Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1891 — ALONG LAKE SUPERIOR. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALONG LAKE SUPERIOR.

SCENES AND TRADITIONS OF A ROMANTIC REGION. A Great Spread of Country Abouryiltyf in Natural Att actions—The Dales of the St. Goals—ln ; Indian l-egends—-ti ork and Wanderings of the Eayiy Catholic Missionaries—The Copper, Mines. Superior’s Shrre. The south shore of Lake Supei ior can much, of it be regarded as quite like an unknown country. Picturesque Amtrica says it is 233 years since the first white man set foot there He met a c:owd of Ojibway and Algonquin Indians, and five jears later they killed him 3 fie two centuries and oier since then are a long time in Ameri a i history, yet in all that time but little about th sg. eat inland sea has bee i written The lake is 380 miles long and 120 mi os wide, and along the south shore are scattered massive rocky walls, giant clifs, and dense forests, the equal to anything existing on the Atlantic coast. I At the extreme western end of Lake Superior is St. Louis Bay, separated from the lake itself by a narrow strip of land; or, more properly, two, <al od 'Min nesota and Wisconsin Points, forming a natural har'.:or of many mihsin extent It was first visiled by ci ,i ized men in 1632, as nearly as h story records. ♦ Duluth, named after the noted From faman Dw Lhut, stands op the north shore of the bay, at the extreme western end of the great chain of lakes, 1,759 miles from Quebec and 1,200 from Bulla'o Its situation is picturesque. From a narrow beach abrupt hills rise to a height of 500 feet. Upcn the summit of the ridge thus formed and on what must have been th > former level o the lake is * natural roadbed 100 to 25 > feet w de, which local enterprise has transformed Into Terrace drive. On the sides of the intervening hills rests the city. . Westward from Duluth are the Dalles of the St Louis. Here Nature is h.;rsh, rugged, and somter, tearing her way in a water ourso four miles lone, with a descent of 400 feet The banks are formed o' ccld gray slate rock-, clad with an ample growth of bleak p ne, and twisted, split, and torn into the wildest shapes. Through the dismal channel thus bordered the current surges with terrific force, leaping and eddy ng and uttering a savage roar that the neighboring hills sullenly reverberate. Upon the south shore o 'St Louis I'ay are the two towns, West Superior and Old Superior, with Superior Bay on the east. An Indian legend relating to the bay is st 11 related there. It .appears that the Chippewas imagined the homo of the Bad Manitou to be at the gateway to Superior Bay. Beca; so the currents of the bay and of the lake conflict Just there and keep the water constantly, though not violently, disturbed, ’they fancied that the evil spirit kept house in or under the water just at that point. They knew he made trou; le everywhere, and the unexplained distur anco in the water was therefore a certain sign that this was where he lived. In order to Batis'y the demon they never pa-s?d that spot in their boats without dropping their valuables into it at a pea e offering. To the south, within a few hours' drive, are the falls of the Black River, the Minnehaha of Wisconsin, 150 feet or more in height, and Just east of Su-

perior Station the Nemadji Elver, a deep stream that t ows into Superior Bay. The name was given by the Chippewas, and signifies “est hand,” mean ng the river at the 'eft hand as one enters the bay from the ake. btill skirting along Superior’s southern border the Iron River, Tike Lake and White Bay are crossed and Ashland Is soon reached. Northward lie what are known as the Apostle Islands. Father Marquette, the central figure of lake country history, passed some time on one of them, now called Madeline Island. An antiquated Ron:an Catholic chapel still stands at La Pointe. It was bul.t of rough-hewn logs, and is now used as an adjunct of the newer structure. The chief object of interest in the room is a famous old pitcher that hangs over the altar, and that is only interesting because of a tradition to the effect that it was brought from France by the adventurous priests whose zeal led them to this wild region. it is not far to Michigan and the heart of the Gogebic iron range. The country here is 750 feet above Lake Superior’s level. Fish and gam e abound. Houghton and Hancock, “the twin cities of the Gitchie Guinmee,” are located on opposite sid s of Portage Lake, ■which separates Keweenaw Point from the mainland. The channel of Portage Lake is deep enough to admit the pas; sage of the largest vessels; and, athese cities are in the heart of the greatest copper region in the world, they are the ports from which that product is shipped. Presque Isle is the name of a high headland two miles north of the Marquette. I Its shores are rugged, sandstone cliffs, broken here and there by the waves into fancifully formed caverns, pillars and arches This spot was once the site of a flourishing Indian village of the Chippewa tribe. Of the scenic beauties that will be seen on the way the most striking are Douglas Fal's, the great cave at Cat Island, the Miner’s Castle, Dead River Fal.s, and the cave at Presque Isle. A spot that should be visited before leaving the lake shore is Mackinac, pronounced as though spelled “Mackinaw” Mackinac Island lies like a broken link between Upper and Lower Michigan. Aroand It meet the waters of the two great lakes, Huron and Michigan? whose level Is 581 feet above the sea. *This island has sufficient area to cause adourney of nine miles in skirting its shores.

