in May and June, mean stages in July and August, and low stages in September and October. The country to the east, north, and west of Red Lake is flat and swampy. The country to the south is higher and is rolling and sandy. The country westerly from the outlet of Red Lake is a low, flat, marshy strip, through which the Red Lake River winds in tortuous course, with its bed about 5 feet below the general land level. In the first 7.5 miles the river surface has a fall of 5 feet (0.67 foot per mile), followed by a 13.8-mile stretch in which the fall is only 6 feet (0.435 foot per mile). From this point on the slope again increases, the river becomes narrower, and the banks higher. Especially is this the case at and below High Landing (37 miles below Red Lake). The flat slope in the upper reaches carries a deposit and gradually raises the river bed, and with other débris, causes obstructions to form which reduce the natural carrying capacity of the channel and makes it inadequate to carry even normal high-water discharges without overflowing its banks and spreading over the adjacent meadows. It is not until High Landing is reached that the high-water discharge remains within the banks.

At Thief River Falls the river descends over numerous short rapids to a point about 11 miles above Crookston. In a 1-mile stretch a little above Red Lake Falls the natural fall is 15 feet. The banks increase from a height of 20 feet at Thief River Falls to 60 feet in the vicinity of Red Lake Falls, decreasing to about 20 feet at Crookston, and again increasing to about 35 feet at the mouth opposite Grand Forks. Below Crookston the river slope decreases, the depths and velocities being such as would permit navigation by small gasoline launches between Fisher and the mouth at East Grand Forks. The Red Lake River has no definite valley for a number of miles below the Red Lake outlet, but the beginning of a valley occurs at about High Landing, which valley reaches a width of about oneeighth mile at Thief River Falls, increasing to about three-fourths mile width at the mouth.

The low-water width of the Red Lake River varies from 90 feet at the outlet to 150 feet at the mouth, with a width reaching about 200 feet at some intervening points both above and below Crookston. Red Lake River has but two important tributaries, Thief River entering from the north at Thief River Falls, and the Clearwater River entering from the east at Red Lake Falls.

At high-water stages in the upper end of Red Lake River the banks are overflowed, and in the vicinity just below Neptune the water sweeps southward for about 5 miles over the low-lying land into the Clearwater River. At times of extreme high water in the lower end of Red Lake River an overflow takes place just below Fisher into the Grand Marais, a marshy valley, the river then having virtually two mouths. Red Lake itself is the head of navigation. At the lower end of Red Lake River the waterway of approach is the Red River of the North, in which the available depth at mean low water is 3 feet above Grand Forks and 4 feet below Grand Forks. This city is opposite the junction of Red Lake River with Red River of the North.

4. Previous reports. (a) Report dated February 6, 1892, printed in House Document No. 127, Fifty-second Congress, first session. The report, with a map, includes a preliminary examination and survey of Red Lake and Red Lake River with a view to improvement by locks and dams, and by a dam at the outlet of Red Lake to form a reservoir for control of the flow, the estimate for which was $300,000, with some additional funds for surveys and contingencies. The report was unfavorable.

(b) Report dated February 26, 1895, with map, on preliminary examination of Red Lake River, Minn., with the view of improving Red Lake River from Thief River Falls to the Red Lake is found in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1895, page 2211. It suggests a plan of improvement, briefly, to consist of removing bowlders from the river between High Landing and Thief River Falls, but gives no estimate of cost. The report was favorable. The river and harbor act of June 3, 1896, made an appropriation of $5,000 for improvement in accordance with this report.

(c) Report dated February 18, 1897, printed in House Document No. 306, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session. Report on preliminary examination of Red Lake and Red Lake River, Minn., with a view to the construction of a dam with locks at the outlet of said lake for the purpose of improving the navigation of Red River of the North and said Red Lake River. Survey recommended at an estimated cost of $5,000. No map published. Survey was made and further report submitted. (See (e) and (f) below.)

(d) Report dated December 2, 1899, printed in House Document No. 67, Fifty-sixth Congress, first session, includes a report on reservoir value of Red Lake for prevention of floods in Red River of the North. The report, published without maps, was unfavorable.

(e) Report dated May 5, 1900, printed in House Document No. 671, Fifty-sixth Congress, first session, is a progress report on survey for the purposes outlined in (c). No map.

