Cheboygan County MI Genealogy
|
HISTORY
OF
CHEBOYGAN AND MACKINAC
COUNTIES
Business & Manufacturing Statistics,
Soil, Timber, Prospects for Settlers, &c.
A Tourist's Guide for Mackinac Island and Other Places
of interest to Pleasure Seekers.
Price . . . 75 Cents.
Published by
Geo. Robinson, Publisher Cheboygan INDEPENDENT
R.A. Sprague, Publisher Northwestern Manufacturers Journal, Detroit, Mich.
Detroit:
Union Job Printing Company
1873
In compiling a history of "Cheboygan and Mackinac Counties," we have been obliged to refer to a work entitled "Old and New Mackinaw," published by Rev. J. A. Van Fleet, to which we are indebted for much valuable information. Our articles on general improvements, soil, timber, prospects for settlers, etc., will be very interesting to those who contemplate locating in this section. We have also prepared a map of Mackinac Island which will be valuable to all visiting the place, and to those interested in the proposed "National Park." The map is full and complete, showing the various points of interest, and will assist the reader in locating the places so prominent in their early history. We are indebted to our many patrons for the support they have given us, many of whom have displayed their business cards in our work, to which the attention of the public is respectfully invited.
THE PUBLISHERS.
Early History
On our first pages will be found more of a general history of the Northwest, and of the prominent characters who figured most conspicuously in the early days of our country than a history of Cheboygan and Mackinac Counties alone. The first pale-faces who ventured into the region stretching around the great lakes, were Jesuit missionaries. Of these, the first who claim a notice here are the Fathers Charles Raymbault and Isaac Jogues. In 1641, these two men visited the Chippewas at the Sault and established a mission among them, but Raymbault soon after fell a victim to consumption, and the enterprise was abandoned. Desperate Indian wars, which soon followed, prevented any further attempt to establish missions among the Indians around the lakes for nearly thirty years.
In the spring of 1668, the illustrious Father, James Marquette, was ordered to repair to the Ottawa mission, as that around Lake Superior was then called. Arriving at the Sault, he planted his cabin at the foot of the rapids, on the American side, and began his work. In the following year he was joined by Father Dablon, Superior of the Mission, and by their united exertions a church was soon built. This was the first permanent settlement made on the soil of Michigan.
During the same year, Marquette repaired to Lapointe, near the western extremity of Lake Superior, leaving Dablon to continue the mission at the Sault. When he arrived at his new field of labor, he found several Indian villages, one of which was composed of Hurons, who, several years before, had dwelt, for a short time, on Mackinac Island.
In 1670, Marquette came to Michilimackinac, and in the following year he established a mission and built a chapel of logs on Point Iroquois, on the north side of the Straits.
This primitive temple was as simple as the faith taught by the devoted missionary, and had nothing to impress the senses, nothing to win by a dazzling exterior the wayward children of the forest. The new mission was called St. Ignatius, in honor of the founder of the Jesuit order, and to this day the name is perpetuated in the point upon which the mission stood.
During the summer of 1671, an event occurred of no common interest and importance in the annals of French history in America, but which, after all, was not destined to exert any lasting influence. Mutual interest had long conspired to unite the Algonquins of the west and the French in confirmed friendship. The Algonquins desired commerce and protection; the French, while they coveted the rich furs which these tribes brought them, coveted also an extension of political power to the utmost limits of the western wilderness. Hence Nicholas Perrot had been commissioned as the agent of the French government, to call a general Congress of the lake tribes at the Falls of St. Mary. The invitations of this enthusiastic agent of the Bourbon dynasty reached the tribes of Lake Superior, and were carried even to the wandering hordes of the remotest north. Nor were the nations of the south neglected. Obtaining an escort of Potawatomies at Green Bay, Perrot, the first of Europeans to visit that place, repaired to the Miamis at Chicago, on the same mission of friendship.
In May, the day appointed for the unwonted spectacle of the Congress of Nations, arrived. St. Lusson was the French official, and Allouez his interpreter. From the head waters of the St. Lawrence, from the Mississippi, from the Great Lakes, and even from the Red River, envoys of the wild republicans of the wilderness were present. And brilliantly clad officers from the veteran armies of France, with here and there a Jesuit missionary, completed the vast assembly. A cross was set up, a cedar post marked with the French lilies, and the representatives of the wilderness tribes were informed that they were under the protection of the French king. Thus, in the presence of the ancient races of America, were the authority and the faith of France uplifted in the very heart of our Continent. But the Congress proved only an echo soon to die away, and left no abiding monument to mark its glory.
On the 17th of May, 1673, Marquette set out on his new labors in the west, which he completed in the spring of 1675 (having spent the preceding winter in Chicago,) set out on his return along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, and as he coasted along the eastern shore of the lake, his strength gradually failed, and he was at last so weak that he could no longer help himself, but had to be lifted in and out of his canoe when they landed each night. At last, perceiving the mouth of a river, he pointed to an eminence near by, and told his companions that it was the place of his last repose. They wished, however, to pass on, as the weather was fine and the day not far advanced, but a wind soon arose which compelled them to return and enter the river pointed out by the dying missionary. They carried him ashore, erected a little bark cabin, kindled a fire, and made him as comfortable as they could. Having heard the confessions of his companions, and encouraged them to rely with confidence on the protection of God, Marquette now sent them away, to take the repose they so much needed.
Two or three hours afterward he felt his end approaching, and summoned his companions to his side. Taking his crucific from around his neck, and placing it in their hands, he pronounced in a firm voice, his profession of faith, and thanked the Almighty for the favor of permitting him to die a Jesuit, a missionary, and alone. Then, his face all radiant with joy, and his eyes raised as if in ecstasy, above his crucifix, with the words "Jesus and Mary" upon his lips, he passed from the scene of his labors to his rest in heaven. After the first outbursts of grief were over, his companions arranged his body for burial, and, to the sound of his little chapel bell, bore it slowly to the spot which himself had designated, where they committed it to the earth, raising a large cross to mark his last resting place. This occurred on the 18th day of May, 1675, in the thirty-eighth year of his age.
Two years later, and almost on the anniversary of this event, a party of Indians whom Marquette had himself instructed at Lapointe, visited his grave, on their return from their winter hunting grounds, and resolved to disinter their good Father and bear his revered bones to the mission of St. Ignatius, at Mackinac, where they resided. They therefore opened the grave, and, according to custom, dissected the body, washing the bones and drying them in the sun. When this was done, a neat box of birch bark was prepared, into which the bones were placed, and the flotilla, now become a funeral convoy, proceeded on its way. Only the dip of the paddle and the sighs of the Indians broke the silence, as the funeral cortege advanced. When nearing Mackinac, the missionaries, accompanied by many of the Indians of the place, went to meet them, and there, upon the waters, rose the "De Profundis," which continued till the coffined remains of the good Father reached the land. With the usual ceremonies, his bones were then borne to the church, where, beneath a pall stretched as if over a coffin, they remained during the day, when they were deposited in a little vault in the middle of the church, "where," says the chronicler, he still reposes aa the guardian angel of our Ottawa mission." Thus did Marquette accomplish, in death, the voyage which life had not enabled him to terminate.
In the life of this humble and unpretending missionary and explorer there is much to admire. Though an heir to wealth and position in his native land, he voluntarily separated himself from his friends, and chose a life ot sacrifice, toil, and death, that he might ameliorate the moral and spiritual condition of nations sunk in paganism and vice. His disposition was cheerful under all circumstances. His rare qualities of mind and heart secured for him the esteem of all who knew him. He was a man of sound sense and close observation, not disposed to exaggerate, not egotistical. His motives were pure and his efforts earnest. His intellectual abilities must have been of no ordinary type; his letters show him to have been a man of education, and though but nine years a missionary among the Indians, he spoke six languages with ease, and understood less perfectly many others.
"He died young, but there are silvered heads, Whose race of duty is less nobly run."
France and England being rivals in the Old World, could not be partners of the New. Had these two powers been satisfied to divide the American continent amicably between them, the history of Columbia would have been far different from what it is now. But when they crossed the Atlantic, they brought with them their hereditary enmity, and this enmity was strengthened by new issues which were constantly arising. Each desired undivided dominion over the North and West, and at times the struggle for supremacy was desperate.
The Indians around the lakes were, almost without exception, friendly to the French, while the "Five Nations," dwelling south and east from Lake Ontario, sided with the English.
