
81:1,266 feet (386 m)
383:, accessed May 7, 2012
232:
217:Mashkiig-onigami-ziibi
179:Rivers, is now within
875:46.92250°N 92.90500°W
230:
488:Hart (1927), p. 136.
415:Van Hise, Charles R.
392:Monk, pp. 33–34, 35.
337:to the Mississippi.
157:Saint Lawrence River
899:Rivers of Minnesota
880:46.92250; -92.90500
871: /
692:Minnesota's Geology
191:The river, and the
709:Oliphant, Laurence
673:North West Company
475:2013-06-05 at the
379:2012-03-29 at the
233:
193:West Savanna River
113:East Savanna River
22:East Savanna River
741:"Savanna Portage"
677:Minnesota History
661:978-0-9765890-4-4
637:Minnesota History
605:Minnesota History
587:Minnesota History
450:Laurence Oliphant
323:Duluth, Minnesota
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301:Laurence Oliphant
207:originally is of
161:Mississippi River
141:Saint Louis River
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682:(1): 32–39,
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642:(2): 81–99,
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177:West Savanna
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151:through the
112:
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878: /
745:State Parks
321:(in modern
319:Fond du Lac
153:Great Lakes
121:Saint Louis
64:Wolf Lake,
893:Categories
866:92°54′18″W
863:46°55′21″N
804:2009-11-27
778:2009-11-27
755:2009-11-27
622:Lakefinder
357:References
241:Lake Upham
201:la Savanne
125:U.S. state
521:Axelson,
145:Floodwood
129:Minnesota
70:Minnesota
815:(2001),
711:(1855),
510:Oliphant
473:Archived
429:, 1911).
377:Archived
345:See also
239:melted,
155:and the
27:Location
646:(1951).
542:Sources
412:quoting
307:, 1855
284:History
260:Ecology
235:As the
223:Geology
205:savanna
32:Country
846:
827:
800:. 2006
774:. 2009
751:. 2009
729:
698:
658:
628:(2009)
523:passim
327:divide
215:name,
213:Ojibwe
117:Aitkin
95:
54:
51:Source
790:(PDF)
91:Mouth
844:ISBN
825:ISBN
727:ISBN
696:ISBN
656:ISBN
417:and
333:and
187:Name
119:and
111:The
852:, .
833:, .
735:, .
704:, .
464:See
143:at
135:in
133:bog
127:of
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183:.
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781:.
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299:—
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
