BEMIDJI -- Nearly 200 years ago, the Italian explorer Giacomo Beltrami was looking for the source of the Mississippi River and exploring the land that would eventually bear his name.
And Wednesday, the Beltrami County Historical Society will honor his legacy at 6 p.m. at Turtle Lake Town Hall, 19143 Lake Julia Drive NW. The celebration will recognize the 70th anniversary of the installment of a monument near Buena Vista Hill, where Beltrami passed through during his journey in 1823.
“This is the spot on which he stood during (the) culmination of his search for the source of the Mississippi,” said Gary Rozman, executive director of the Beltrami County Historical Society.
The event will include several speakers and presentations, including Beltrami County Commissioner Richard Anderson and Bemidji Mayor Rita Albrecht.
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Albrecht will read a proclamation, announcing a “sister city” relationship between Bemidji and Filottrano, Italy, where Beltrami lived during his later years.
The Historical Society is encouraging attendees to “submit messages of goodwill, whether they be postcards, letters or other forms of communication.” Rozman will then take the messages to Filottrano during an upcoming trip.
“The primary goal of this effort is to promote cross-cultural exchange,” Rozman said about the new relationship with the Italian city.
The celebration also will serve as the start of a “five-year countdown” to the bicentennial of Beltrami’s voyage, according to the Beltrami County Historical Society.
Local documentarian Norwood Hall will speak on the life of Giacomo Beltrami and the voyage he made to northern Minnesota. His presentation also will feature film clips from the upcoming film project “Veritas Caput: True Source,” in which Beltrami is portrayed.
“There was a lot of misconceptions and a lot of myths about the man; the true story was even more remarkable than the myths,” Hall said about Beltrami.
Hall co-directed the project with Jane Rith-Najarian. For more information about the project, visit veritascaput.homestead.com.
According to the MNopedia, which is a resource of the Minnesota Historical Society, Beltrami arrived in the area in 1823 when he declared Lake Julia as the origin of the Mississippi River.
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It wasn’t until several years later that Henry Schoolcraft designated Lake Itasca as what’s now considered the actual source of the Mississippi.
“It’s basically a 250 year quest to find the answer to this question,” Hall said about the various explorers and their search for the source of the Mississippi, which are featured in “Veritas Caput: True Source.”
“It’s not as easy as finding a singular point on a map,” Hall said. “It’s a complicated question. It depends on how you define what the source of the Mississippi is, and it depends on the landscape too, which is unique.”
The county was created in 1866. Despite Beltrami’s miscalculation, early administrators decided to name the county after him.
IF YOU GO:
What: Beltrami monument 70th anniversary celebration
When 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22
Where: Turtle Lake Town Hall, 19143 Lake Julia Drive NW, Bemidji