As early as 1686, English
adventurers, in quest of the rich furs of the Northwest, pushed up the
lakes to Mackinac, but the French, unwilling that any portion of the
Indian trade should pass into the hands of their enemies, made their
visits to this region too hazardous to be oft repeated.
The heart sickens in
contemplating this portion of our country's history. Many a spot was
stained with the blood of its unfortunate inhabitants. The forests were
often lighted up with the conflagration of burning villages, and the
stillness of the midnight hour was frequently broken by the shrill
warwhoop, mingled with the shrieks of helpless women under the
tomahawk or scalping-knife. And these tragic scenes were too often
prompted by French or English thirst for power.
But finally, after many years, during which, with only short intervals of peace, these scenes of blood had frequent repetitions; the British government determined to make a powerful effort to dispossess the French colonies of this territory. Military operations, however, were at first unfavorable to the English cause. Many a red column of well trained and well armed regulars wavered before the rifles of the combined French and Indians, who fought concealed in thickets, or from behind a breastwork of fallen trees. But in 1759, victory turned on the side of the English, and the question was brought to a speedy and decisive issue. An English army, under the command of Brigadier-General Wolf succeeded, during the night of September 12th, in gaining the Heights of Abraham, at Quebec, where, upon the following day, was gained one of the most momentous victories in the annals of history, a victory which gave to the English tongue and the institutions of a Protestant Christianity the seemingly unexplored North and West.
Though this victory was gained
in September, of 1759, it was not until September of 1760 that a final
surrender of Canada, with all the French posts around the lakes, was made
to the English, and not till September of 1761 that possession was taken
of Mackinac by English troops.
What the English had gained by
force of arms they took possession of as conquerors, and, in their
eagerness to supplant the French, they were blind to danger. Some of these
posts were garrisoned by less than a score of men, and often left
dependent upon the Indians for supplies, though they were so widely remote
from each other that, "lost in the boundless woods, they could
no more be discovered than a little fleet of canoes scattered over the
whole Atlantic, too minute to be perceptible, and safe only in fair
weather." But, weak as were the English, their presence alarmed the red
man, for it implied a design to occupy the coun try which, for ages, had
been his own, and the transfer of the territory around the Great Lakes
from the French, who were the friends of the Indians, to the English, upon
whom they had been taught to look with distrust, could not, therefore, be
regarded with favor by these tawny sons of the woods. They
were taught to lay aside everything
which they had received from the white man, and so strengthen and purify
their natures as to make themselves acceptable to the Great Spirit, and by
so doing they would soon be restored to their ancient greatness and power,
and be enabled to drive the enemy from their country. The prophet had many
followers. From far and near large numbers came to listen to his
exhortations, and his words, pregnant with mischief to the unsuspecting
Englishman, were borne even to the nations around the northern
lakes.
It was the first of the great
Pontiac conspiracy which aroused the nations throughout all the forests in
the land and whose bloody deeds are recorded on the pages of historic
events of the Northwest.
The massacre at Fort Mackinac is
too familiar with all who have read the history of our State to require a
repetition of that terrible butchery, the details of which are so long
that we have not the space to give it. Mr. Alexander Henry, the trader who
made his escape gave the full particulars of the affair and the awful
scenes that followed. The efforts of the Indians were however
unsuccessful and peace was, after many years restored. Pontiac having
died, no other efforts were made to drive the English from the
country.
Degrees of Mean, Monthly, and Extreme Temperature, for a Series of Years*
LOCALITY |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
. |
Yrly Avg |
Lowest Extremes |
Highest during time embraced |
No of Years |
Mackinac Island, Mich |
19 |
18 |
26 |
37 |
48 |
57 |
65 |
64 |
55 |
45 |
34 |
23 |
. |
41 |
23 |
90 |
24 |
Montreal |
14 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
53 |
66 |
70 |
66 |
59 |
45 |
32 |
19 |
. |
42 |
36 |
102 |
37 |
Albany, N. Y. |
24 |
25 |
35 |
47 |
60 |
68 |
72 |
70 |
61 |
49 |
39 |
28 |
. |
49 |
23 |
99 |
28 |
Omaha, Neb. |
19 |
25 |
34 |
52 |
62 |
73 |
76 |
75 |
66 |
52 |
36 |
20 |
. |
49 |
. |
. |
7 |
Chicago |
24 |
25 |
32 |
46 |
56 |
63 |
71 |
69 |
60 |
49 |
38 |
29 |
. |
47 |
. |
. |
5 |
Detroit |
27 |
27 |
35 |
46 |
56 |
66 |
70 |
68 |
60 |
48 |
28 |
37 |
. |
27 |
24 |
95 |
20 |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
32 |
35 |
40 |
51 |
59 |
69 |
75 |
73 |
64 |
54 |
44 |
35 |
. |
53 |
10 |
98 |
26 |
Cincinnati, O. |
30 |
34 |
44 |
58 |
61 |
71 |
74 |
73 |
68 |
55 |
41 |
34 |
. |
54 |
17 |
106 |
19 |
St. Paul, Minn. |
14 |
18 |
31 |
46 |
59 |
68 |
73 |
76 |
59 |
47 |
32 |
17 |
. |
45 |
37 |
100 |
35 |
St. Louis, Mo. |
33 |
35 |
44 |
58 |
66 |
74 |
79 |
77 |
69 |
55 |
41 |
34 |
. |
55 |
25 |
108 |
23 |
*Climatology of United States, by Lorin Blodget: 1857.
By the preceding table it will
be seen that the extremes of heat and cold are not only not as great in
Mackinac as in other places east and west on the same parallel, but even
in places much farther south. At Montreal, during the time embraced in the
table, the mercury has been as low as 36 degrees below zero, and as
high as 102 above. At St. Paul, on nearly the same parallel, the greatest
degree of cold designated is 37 degrees below zero, and of heat, 100
above. At St. Louis, hundreds of miles farther south, the table shows that
the mercury has been as low as 25 degrees below zero, and as high as 108
above. By looking at the figures opposite Mackinaw, it will be seen
that 23 degrees below zero, is the lowest, and 90 above the highest mark
of the mercury. During the past few years the mercury has but once been as
low as 19 degrees below zero. This was during the winter of 1867 and 1868.
During the winter of 1868 and 1869, 16 degrees below zero was the coldest.
During the past winter 13 degrees below occurred but once.
CHEBOYGAN COUNTY
Is bounded on the north by the
Straits of Mackinac, on the east by Presque Isle county, on the south by
Otsego county, and on the west by Emet[sic] county, Mackinaw city, located at
the Straits, is the oldest settlement in Michigan, and while the southern
portion of the State was a wilderness which no white man had yet
penetrated, Mackinaw was a missionary point and the home of the
trader. It was from here that colonization spread through the surrounding
country. Detroit was settled in 1701, and the history of Wisconsin and
Minnesota, as well as other States, must begin with a notice from this
point, as the earliest settlers from these States started from Mackinaw,
and the time is yet within the memory of the living when Chicago came to
this point for her supplies.
Mackinaw is a historical center,
because of its natural and geographical position. Nature alone has given
it advantages in time past and made her a centre of historic
events.
Development of the Country
North Straits
Looking now to the commercial
and industrial development of that region, we find still more
extraordinary results. Attached to the State of Michigan is the peninsula,
which is inclosed between the Straits of Mackinaw, Lake Michigan, and
Lake Superior. For two centuries after the settlement of New England
and New York, the wild, unfrequented, unknown shores of Lake Superior
were unsuspected of any other capacity for production than those of the
forest and the lake. It is only since 1846 that its immense beds of iron
and copper were discovered, and only within the last ten years that that
region has exhibited a wealth of mineral production which the world can
scarcely parallel on an equal space. No sooner were the facts known than
copper companies (and since iron companies) began to be formed with
the celerity and energy of an excited speculation. Capital was found in
the great cities ready to be invested in such enterprises, laborers
flocked thither, mines were opened, and now we have immense bodies of
copper annually transported to Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and
other places to be smelted. In 1858 the copper ore exported from points in
the Peninsula was six thousand tons, which yielded four thousand tons
of pure copper, worth two millions of dollars. When we consider that this
is one-third the amount of copper produced by Great Britain, and
one-seventh of the whole amount produced out of America, we can
understand the value of these mines, which have scarcely been opened
ten years.
