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American geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft officially identifies Lake Itasca in south-eastern Clearwater County, in the Headwaters area of north-central Minnesota as the source of the Mississippi River.
Schoolcraft's expedition, which included the Ojibwe guide Ozawindib, explored the Upper Mississippi River region and pinpointed the lake as the river's origin. Schoolcraft named the lake "Itasca," combining the Latin words "veritas" (truth) and "caput" (head), to signify its role as the true source.