(f) Report dated February 10, 1904, printed in House Document No. 539, Fifty-eighth Congress, second session, includes a final report on survey for the purposes outlined in (c). Estimate for improvements for Red Lake and Red Lake River $270,456.69. The report, published with 1 map, was unfavorable.

(g) Report dated January 21, 1907, printed in House Document 607, Fifty-ninth Congress, second session, is a preliminary 'report by the Department of the Interior on survey for reclamation and drainage of the swamps in the lands ceded by the Chippewa Indians. The report, with map, was submitted without recommendation or estimate for such action as Congress might deem advisable.

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(h) Report dated May 13, 1909, printed in House Document No. 27, Sixty-first Congress, first session, is the final report, with map, by the Department of the Interior on survey for reclamation by drainage of the swamps in the lands ceded by the Chippewa Indians. No recommendation.

(i) Report dated November 11, 1909, printed in House Document No. 483, Sixty-first Congress, second session, is a report on preliminary examination of Red Lake River between Thief River Falls and Red Lake. The report, published without map, was unfavorable.

(j) Report dated March 9, 1912, printed in House Document No. 616, Sixty-second Congress, second session, is a preliminary examination report in which is included consideration of Red Lake as a storage reservoir. The report, published with map, was unfavorable.

(k) Report dated April 20, 1914, printed in House Document No. 971, Sixty-third Congress, second session, is a report by the Department of the Interior on the drainage survey of the diminished Red Lake Indian Reservation. Published with map.

(1) Report dated November 6, 1914, printed in House Document No. 1459, Sixty-third Congress, third session, is a report, with map, on preliminary examination of Red Lake with a view to providing suitable harbor facilities at or near Redby, or at such other point or points on the lake as may be desirable. The report was unfavorable.

5. Work previously done.-Work done under the project adopted by the river and harbor act of June 3, 1896, consisted of removing bowlders and snags from the channel in the 34-mile reach from Thief River Falls up to High Landing. This work, commenced in 1896 and discontinued in 1902, tended to increase the ruling depth at low water from 1.5 feet to the project depth of 3 feet, which latter depth appears never to have been wholly attained. During 1900 a reach of 8 miles above East Grand Forks was cleared of snags, stumps, overhanging trees, piles, and bowlders. Funds having been exhausted the derrick fleet above Thief River Falls was sold in 1905 by authority of the Secretary of War. The total expenditures for improvement of the Red Lake River were $9,070.

An extreme low-water stage having prevailed continuously since the summer of 1910, the Thief River Falls Lumber Co. and the Crookston Lumber Co. in June and July, 1912, jointly dredged a channel through the bar at the outlet of Red Lake and for a short distance down river in order to get a sufficient flow from the lake to make a stage in the river on which they could drive logs to their sawmills at points below.

6. Difficulties of navigation.-The Red Lake River has been used extensively in the past for the driving of logs, and after the close of these operations the bed of the river has been left paved with sunken logs, which condition is most aggravated at the outlet of Red Lake and for the first 10 or 15 miles below, where there is but small slope. These sunken logs prevent the river from cutting down its channel at and below the outlet, so that at low-water periods the outflow from the lake is cut off and such launches as do occasionally use the river are endangered or entirely held up by the insufficiency of depth which allows them to strike these sunken logs. During the summer and early autumn this upper stretch of river is also partly clogged with a dense growth of water vegetation and is shoaled by the formation of mud bars at numerous widened points. Navigation is entirely pre

vented from using the stretch from Thief River Falls to Fisher by the numerous rapids and gravel bars over which the water flows in small depth and with considerable velocity. In this stretch there have been built six power dams (see par. 13). On the lower end of the river from Fisher to the mouth there are no obstructions to navigability, but there is no use whatever made by boats of this stretch of the river.

7. Bridges.-Over Red Lake River.

8. A personal inspection of the vicinity of Thief River Falls up to High Landing and Neptune was made on November 22, 1916, in company with State Senator O'Neill, Mr. F. H. Herrick, wholesale grocer, and E. J. Dugan, United States assistant engineer, in local charge.