In the same region,
and above the Sault of St. Mary, are iron mines equally extraordinary. The
United States has in various sections immense deposits of iron. But in all
the basins of the lakes there is nothing comparable to this. In the
vicinity of Marquette, a flourishing port of Lake Superior, iron hills
rise from six to seven hundred feet
in height, which are a solid mass of iron ore. When smelted in the
furnace they yield more than half in pure iron of a superior quality,
which is in demand at all the manufacturing towns of the
east.
In the meanwhile the resources
of the country which were obvious to the eye, were naturally sought and
developed by a different class of persons. The fisheries yielded the
finest fish in exhaustless quantities, and from Sandusky Bay, in Ohio, to
Superior City, in the wild northwest, the lake salmon and the
Mackinac trout are transported, like the oysters of the Atlantic, to
gratify the epicurean palate in town and city. These fisheries have now
risen to great importance. They are supposed to exceed in product the
whole of the other fresh water fisheries in the United States At this time
about one hundred thousand barrels of fish are freighted and the annual
value of the fisheries amounts to a million of dollars.
No sooner had civilization
penetrated the wilderness of Lake Superior than another product came into
immediate demand. Far as the eye could cast its searching glance, or
the traveler penetrate the dark forests of Michigan, of Wisconsin, or of
Canada, there rose the tall, slim trunks, and deep green foliage of the
pine. Here was material in which the people south and west were deficient.
The pines of the Alleghany and the Susquehanna begin to diminish.
Their stock will soon be gone, while here stretched away hundreds and
thousands of miles of pine forest. Nearly all of which yet remain
untouched.
Mackinaw as a Natural Point
Ferris, in his "States and
Territories of the Great West," makes the following mention of the
straits: "If one were to point out on the map of North America a site for
a great central city in the lake region, it would be in the immediate vicinity of THE STRAITS OF MICHILIMACKINAC. A city so located would have the command of the mineral trade, the fisheries, the furs, and the lumber of the entire North. It might become the metropolis of a great commercial empire. It would be called the Venice of the lakes." In 1853 Mr. Edgar Conkling, then of Cincinnati, with something of the same appreciation of this point, secured a large tract of land on the south side of the straits. In 1857-58 he surveyed the city site but the financial revulsion at that time and the war which soon followed prevented further operations until the present.
Northern Pacific Railroad
That the public attention is
already turning this way is too evident to need proof. The "Northern
Pacific" is no longer a mooted question, but is actually in process of
construction, with a fair prospect of making the Straits its eastern
terminus, while several roads from the more southern cities of this and
other States are even now hastening towards Mackinaw to claim a share of
the spoils. The day is not far in the future when Mackinaw will be a
railroad center, as it is by nature a commercial center, and these
roads will all lay their laurels at the feet of the new city and rising vicinity.
Railroads
The Jackson, Lansing and
Saginaw, and the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroads, now nearly completed
to this point, with the contemplated line northwestward from the north
side of the Straits through the heart of the Northern Peninsula, opening
up the immense iron and copper mines
and pine forests, which will unquestionably be built in a very short time,
thus forming a direct line via the Straits, will again add life and vigor
to the old city of Mackinaw that has so long laid dormant on her beautiful
and important site.
Mackinaw & Marquette Railroad
The following is the Mackinaw
and Marquette railroad law recently passed:
An act to authorize and empower
the Board of Control of State Swamp Lands to make an appropriation of
State swamp lands, to aid in the construction of a railroad from the
Straits of Mackinaw to Marquette Harbor, on Lake Superior.
Section 1. The people of the State of Michigan enact, That to secure the early construction of a railroad from the Straits of Mackinaw to Marquette Harbor, on Lake Superior, and for the purposes of drainage and reclamation, the Board of Control of State Swamp Lands are authorized and empowered, if by them deemed expedient and to the best interests of the
State and to the section of country to be penetrated by said railroad, to
appropriate not to exceed ten sections of State swamp lands per mile
to any railroad company that shall construct and complete such railroad in
running order, on or before December 31st, 1875.
Sec. 2. To further the
construction of said railroad, and for the better protection of the
interests of the State, the Board of Control, as aforesaid, shall have
full power and authority over said lands, the reservations necessary, and
the limitations and privileges requisite in the application of such lands
to such purpose: Provided, Said lands shall be selected from the vacant and unreserved
State swamp lands in the Counties of Mackinaw, Chippewa, Schoolcraft, and not to exceed one hundred sections in the County of Marquette: And Provided, There shall be no extension of the time for the completion of said railroad
beyond the date named in this act:
And provided, further, That said appropriated lands shall become taxable as soon and
as fast as they are earned by the company constructing said railroad.
Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of
said Board of control to give thirty days' public notice of the letting of
the contract for the construction of said railroad under the provisions of
this act, and if upon the day named in such notice, which shall be on or
before the first day of July, 1873, two or more responsible railroad
companies shall compete for the construction of said railroad, the Board
may, if they shall deem it for the interests of the State, contract with
that responsible company which will center into bonds to the State of
Michigan satisfactory to said Board of Control, conditioned for the
completion of said railroad for the least number of acres of said
lands.
It is expected that a company
will be organized and the work commenced on this line this season and, the
road will no doubt be completed by the time mentioned above.
History of the Early Settlement of Cheboygan County and Village
The first tree that was cut near
the mouth of the Cheboygan river was in August, 1844. Messrs. Horne &
Sammons cut and made staves for M. W. Horne's cooper shop at Mackinac
Island. Jacob Sammons lumbered the following year, but no permanent
settlement was made in the county outside of old Mackinaw until 1846, when
Mr. Sammons built the first house near the site of the Marine City House,
and occupied it with his family. He was soon followed by Stebbens
Winchell, John Vincent and families, the former locating on the east
bank of the river near the Third street bridge, and the latter on the west
side, some forty rods above Sammons. These settlers had not long to wait
for followers. A. & R. McLoud came from the State of New York,
bringing with them a number of men, machinery, tools, &c, and
commenced the erection of a water saw mill some forty rods above the works
of McArthur, Smith & Co., which they completed and run that year. This
firm shipped the first lumber from the Cheboygan river in the fall of that
year to parties in Chicago, consisting of 500,000 feet lumber. Wm. Flynn
settled with his family on the east bank of the river near Winchell's the
same year.
In the following spring, (1847,)
Sammons & McKinley built a steam saw mill at the mouth of the
Cheboygan river with one upright saw and edger. The two mills cut this
year 1,000,000 feet of lumber which was shipped to Chicago on the schooner
D. R. Holt, a craft built by A. & R. McLoud for that
purpose.
Lorenzo Backus and family
settled on the west side of the river and built a house on the present
site of Dr. Gerow's residence. Horatio N. Pease also built a dwelling
house on the present site of the water mill of McArthur, Smith & Co.,
where he settled with his family.
James Madison Starks, a son of
old Virginia, married a half breed on the north shore, and brought his
better half to Cheboygan where he lived for a while. Mr. Starks had a
great deal of faith in baptism, and soon acquired the habit of immersing
his wife in the (not Jordan), but Cheboygan river about twice each week,
after which he would put her to bed and dry her clothes by a fire; this
last act of charity James would always extend to his scolding wife, and
was considered a generous hearted man. Starks soon after moved with his
family to the upper part of Wisconsin, and the last we heard of him, was
digging a well for a neighbor. He had reached the depth of nearly twenty
feet, when returning to work one morning found it had caved in. James was
however equal to he occasion; taking off his coat and placing it with his
dinner pail in a conspicuous place, he
secreted himself in the bushes close by and watched further developments;
his sagacity was soon rewarded by seeing a neighbor inspect the
grounds and give the alarm. Here he quietly and contentedly waited while
fifty men cleaned out the debris, when he coolly comes forward and thanked
them for the respect they had shown him and for the labor they had
performed. If these honest people had seen Starks dipping Mrs. Starks in
the Cheboygan river, they might have been tempted to try the same
experiment on him, and it is possible that he has since paid well for his
cruel joke.
Early in 1847, J. Granger came
with his family and opened a boarding house for Sammons & Granger,
McKinley having sold his interest in the saw-mill; also, James Jackat came
with his family the same year.
William Hudson located on a
piece of land four miles up the river, near the forks of Black river; the
following spring (1848) he erected a dwelling house on the opposite bank
of the river where he yet lives, having a well improved farm and as
productive as any in the state.
William Andrews and J. Dulmadge
located here in 1846; the former four miles up the river, and the latter
at the mouth.
