Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820 / Resumed and Completed, by the Discovery of its Origin in Itasca Lake, in 1832

A combined account of two government-sponsored exploratory journeys that traced the upper reaches of the Mississippi to its head at Itasca Lake, merging narrative of camps, routes, and discoveries with appended scientific reports on regional geology, mineral resources (including Lake Superior copper mines), botany, zoology, and maps. The author condenses journals into a unified summary, preserves observations submitted by companions and specialists, and includes official reports, natural-history determinations, and topographical data, aiming to record physical geography and resources while omitting transient details. The volume balances travel narrative with empirical descriptions useful to geography and natural science.