The river was frozen at the time, and from a point near High Landing and extending to Neptune and practically beyond all the way to Red Lake, the river was more or less over the low meadow lands, having dropped only 18 inches since October. The wild meadow grass was therefore ruined by the frozen water, as it could not be cut on account of the continued high water during the summer and fall. On the higher lands no damage was done. The general crops are wild and tame hay, potatoes, and grains. It appeared evident that Red Lake did not drain fast enough through its outlet, and yet even the discharge as it was was too great for the natural river to take without overflow, especially in view of the many drainage ditches opened in the last few years.

9. Record of public hearing.-A public hearing was held at Thief River Falls, Minn., on November 23, 1916. This hearing lasted sev

1

eral hours, and was well attended. A copy of the minutes, together with inclosures,' herewith attached. A brief synopsis is as follows: O. L. Dent (State referee in ditch matters): A paper was presented by Mr. Dent, shown by Exhibit A. In Exhibit A-1 he shows high-water elevation of Red Lake from 1,174.8 to 1,178.1, extending from a period from 1910 to 1916, especially showing the high water of 1916. In Exhibit A-2 he shows a great deal of new drainage in Beltrami and Koochiching Counties, amounting to about 481 miles of ditches and costing $900,000. In Exhibit A-3 he gives maps (not included), showing the proposed new channel from Red Lake to High Landing, which will hold the water within the banks. In Exhibit A-4 he gives an estimate of improving the Red Lake River from Red Lake to High Landing, a distance of 39.2 miles by dredging and cut-offs to reduce the distance to 29 miles. This work consists of 12 miles of new channel and 17 miles of old channel to be dredged. The fall of the river from 1,175 to 1,150 is 25 feet, or 0.637 foot per mile on the old slope, and 0.869 foot per mile on the new slope. The area of the watershed is 2,000 square miles, rainfall 26 inches, run-off 33 per cent, or 1,277.8 cubic feet per second mean discharge. With a 60-foot bottom width and a 10-foot depth and suitable slopes, the cross-section area is about 700 square feet, and with a velocity of 24 feet per second the discharge will be 1,750 cubic feet per second.

Quantities:

17.2 miles old channel (80,000 cubic yards per mile).....cubic yards.. 1, 360, 000 12 miles new channel.. ....cubic yards.. 1,836,000

He proposes a division of costs as follows: One-fourth to the power interests; onefourth to the river and harbor interests; one-fourth to the State of Minnesota; oneeighth to the Indian Department on account of drainage; one-eighth of the other lands on Red Lake and Red Lake River. He submits another list on Exhibit A-5 of about 185 persons giving addresses and location of lands owned.

Hon. D. P. O'Neill (State senator): He believes the solution lies in the control of the reservoirs. The maximum elevation might be kept at 1,173. Red Lake should be reduced to 7 feet below the normal. Says the river is unusually high this year due to ditches, and that the river above High Landing should be deepened and straightened and the lake level controlled. He thinks the State should bear a part and might do so under the guise of public health. Further says that the Indian lands would be benefited and should pay a part. The farmers are in a bad way, having lost so many crops, and it is hard for them to assist.

W. E. Baker (agent of the Great Northern Railway): Claims to have bought a quarter section of land which appeared good at the time of purchase but is now useless as it can not be drained. Believes the parties above him who drain on him should be responsible. Says there is some danger of the Red Lake River breaking over into the Clearwater River.

A. B. Kaercher, president of the Tri-State Flood Control (Exhibit B): Says the basins of the Red River of the North and the Minnesota Rivers should be considered together and relief should be furnished for both by utilizing all the natural reservoirs, especially that of Red Lake and Lake Traverse, and a canal to take part of Red Lake drainage should be constructed from Red Lake to Otter Tail Lake or River, and thence to Lake Traverse either through Red River or Mustinka River. Says the most destructive floods in Red River were in 1850, 1873, 1882, 1883, 1893, 1897. In 1897 the damage was over $7,000,000 and over 1,000,000 acres were submerged. The damage by the Minnesota River in 1906, 1907, and 1908 was over $1,500,000. These problems must be solved by the Federal Government and the three States of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Letter of Prof. E. F. Chandler (Exhibit C): He states that the long period average flow of Red Lake River is 600 to 700 second-feet. At present when the lake approaches low-water stage the flow is obstructed and the outlet level is reached only after a long period of one or two years of dry weather. If the outlet were enlarged and

1 Not printed.