In 1848, two Mormon families
named Chessman and Wheelock located here. The former had five wives, while
the latter was too poor to keep but one. Two of Chessman's wives left him,
one died and he is now living with the remaining two on the north shore
where he has since moved to, near the island of St. Helena. Wheelock
located and improved a farm in Cheboygan county and is now a well to do
farmer. Peter McDonald located a farm one mile outside of the village
limits and is now a substantial farmer.
The first arrest that was ever
made in the county was made early this year. One James Jacket, in the
employ of Sammons & Granger, was the victim. James had a set-to with
one Buchanan, for which he was arrested and taken to Mackinac and fined
before a justice of the peace. J. B. Spencer being the constable who made
the arrest.
In 1849, Mr. M. W. Horne moved
here with his family from Mackinac, and located where he now lives in the
village of Cheboygan. Mr. Horne has long been identified among the
business men of the place, and has, as the fruits of his labors a large
amount of property in the village; has been honored by his townsmen to the
office of justice of the peace, a position which he now
holds.
Donald McDougal made in 1849 the
first settlement ever made on the banks of Mullet lake, six miles south of
the village and was followed in 1850 by L. P. Riggs, who settled at a
point now known as Dodge's Point. Also, Phillip O'Brien and Robert
Micklejohn came to Cheboygan that year. The former is now in a soldier's
home in Millwaukee, on account of injuries received in the late war, and
the latter is employed by the county to attend the Third street bridge. Up
to this date but little attention was paid to farming, there being only
some six new clearings in the county, and only one store in
Cheboygan.
In 1849, J. W. Duncan & Co.
bought an interest in the McLoud mill, and the following spring the U. S.
Marshal seized a large quantity of logs cut by them from government lands,
the result of which somewhat crippled their operations that year. In 1853,
the company built at the bay what is now known as the old Duncan mill, and
soon after its completion in 1855, the company having become involved to
such an extent, was obliged to make an assignment of their mill
property and a large quantity of pine lands. In building this mill, the
company had employed a large number of men, and as soon as operations were
suspended, these men were thrown out of employment without pay, and many
who had families were left in destitute circumstances. A large number
of them however, located on government lands and are now prosperous
farmers of Cheboygan county.
In 1855, Blote & Backus
built a steam saw mill near the mouth of the Cheboygan river, which they
soon after sold and it was taken down and removed a short distance up the
river where it was run for a few years, when it was again sold and
removed to Traverse City.
During the next nine years after
1855, but little was done in the way of improvements in Cheboygan county,
and but few settlers were added to the number. In 1865, the entire
population of Cheboygan County was 500. The Duncan mill in 1864 was sold
by the assignee of that estate to Southwick, McArthur & Co., and was
afterwards known as Baker, Mears & Co., the new partners having
purchased an interest in the property, and was run until 1870 when the
whole property was sold to Thompson Smith, the present owner. Mr. Smith
has expended a large amount of money on the property, and has built
another saw mill with a capacity of 4,000,000 feet, and increased the
capacity of the old one to 20,000,000 feet, being now one of the largest
in the State. Mr. Smith has added a large dock and warehouse and many
dwelling houses; he has also large tracts of valuable pine, and is one of
the heaviest operators in the State.
In 1868 McArthur, Smith &
Co., built a large water mill which is yet in operation. The same company
two years previous to this (1866) built a shingle mill which they
afterward converted into a flouring mill, and is of great value to the
agricultural interests of the county.
In 1870 Hemblock & Fisher,
built a shingle mill which is now owned by E. & F. Smith, also S. A.
Matoon built a saw mill on Black river, four miles from Cheboygan, and is
now owned and operated by Messrs Hurd & Smith, an enterprising firm
who are at present running their mill to its fullest
capacity.
Vorce & Barker built in
1869, a shingle mill on the Cheboygan river, near the south village
line, with a daily capacity of 75,000. Sutton Bros, built in 1870, a saw
mill near McArthur, Smith & Co's mill, and afterwards sold to W. H.
Bunker & Co.
Nelson, Strohn & Co. built
in 1872 a large saw mill which they yet run, and in the spring of 1873,
Vorce, Barker & Co. completed a saw mill near the shingle mill of
Vorce & Barker which they now have in successful
operation.
Total amount of lumber cut in Cheboygan County from 1846 to 1872 inclusive:
1846 |
500,000 |
1847 |
1,000,000 |
1848 to 1853 |
6,000,000 |
1854 |
2,500,000 |
1855 |
3,300,000 |
1856 to 1866 |
30,000,000 |
1867 |
4,000,000 |
1868 |
8,000,000 |
1869 |
12,000,000 |
1870 |
16,000,000 |
1871 |
20,000,000 |
1872 |
35,000,000 |
Total |
138,300,000 |
Organization of Cheboygan County, Population, Taxable Property, &c.
The County was organized in 1855,
and the first board of Supervisors met that year. The only townships
represented were Inverness and Duncan, and the assessed valuation of
real and personal property was as follows:
Inverness |
|
Duncan |
|
Total taxes collected |
|
In 1865 there were but three
townships, Burt having been added and the aggregate valuation of real and
personal property as follows:
Duncan |
$29,195
|
Burt |
13,265 |
Inverness |
33,975 |
Total |
$76,435 |
In 1872 the townships organized
were as follows: Burt, Grant, Duncan, Inverness, Burton and Beaugrand.
The town of Burton having been organized from Duncan and Inverness and now
includes the village of Cheboygan. The aggregate assessed
valuation of real and personal property in 1872, was $906,588, and
that of Cheboygan village $269,375.
The population of the county and village were as
follows
County |
1855 |
306 |
1865 |
500 |
1873 |
3,500 |
Village of Cheboygan |
1866 |
200 |
1870 |
800 |
1873 |
2,000 |
Soil and Timber
The lands of Cheboygan County,
are all heavily timbered with hard wood, pine, and well watered. The soil
is mostly clay, and has proven very productive. In almost every portion of
the county settlements have been made, and handsome and valuable farms may
be seen. The products of these lands so far has been as great as any of
the other counties in the State, and for wheat there is no better locality
in the Union. The farmers having raised upwards of forty bushels to the
acre, and for all other crops the results have been equally as conclusive.
There are yet many valuable tracts of lands, yet belonging to the
government, and to private parties who are selling at reasonable prices.
CHEBOYGAN VILLAGE
Is located at the mouth of the
Cheboygan river, contains a population of about 2,000 inhabitants and is
the County Seat of Cheboygan County. The place has
never until within the past five years been one of much noticeable importance.
There are now six saw mills,
cutting annually over 35,000,000 feet of lumber, two Shingle Mills, two
Foundries and Machine Shops, two Plaining Mills, and Wooden Factories, one
Furniture Manufacturing Establishment, one Flouring Mill, and over
twenty-five Stores. A large Union School House has recently been completed
at an expense of over $10,000; two very handsome Churches; and some ten
stores are now in course of construction.
The harbor is now being improved
by the government and a sufficient depth of water will in a few months be
had for all sized vessels. The hotel accommodations are good, there being
some six in the place.
The village possesses more
natural advantages than any other locality on the eastern shore. The
acquisition of a railroad which will reach the place in a very short time,
forming a direct line south and north across the Straits, to the iron and
copper mines of Lake Superior, will be of great importance to the
commercial interests, and will assist materially in the development of the
agricultural resources of this comparatively new section of our State;
from every indication at the present time, this point must in the future
be the leading commercial city of the Straits, and within five years we
expect to see Cheboygan an incorporated city with a population of from
5,000 to 7,000 inhabitants, with largely increased manufacturing and
commercial facilities.
The Cheboygan river is navigable
to Mullet Lake, and the stream connecting this lake with Burt Lake, is
also navigable, thus making a water communication nearly across the upper
end of the lower Peninsular to Little Traverse Bay.
These two lakes lying side by
side, about eleven miles long each, and some three or four miles wide are
without doubt the handsomest in the State. The water is pure and cold and
the banks are high and bold, possessing as beautiful scenery as can be
found any where in the country. All who visit Mackinac Island should not fail to visit
Cheboygan and these two beautiful lakes, the first of which is
only four miles in the interior. For trout fishing "these lakes and small
streams in this section are said to be unequaled in the Union." To all
those who are looking for a business locality or a good manufacturing
point, we would recommend Cheboygan as having more natural advantages than
any other place north of Bay City on the Lake Huron shore, and north of
Grand Traverse on the western shore.