lt is shaped as if it had been made square, then some giant force had pulled each of its corners a ljttle.wav, .It, .pises a >ove the translucent waters, a great p'fatclcu 2QO to 300 feet in height, wooded luxuriantly and framed with a broad white beach. As is the custom with od villages wherever they are seen, the little orig-

inal settlement crouches at the foot of the bluff beneath the fort—a straggling, picturesque settlement of shops and cottages, churches and hotels, facing the white strand and the marvelously clear water. As is also the custom with the wiser planning of mankind to-day, the far choicer high ground is being built |

upon with modern hote’s and lovely villas. Up there, also, is the military reservation of 103 acres, and the remainder has been set apaj-t by the Government —justly appreciating its unique attra<t:ons —for a national park. Fort Mackinac, wh ch stands on a rocky eminence just a’ ove the town, was built by the English in 1780. The buildings are a hospital, outside the wall and east of the fort; a guard-house, near the south gate; officers’ quarters on the hill near the flagstaff, quarters for the men rn the tenter, bock-houses on the walls, magazine in the hollow, not far from the south gate; store houses, offices, etc. There are persons yet living on tlie is’and who, during the troub’es of 1814, took refuge in these self-same block houses. In the rear of the fort is the parade ground, and the spot where Capt. Roberts planted his guns in 1812, while his whole force of Indians was concealed in the adjacent thickets. Capt., Roberts disembarked at Brit’sh Landing, marched across the island, and took up h's stat on at this point without being discovered. Half or three quarters of a m le behind Fort Mackinac, on tho crowning point of the island, is Fort Holmes, built after the British captured the post In 1812. The excavation encircling the embankment or earthworks was or ginally broader and deeper than now. The place cf the gate is seen on the east side, one of the posts yet remaining te mark its position. In the center of the fort was erected a huge block-house, beneath which was the magazine. Near the gate was the entrance to several cellar.- 1 , which have now caved in. History shows this fort to have been considered a very remarkable and formidable defense in its time. Its old name was Fort George, but when it became an Am rican possession it was renamed in honor of Maj. Holmes, a hero who fell at Early’s Farm. As far back as history begins to vie with traditions that teach into the distant past Mackinac Island has been a place of great interest. A legend relates that a large number of Indians were once assembled at Poi.:t St. Ignace, and while intently gazing at the. Hsing sun,

dqring the great Manitou or February thoon,,thex beheld the island suddenly ijije u,p from the water, a sunrng its present form,; From the point of observation it £p;e the fancied resemblance tot the back-of a huge turtle; hence they caltecHt byt>thenameof..Mas-che ne macsing. which means a great turtle. The .name, when p it into a French dress, becaato. Machilimackinac, to be in turn -again- abbreviated by the always praeEnglish inthiMackinac. , , Jn-Hi7L Father Mhrquette, pioneer and prieal, wrote that ‘tMlchilima kiaac is

an island famous in these regions, of more than a league In diameter, and elevated in some places by such high cliffy as to be' seen more than twelve leagues off.” Father Marquette was doubtless the first white man to visit It, or at least to dwell upon it. He established a school on the island in 1671 for the education of the Indian youths, and so much was he attached to “the Straits* that when he died in 1675 it was at his request his Indian converts brought his body back to the little mission established by him at St. Ignace. The first vessel ever seen on these waters was the Griffin, built by the explorer La Salle on Lake Erie tn 1678. In 1695 Cadillac, who still later founded Detroit, established a small fort here. Then the contests and skirmishes, not iinmlngied with ma sacres, until finally Mackinac, with all the other French strongholds on the lakes, was surrendered to the English in September, 1761*, In 1793 began the conspiracy of Pontiac —a coup de guerre wonderful for the sagacity with which ft was p’annpd and' the vigor with whiqh ft was executed. ; A year afterward, a treaty of peace having been made with the Indians, troops were again sent to raise the English flag over the fort. The present fort on Mackinac Island was built by the English In 1770. By a treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States Sept. 3, 1783, the Island fell within the boundary Of the United States, but under various processes the English refused to withdraw their troops. By a second treaty, concluded Nov. 19, 1794, it was stipulated that the British should withdraw on or before June 1, 1797. Two companies of United States troops arrived In October, 1796, and took possession, a previous treaty with the Indians having secured from them the post.

| During tho war of 1812 the island was , again surrendered to the British. After I the victory of CommodoreiPerry on Lake I Erie in 1813 an effort was made to recapture it, but the droops sent were insufficient in numbers, and not until 1814 was the American flag again hoisted over the Gibraltar of the lakes. > In savage minds Mackinac’s super* position was appreciated, then the mis-

slonaries made it their chief pulpit, next civilized warfare' made it a coveted stronghold, later it became a commercial center. This was when the fur trade was carried on by John Jacob Astor. Mr. Astor organized the American Frr Company with a capital of $?,C00,030. The outposts of the company were scattered throughout the whole West and Northwest This island was the great central mart to which the goods were brought from New York by way of the lakes, and from Quebec and Montreal by way of tho Ottawa, Lake Nipissing, and French River. From this point they were distributed to all the outposts, while from all the Indian countries the furs were annually brought down to the island by tho company’* agents, whence they were sent to New York, Quebec, or to Europe. This company was organized in 1809 and continued to do business until 1848.

THE GREAT CAVE. CAT ISLAND.

MINER’S CASTLE.

DOUGLAS FALLS.

DEAD RIVER VALLS.

ARCH ROCK AT MACKINAC.