Norwood Hall, Director
Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian, Producer
Date: Saturday, March 28 , 2026
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Bagley Public Library Community Room
Free Will Donations Accepted
"Beltrami: A Pilgrim's Providence" is an hour-long documentary about the adventurous journey of Italian explorer Giacomo Beltrami during the summer of 1823. Join us as we follow his footsteps (and paddle strokes!) through the wilderness of northern
Minnesota on his search for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. This film was made after careful research through primary materials, including his journals and articles, along with sketchbooks and artifacts from his expedition at the museum of his hometown of Bergamo, Italy. Using Minnesota actors on location, the film project
reenacts Beltrami's expedition along the route of his "pilgrimage", and examines why he thought the source was at Lake Julia near the continental divide of Buena Vista Hill
north of Bemidji. This is the first episode from the locally produced documentary series
called "True Source: The Politics and Science of the Search for the Headwaters of the
Mississippi River", which is bringing to life the geography and historic journeys of 19th
century explorers to the headwaters region.
This is a part of a series in production for the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic
Education, and has been created by director Norwood Hall (Moonwood Artisans), and
producer Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian (Rivers Edge Geographics). Along with screening of the film, participants can explore a giant floor map of Minnesota, and take part in a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers about Giacomo Beltrami, his travels, and the making of the film.
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