Flowing Wells
There are now some twelve
flowing wells in the village. These wells are bored from twenty-five to
fifty feet deep, where a pure cold vein of water is reached, and as soon
as the auger is taken out the water spouts from three to five feet above
the ground and by tubing, the water will force itself to the tops of the
highest houses.
Each inhabitant can have a
reservoir at his own door and its acqusition is a valuable
one.
MACKINAC COUNTY
Is bounded on the north by
Chippewa County, on the west by Schoolcraft County, on the south by the
head of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and the Straits of Mackinac. The Islands
included in this county are as follows: Mackinac Island, Round Island,
Bois Blanc Island, Marquette Island and the St. Martin's Islands. Mackinac
Island being the County Seat. But little has been known or said of the
county outside of the Island of Mackinac, and but little improvements made
up to the present time.
In the winter of 1872 and 1873,
the firm of W. H. Bunker & Co. built a saw mill on the north shore,
some fourteen miles north and east from Mackinac Island, capacity,
10,000,000 feet, run one gang and one circular.
The gentlemen comprising the
firm are enterprising business men and the first to build a saw mill in
Mackinac County.
MACKINAC ISLAND
A beautiful Island, located at
the Straits, long known as being the most picturesque of any in the
lakes. Here we see nature in all its grandeur.
The wonderful curiosities which
abound here alone repays one for the travel of a thousand
miles.
In addition to the town and
fortress, the Arched Rock, Lovers Leap, Sugar Loaf Rock, Devil's Kitchen,
Robinson's Folly and Pontiac's Lookout, are objects well worthy of the
attention of tourists and pleasure seekers.
The shady walks and drives
afford a source of continued recreation, while the rippling waves
invite the spectator involuntarily to sail on their gently heaving bosom
or bathe in their cool embrace.
This island appears to have been
designed by a bountiful Providence for the comfort and pleasure of
the people, and it only remains for them to extend to it that support
to which its pure air, delightful climate and favorable situation entitle
it, to make it the Saratoga or Newport of the West. It certainly seems
beyond comprehension that the citizens of the hundreds of cities of our
great Republic should pass by this favorable resort to groan and swelter
amongst petrolia and shoddy, at Saratoga, Newport, and Cape
May.
Heretofore the means of getting
to Mackinac have been but imperfectly known to the public, but this should
be so no longer, as there are four first-class line of steamers (some 26
in all) plying regularly between Chicago,
Milwaukee, Detroit, Buffalo and Lake Superior, stopping here each way with
freight and passengers during the usual "heated term."
The Early History of the Island
This island, as far back as we
have any account of it, has been a place of great interest. It received its
original name from the Indians. An old legend relates that a large
number of these people were once assembled at Point St. Ignace and, while
intently gazing at the rising of the sun, during the Great Manitou, or
February Moon, they beheld the island suddenly rise up from the water,
assuming its present form. From the point of observation, it bore a
fancied resemblance to the back of a hugh[sic] turtle, hence they gave it the
name Moe-che-ne-mock-e-nung, which means a great turtle. This name when
put into a French dress, became Michilimackinac. From the island it
passed to the adjacent points. In some connections in the early history,
the name is applied to the section as a whole; in others, to the point
north of the Straits; but more frequently, to that south of the Straits
now known as Old Mackinaw. The term is now obsolete, except as applied to
the county which lies immediately north of the Straits in which the island
is included. The island has now taken upon itself the name of
Mackinac.
Indian mythology makes this
island the home of the Giant Fairies, hence the Indians have always
regarded it with a species of veneration. The day is still within the
memory of many individuals now living on the island when the heathen
Indians, in passing to and fro by its shores, made offerings of
tobacco and other articles to these Great Spirits to propitiate their good
will. These fairies, we are told, had a subterranean abode under the
island, the entrance to which was near the base of the hill, just below
the present southern gate of the fort. An old Indian, Chees-a-kee or
Spiritualist, who once encamped within the limits of the
present garrison, is related to have
visited this abode of the fairies under the following circumstances:
During the night, while wrapped in the unconsciousness of a sound slumber,
one of these spirits approached the place where he was, laid his
shadowy hand upon him and beckoned him to follow. In obedience to the
mysterious request, his spirit left the body and went with the fairy.
Together they entered into the mystic dwelling-place of the spirits.
Here the Cheesakee was introduced to the Great Spirits assembled in solemn
conclave. He was lost in wonder and admiration at what he saw around him.
The place where they were assembled seemed to be a very large and
beautiful wigwam. Alter spending some time in the fairy abode, the
master spirit of the assembly directed one of the lesser spirits to
show the Indian out and conduct him back to his body. What were the
proceedings of that assembly, the Indian could not be induced to tell, nor
were the particulars of what he saw during that mysterious visit ever made
known to the red men. From their fairy abodes, these spirits issued forth
at the twilight hour to engage "with rapid step and giddy whirl in their
mystic dance."
Something of the feeling of
veneration which the red men had for this, to them, enchanted island may
be learned from the following soliloquy of an old Indian chief. He was
just leaving the island to visit his friends to the Lake Superior
country. The shades of night were falling around him and the deep blue
outlines of the island were dimly shadowed forth. As he sat upon the deck
of the steamer and watched the "lovely isle" fast receding from his view,
memory was busy in recalling the scenes of by-gone days and the emotions
of his heart found expression in these words.
"Mock-che-ne-mock-e-nung, thou
isle of the clear, deep-water lake, how soothing it is, from amidst the
curling smoke of my opaw-gun (pipe) to trace thy deep blue outlines in
the distance; to call from memory's tablets the traditions and storits
connected with thy sacred and mystic character. How sacred the regard with
which thou hast been once clothed by our indian seers of by-gone days. How
pleasant in imagination for the mind to picture and view, as if now present, the
time when the Great Spirit allowed a peaceful stillnesss to dwell around
thee, when only light and balmy winds were permitted to pass over thee,
hardly ruffling the mirror surface of the waters that surrounded thee; or
to hear by evening twilight, the sound of the Giant Fairies as they, with
rapid step and giddy whirl, dance their mystic dance on thy limestone
battlements. Nothing then disturbed thy quiet and deep solitude but the
chippering of birds and the rustling of the leaves of the silver-barked
birch." But these fairy spirits have long since deserted their island home
and gone we know not where, and the race of beings in whose imagination
they lived has also well nigh passed away.
From Father Marquette's
description of the island we learn that it was often the chosen home of
the savage tribes. Marquette was doubtless the first white man to
visit it, or at least to dwell upon it. The first permanent white
settlement on this island was made in 1780, when the fort and town were
removed to this point, not because of its superiority in a commercial or
military point of view, but for the security which it afforded against the
surrounding Indian tribes. Had that one eyent of June 4th, 1763, never
occurred, this island would no doubt have still been in the hands of
nature, and the fort and town at "Old Mackinaw," where they
properly belong.
Contrary to the treaty of 1773,
the English held possession of the island until 1795, when they were
compelled to give it up. The size and population of the town has varied at
different stages of its history. In 1820 it consisted "of about one hundred
and fifty houses and some four hundred and fifty permanent
inhabitants." At that time there was no school, no religious
services, no attorney, and no physician (other than at the garrison) in
the place. There were, however, courts of law, a post office, a jail, and
one or more justices of the peace. At present, there are about eight
hundred inhabitants, many of whom are engaged in fishing, and absent
during a greater part of the summer.
The most interesting feature of
the island since the war of 1812 has been its connection with the fur
trade carried on by John Jacob Astor of New York. Previous to 1809 an
association of traders existed, called the Mackinac Company, but at
that date Mr. Astor organized the American Fur Company. Two years alter
this he bought out the Mackinac Company and established a new company
known as the South-West. During the winter of 1815 and 1816 Congress
enacted a law that no foreigner should engage in trade with the Indians
who did not become a citizen, and after this Mr. Astor again established
the American Company which organized with a capital of two million
dollars. It had no chartered right to a monopoly of the Indian trade, yet
by its wealth and influence it virtually controlled that trade through a
long series of years. The outposts of the company were scattered
throughout the whole West and Northwest. This island was the great
central mart. The goods were brought to the company's storehouses from New
York by way of the lakes, and from Quebec and Montreal by way of the
Ottawa, Lake Nipissing and French River, and 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 the company's agents
whence they were sent to Now York, Quebec, or the various markets of
the Old World. The traders and their clerks who went into the
countries were employed by the company at a salary of from four to six
hundred dollars per year, but the engagees or boatmen who were engaged in
Canada, generally for five years, received, besides a yearly supply of a
few coarse articles of clothing, less than one hundred dollars per annum.
