Lake Itasca

Lake Itasca, small lake in northern Minnesota, located near Bemidji. During an expedition in 1832 to find the headwaters of the Mississippi River, explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft proclaimed Lake Itasca as the river's true source. Although the lake is now regarded as the Mississippi's main source, geologists assert that other lakes of the surrounding region contribute to the headwaters of the river. The name comes from the middle letters of the Latin veritas caput (“true head”). The Itasca basin became Itasca State Park in 1891. The park provides a home to abundant wildlife and thick forests, including some of the oldest and largest white and red pines in the state. The University of Minnesota maintains a forestry school and a biological station in the area. Area of lake, 5 sq km (2 sq mi).