Generally, at the end of five years, the poor voyageurs were in debt from
fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars, which they must pay before they
could leave the country; and the trader often took advantage of this, even
encouraging the men to get in debt, that they might avoid the necessity of
introducing new and inexperienced men into the country. The men were fed
mainly on soup made of hulled corn or sometimes of peas, with barely
tallow enough to season it, and without salt, unless they
purchased it themselves at a high price. The goods were put up in bales or
packs of about eighty pounds each, to be carried into the countries. Upon
setting out, a certain number of these packs were assigned to each
boatman, which he must carry upon his back across the portages, some of
which were fifty miles over. They performed the journeys over these
portages by short stages, or by carrying the packs but a short
distance at a time, thus never permitting their goods to be
separated. The route of travel to the head waters of the Mississippi was
by way of Lake Huron, St Mary's River, Lake Superior, and such rivers as
would take them nearest the particular points to which the various parties
had been assigned. The valleys of the Mississippi and the Missouri
were reached by way of Green Bay, Fox and Wisconsin rivers. The traders
often occupied nearly the whole summer in the trip from their trading
posts to Mackinac and back.
Mr. Astor's principal agent on
this island was Ramsey Crooks, to whom, with others, he sold out in 1834;
but the trade now lacked the energy and controlling influence which Mr.
Astor had given it, and the company soon became involved. In 1848 the
bnsiness was closed and the property sold.
At the extreme end of the town
is the mission property, now in possession of Mr. E. A. Franks, the house
being kept by him as a hotel. The history of this mission is briefly as
follows: In the month of June, in the year 1820, the Rev. Dr. Morse,
father of the inventor of the telegraph visited this island and preached
the first Protestant sermon ever delivered in the Northwest Becoming
particularly interested in the condition of the traders and natives, he
made a report of his visit to the United Foreign Mission Society of New
York, in consequence of which the Rev. W. M. Ferry, a graduate of Union
College, was sent in 1822 to explore the field. In 1823 Mr. Ferry, with
his wife, opened a school for Indian children, which, before the close of
the year, contained twelve scholars. In 1826 the school and little
church passed into the hands of the American Board of
Commissioners for the Indians on the Lakes and
Upper Mississippi. In 1834 Mr. Ferry was released from the mission, and in
1837, the population having so changed around Mackinac, and the resort of
the Indians to the Islands for purposes of trade having so nearly ceased
that it was no longer an advantageous site for an Indian mission, the
enterprise was abandoned.
The mission house was erected in
1825, and the church in 1828-30. After the close of the mission the
property passed into the hands of the present occupant. We cannot say how
much or how little was accomplished by this mission; the revelations of
eternity alone will give full and reliable information on this point. We
only know that many who would otherwise have been left in ignorance and
heathenism are indebted to the Christian efforts of these missionaries for
a knowledge both of the arts and sciences, and of the way of
salvation.
The mission house is at present
one of the largest and best hotels in Mackinac. Mr. E. A. Franks, the
present proprietor, is a genial landlord, and always looks well after the
wants of his guests. In justice to the landlady we cannot close this
article on the Mission House without paying her a compliment she so justly
deserves; we know that Mrs. Franks will provide well for her guests, and
make all around her feel cheerful and at home.
We may now proceed to visit the
various places of interest. Starting from Fort Mackinac, let us follow the
foot-path along the brow of the bluff overlooking the eastern part of the
town. If fond of natural scenery, we shall be delighted with the grand
panorama of nature, the successive scenes of which will be presented
to us as we proceed. Half or three-quarters of a mile from the Fort, at
the south-eastern angle of the Island, is the overhanging cliff known as
"Robinson's Folly." The following is the interesting
history of this point: After the removal of the fort to
the Island in 1780, Captain
Robinson, who then commanded the post, had a summer-house built upon this
cliff. This soon became a place of frequent resort for himself and his
brother officers. Pipes, cigars and wine were called into requisition, for
at the time no hospitality or entertainment was complete without them, and
thus many an hour that would have been lonely and tedious, passed
pleasantly away. After a few years, however, by the action of the
elements, a portion of this cliff, with the summer-house, was precipitated
to the base of the rocks, which disastrous event gave rise to the name.
Around the beach below is a confused mass of debris, the remains,
doubtless, of the fall.
A little to the north of
Robinson's Folly may be seen an immense rock stand out boldly from
the mountain's side, near the base of which is a very beautiful little
arch of the "Arch of the Giant's Stairway." This arch is well worth the
trouble of a visit.
A walk along the beach northward
from this point is somewhat difficult, on account of the large
portions of the cliffs which have in places been precipitated to the
water's edge, but a good foot-path along the brow of the bluff brings us,
with only a few minute's walk, to the famed "Arch Rock." This is one of
Nature's which must be seen to be appreciated. Words cannot fully describe
it in all its grandeur. It is a magnificent natural arch spanning a chasm
of eighty or ninety feet in height, and forty or fifty in width. The
summit of this rock is one hundred and forty-nine feet above the level of
the lake. Its abutments are composed of calcareous rock, and the opening
underneath the arch has been produced by the falling down of the great
masses of rock now to be seen on the beach below. A path to the right
leads to the brink of the arch, whence the visitor, if sufficiently
reckless, may pass to its summit, which is about three feet in width. Here
we see twigs of cedar growing out of what appears to be solid rock, while
in the rear and on either hand the lofty eminence is clothed with trees
and shrubbery—maple, birch, poplar, cedar and balsam—giving to the
landscape richness and variety; before us are the majestic waters of
Lake Huron, dotted in the distance with islands. We
may now descend through the great chasm, "arched by the hand
of God," and at the base of the projecting angle of
the main rock find a second arch, less magnificent, but no
less curious and wonderful. Passing under this, we soon reach the
beach below, whence the view is particularly grand and
imposing. The mighty arch seems suspended in
mid-air above us, and as we gaze upon it, lost in wonder
and admiration, we exclaim with the Psalmist, "Lord,
what is man that Thou takest knowledge of him, or the son
of man that Thou makest account of him!" Foster and Whitney
say of this rock: "The portion supporting the arch on
the north side, and the curve of the arch itself,
are comparatively fragile, and cannot for a long period resist
the action of rains and frosts, which in this
latitude, and on a rock thus constituted, produce great ravages
every season. The arch which now connects this abutment with
the main cliff, will soon be destroyed as well as
the abutment itself, and the whole precipitated into the
lake."
The following parody on a popular song was found written on a stone near the base
of Arch Rock, about five years since:
"Beauteous Isle! I sing of thee,
Mackinac, my Mackinac, Thy lake-bound shores I love to see,
Mackinac, my Mackinac. From Arch Rock's height and shelving steep
To western cliffs and Lover's Leap, Where memories of the lost one sleep,
Mackinac, my Mackinac.
"Thy Northern shore trod British foe,
Mackinac, my Mackinac; That day saw gallant Holmes laid low,
Mackinac, my Mackinac; Now Freedom's flag above thee waves,
And guards the rest of fallen braves, Their requiem sung by Huron's waves,
Mackinac, my Mackinac."
Taking the road which leads into the interior of the island, we soon find ourselves at the "Sugar Loaf Rock." This rock is about one hundred and fifty yards from the
foot of the high ridge, upon the south east extremity of which
stands Fort Holmes. The plateau upon which it stands is
about one hundred and eighty-four feet above the lake giving an
elevation of 134 feet to the rock itself. The composition of this rock is
the same as that of Arch Rock. Its shape is conical, and from its crevices
grow a few vines and cedars. It is cavernous and somewhat crystaline, with
its strata distorted in every conceivable direction. In the north side is
an opening, sufficient in its dimensions to admit several
individuals. Here one might find shelter from the most violent storm.
Within this opening, upon the smooth surfaces of the rock, may be
found the autographs of hundreds of eager aspirants after
immortality. As we take refuge in this rock we are reminded of the
Rock of Ages, and led to sing, with the poet,
"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hid myself in thee."
As we approach this rock along
the road, the effect is grand and imposing. The patriarch of the ages, it
lifts its hoary head high up towards heaven in utter defiance of the fury
of the elements. The view is also very fine from the top of the ridge
whence by its isolated position and bold form, it strikes the beholder
with wonder and admiration.
Let us now return to the fort,
whence we started, and again start out in a different direction. Half a
mile to the rear of Fort Mackinac, and only a few yards to the right of
the road that leads to Early's farm, is " Skull Cave," noted as the place
where Alexander Henry was secreted by the Chippewa chief Wawatam, after
the horrid massacre of the British garrison at Old Mackinaw. The entrance
to this cave is at present low and narrow, and promises little to reward
the labors of exploration.
Two miles west of the village
and fort is Early's (formerly Michael Dousman's) farm. This farm consists
of a section of land, and produces annually large quantities of hay and
vegetables of the best quality. Near the house now occupied by Mr. Early is that relic of 1812, the
old Dousman house, across the road from which is the battle ground
hallowed by the blood of the lamented Holmes and others. After the battle
such fragments of the slain as had been left on the field by the
Indians were gathered up and buried near the east end of the little mound
or ridge on the opposite side of the field from the road.
Following the road leading
through this farm, we soon arrived at the "British Landing, so named from
the fact that Captain Roberts, with his mixed command of English, French
and Indians here disembarked his forces to take the place in 1813. It is
also noted as the point where the American troops under Col. Groghan
effected a landing, under cover of the guns of the American squadron,
on the eventful fourth of August 1814, as already described.
Near the north western point of
the island is Scott's or Flinn's Cave. To find this we turn to the right a
few rods this side of British Landing, and follow an unfrequented trail
through the woods. This cave is underneath one of the hnge rocks peculiar
to Mackinac. Its entrance is extremely low, but when once inside the
Goliath might stand erect. Those intending to visit this cave should
provide themselves with a lamp or candle, as but an occasional ray of
sunlight can penetrate its hidden chamber.
Our next tramp will be around
the high bluffs which bound the south-western side of the island. Leaving
the town at its western extremity, we may follow the foot path around
those bluffs, or continue along the beach close to the waters edge. About
a mile from the village, as we pursue the latter course, is the "Devil's
Kitchen," a cavernous rock, curious, both in its formation and in its
name. Near it is a spring of clear, cold water shaded by evergreens and
other trees.
A few yards further on is the
famous "Lover's Leap." This rock stands out boldly from the side of the
cliff, and in appearance is similar to the Sugar Loaf Rock. There are other
points on the island to which romantic visitors have applied this name
but traditions has bestowed the title
only on this. William M. Johnson, Esq., formerly a resident of this
village, gives us the following legend concerning it:
"The huge rock called the "Lover's Leap" is situated about one mile west of the village of Mackinac.
It is a high perpendicular bluff, one hundred and fifty to two
hundred feet in height, rising boldly from the shore of the lake. A
solitary pine tree formerly stood upon its brow, which some vandal has cut
down.
"Long before the pale faces
profaned this island home of the genii, Me-che-ne-mock-e-nung-o-qua, a
young Ojibwa girl, just maturing into womanhood, often wandered there, and
gazed from its dizzy heights and witnessed the receding canoes of the
large war-parties of the combined bands of the Ojibwas and Ottawas
speeding south for fame and scalps.
"From this bluff she often
watched and listened for the return of the war parties, for amongst them
she knew was Ge-niw-e-gwon, his head decorated with war-eagle plumes,
which none but a brave could sport. The west wind often wafted far in
advance the shouts of victory and death, as they shouted and sang upon
leaving Pe-quod-e-nong (Old Mackinaw), to make the traverse to the Spirit
of Fairy Island.
"One season, when the war party
returned, she could not distinguish his familiar and loved
war-shout. Her spirit told her that he had gone to the spirit land of the
west. It was so; an enemy's arrow had pierced his breast, and after his
body was placed leaning against a tree, his face fronting his enemies, he
died, but ere he died he wished the mourning warriors to remember him
to the sweet maid of his heart. Thus he died, far away from home and the
friends he loved.
"Me-che-ne-mock-a-qua's heart
hushed its beatings, and all the warm emotions of that heart were chilled
and dead. The moving, living spirit of her beloved Ge-niw-e-gwon she
witnessed continually beckoning her to follow him to the happy hunting
grounds of spirits in the west; he appeared to her in human shape but was
invisible to others of his tribe.
"One morning her body was found
mangled at the foot of the bluff. The soul had thrown aside its covering
of earth, and had gone to join the spirit of her beloved Ge-niw-e-gwon, to
travel together to the land of spirits realizing the glories and bliss of
a future, eternal existence."
Some little distance further on
is "Chimney Rock," which Prof. Winchell denominates one of the most
remarkable masses of rock in this or any other State.
A foot-path which leads from the
beach or base of the "Lover's Leap" to the plateau above, brings us to
the old Davenport farm, now owned by G. S. Hubbard, of
Chicago.
Having now made the circuit of
the island, let us once more ascend to Fort Holmes, take our seats upon
the high station built some years since by the government engineers, and
look around us. The island lies at our feet, and we can see almost every
part of it. The little clearings seen in various places were once
gardens cultivated by American soldiers. That in the vicinity of Arch
Rock was called the "big garden." In 1812, when the English captured the
island, the clearing on the high plateau back of the Fort Holmes was
planted with potatoes, and when the Americans came back to take possession
of the island in the spring of 1815 the English not having cultivated it
during the time, were compelled to plow it up and plant it, that,
according to the terms of the treaty, they might leave everything as they
found it.
As we gaze upon the adjacent
islands and main land memory is busy with the scenes of the past. Two
hundred and fifty years ago only bark canoes dotted the surface of the
lake. A few years later the songs of the Canadian voyageur, as he rowed or
paddled his large batteau, echoed and re-echoed around the shores. Now the
shrill whistle of the propeller is heard, and the white sails of hundreds
of vessels are spread to the breezes. The first vessel ever seen on these
waters was the Griffin, in 1679, and the first steamer was the
Walk-in-the-Water, in 1819. It would be difficult to estimate the
amount of wealth which is annually carried through these straits. During
the season of navigation from ten to fifty sails may always be
seen passing up and down through the straits, and almost every hour in the
day from one to ten propellers are in full view.
Some four or five miles to the
northwest of us lies the mixed Canadian and Indian settlement of Point St.
Ignace. This was the second place settled in the State of Michigan, the
Sault being the first. At the head of East Moran Bay, some little distance
north of the church, is the site of the mission established by Marquette
in 1671, some remains of which may yet be seen.
Farther north is the bluff
called "Rabbit Sitting." Northeasterly the St. Martin Islands, the
entrance to the Chenoux and the dividing ridge between this and the Sault
St. Mary. On the north east is Point Detour, and, though thirty miles
distant, vessels may sometimes be seen entering St. Mary's River.
Round and Bois Blanc Islands lie to the south east of us, beyond which, at
the distance of eighteen miles, is Cheboygan, situated at the mouth of a
river of the same name. This place is advantageously located, and is
growing rapidly.
Proposed National Park
Just before the close of the
last session of Congress, Senator Ferry, of Michigan, introduced a
resolution asking information from the Secretary of War regarding the
location and condition of unoccupied lands on the Island, and the
propriety of converting the same into a National Park. The Secretary
of War has called on the officers of this department who, we are told,
have made favorable reports.
The land proposed to be
converted into the park comprises over one thousand acres lying in the
centre and on the north side of the Island, and is covered with a thick
growth of small pines and evergreens, and we venture to state that a more
sustable place cannot be found in the Northwest; Nature has made the spot
one of rare interest to every American citizen; its early history
and Indian traditions, together with the fact that the Island is the most healthy, cool and desirable place
during the hot summer months of any to be found in the whole Union. It is,
therefore, to be hoped that, at the next session of Congress, a bill will
be passed giving to the people that which they ask for, "a National Park at Mackinac."
Mackinac as a Summer Resort
The three great reservoirs of
clear and cold water—Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, with the Island
of Mackinac in their hydrographical centre—offer a delightful hot weather
asylum to all invalids who need an escape from crowded cities,
paludal exhaltations, sultry climates, and officious medication The
voyage from Buffalo, Cleveland, Sandusky, or Detroit, on the East or from
Chicago or Milwaukee, on Lake Michigan, may afford, should the water be
agitated, all the benefits of sea-sickness, without its tedious
prolongation. On reaching Mackinac an agreeable change of climate is at
once experienced, and the bodily feeling is heightened by the emotions
which the evidence and consciousness of having retreated upon an island
raise in the mind of one who has not before enjoyed the novelty of insular
life. To his jaded sensibilities all around him is fresh and refreshing; a
feeling of security comes over him, and when, from the rocky
battlements, looks down upon the surrounding
waters, they seem a moat of defense against the host of annoyances from
which he had sought a refuge. Thus the curative state of mind begins to
act on his body from the moment of his landing, and if he be a person of
intelligence or taste, this salutary mental excitement will not soon
die away; for the historic associations, not less than the scenery of this
island, are well fitted to maintain it.
From the summit of the island the
eye rests upon a number of spots consecrated to a military history. But
the natural scenery is still better fitted to make the invalid forget his
ailments. Several agreeable and exciting boat
voyages may be made to the neighboring coasts, from each of which a new
aspect may be had and the island itself, although but nine miles in
circuit, affords opportunities for a great variety of rambling on foot. In
these excursions he may ascend to the apex of the island, once the site of
a fort. From this summit, elevated far above all that surrounds it, the
panorama is such as would justify the epithet to Mackinac—Queen of the
Isles. To the west are the indented shores of the upper Peninsula of
Michigan; to the south those of the lower, presenting in the interior a
distant and smoky line of elevated table-land; up the Straits green islets
may be seen peeping above the waters; directly in front of the harbor
Round Island forms a beautiful foreground, while the larger Bois Blanc,
with its lighthouse, stretches off to the east; and to the north are
other island at varying distances, which complete the
Archipelago.
The Birds Eye View
When the observer directs his
eye upon the waters more than the land, and the day is fair, with moderate
wind, he finds the surface as variable in its tints as if clothed in a
robe of changeable silk. Green and blue are the governing hues, but
they flow into each other with such facility and frequency that while
still contemplating a particular spot, it seems, as if by magic,
transformed into another; but these mid day beauties vanish before
those of the setting sun, when the boundless horizon of lake and and land
seems girt around with a fiery zone of clouds, and the brilliant drapery
of the skies paints itself upon the surface of the waters. Brief as they
are beautiful, these evening glories, like spirits of the air, quickly
pass away, and the gray mantle of night warns the beholder to depart for
the village while he may yet make his way along a narrow and rocky path,
beset with tufts of prickly juniper. Having refreshed himself for an hour,
he may stroll out upon the beach and listen to the serenade of the waters.
Wave after wave will break at his feet over white pebbles, and return as
limpid as it came. Up the straits he will see the evening star dancing on the
ruffled surface, and the loose sails of the lagging schooner flapping in
the fitful land-breeze, while the milky way—Death's path of the red
man—will dimly appear in the waters before him.
The Future Prospects of the Island
The rapidly increasing wealth of
the country; the tide of emigration pushing to the Northward and Westward
clearing away the gigantic forests of untold ages, building up cities and
towns and converting the soil which God has preserved for us the
countless years gone by, into fertile fields and homes of freemen, is
every year bringing Mackinac into notice, and making the Island a more
central place of resort.
Our active business men of large
cities, whose cares and responsibilities keep them through the business
season of the year at their posts until the usual "heated term" arrives,
when they, in common with those of means, retired from active business,
think of a place of resort, are very apt to study and gather what
information they can concerning the locality, desirability and
convenience of the fashionable places in various portions of the
country and in looking over their lists should miss Mackinac, we fear they
would certainly miss the most important one in the country.
General Improvements
A company is about being formed in which Mr. Bryan, proprietor of the Bryan Hall, Chicago, Mr. Eames,
a banker, and Mr. Williams, all of Chicago, are interested to build a
grand hotel at Mackinac. The proposed hotel will be one of the largest in
the State, and will have ample room for the accommodation of one thousand
guests.
There are also other parties who
have similar objects in view, and we may expect to see within the next
five years to come at least $1,000,000 expended on the Island in hotel
improvements; these together with the National Park and the natural
beauties and curiosities of the place, we
predict that the Island, in the future, will be crowded during the hot
summer months by pleasure-seekers and travelers from every part of
the world.
Capt. H. Van Allen, the
proprietor of the Island House, has been making general repairs and
refurnishing his hotel. The location is a handsome one, and we are
sure he will receive his share of the public patronage this
season.
The Mission House has been
generally repaired and refurnished. Mr. E. A. Franks, the proprietor,
will build this season a large addition, and is determined to make the
Mission House second to none on the island.
The McLeod House, James Cabel
proprietor, has also been refitted and generally improved. The house
is centrally located, and will no doubt do its share of
business.
Mr. A. B. Madison has for some
time been identified among the business men of the island and always does
a good business. His stock of Indian curiosities and toys will be found
complete.
CHEBOYGAN BUSINESS NOTES.
Vorce, Barker & Co.
This enterprising firm is
composed of gentlemen from Buffalo, who have for many years been engaged
in the lumber trade. They have recently completed their saw-mill at a cost
of some $35,000, capacity 6,000,000 feet. Their mill is 40 x 100 feet,
engine house 30 x 40 feet. Engine 20 x 26 inches, from the Buffalo Machine
Agency's Works, with Stearns' patent pullys throughout the mill. Their
mill is one of the smartest for its capacity in the state and will prove a
profitable investment to its owners. They also have a shingle mill close
by, with a daily capacity of 75,000 shingles and booming facilities for
3,000,000 feet of logs. Their lumber is shipped to Buffalo, when it is
sold by their agents at that place, Messrs. J. P. Bailey & Son.
Hurd & Smith
This enterprising firm purchased
the Matoon mill located on Black river in 1870, since which time they have
done a very extensive business, and are now
running their mill to its fullest capacity. Their lumber is transported
down the river on lighters to their dock at the mouth of Cheboygan river,
where it is re-shipped to its destination.
McArthur, Smith & Co.
Have one of the largest saw-mills in the state, having an annual capacity of 15,000,000 feet. They
run one circular, two gangs and employ sixty-two men in and around their
mill. The firm have some two hundred thousand dollars invested in their
saw-mill, grist-mill, store and other improvements. The grist-mill was
built in 1869, the business of which has since been largely increased. The
company also owns large tracts of valuable pine, timbered lands and real
estate in Cheboygan.
Nelson, Strohn & Co.
Completed their mill in 1872.
Capacity 8,000,000 feet per annum. They run two circulars and one patent
gang edger, employ about forty men, cut in 1871, 5,000,000 feet of lumber
and 700,000 feet lath; and in 1872 they cut 6,000,000 feet of lumber and
2,000,000 feet of lath. They are enterprising business men and contribute
largely to the prosperity of the place. They also have one tug and three
lighters for the transportation of their lumber to the lake.
Mr. Porter M. Lathrop
Formerly of Concord, Jackson
County, Mich., located in Cheboygan last spring and is now doing a very
extensive trade. He keeps a large assortment of dry goods, ladies' fancy
goods, carpets, groceries, &c, which he sells at the very lowest prices.
Messrs. Post & Van Arsdale
Last fall opened up the first general stock of hardware in Cheboygan, and are now doing as large a
trade as any house on the shore.
Mr. Curtis Abel
Has opened quite an extensive
furniture warehouse and is prepared to furnish at the very lowest prices
all kinds of furniture, equal in quality to any other locality in the
State.
W. S. Humphrey
An Attorney at Law, has been located in Cheboygan some four years, and in addition to his
profession, is largely interested in pine and farming lands in Northern
Michigan. Mr. Humphrey is a reliable business man and has contributed
largely to the general prosperity of Cheboygan.
C. W. Bell
Judge of Probate and Circuit
Court Commissioner for Cheboygan county, has gained a good name as an
attorney at law, and has an extensive practice. He is now building the
Cheboygan and Little Traverse Bay State road, for which he has the
contract.
D. R. Joslin
Attorney at Law, formerly editor and proprietor of the "Cheboygan Times," now "Cheboygan Independent." Mr. Joslin is an old resident of the place and is too well
known by the public to require anything we can say necessary.
Fountain House, Cheboygan
Is being enlarged and generally
improved. Mrs. S. A. Smart, the proprietress, knows well how to keep a
hotel and provides well for the wants of her guests. Invalids who come
north to spend the season will find here a good home.
Everett House, Cheboygan
Mr. A. Earl, proprietor, is the
largest hotel in the place, having but recently completed a large
addition. The proprietor will no doubt do his share of the hotel business
in Cheboygan.
Benton House, Cheboygan
Is a first-class hotel. M. A.
Gagnon, the proprietor, does all in his power to make the Benton House
second to none in the place.
Biddle House, Detroit
Is the largest in Michigan, and
has long been a favorite resort by business men and travelers from all
parts of the country. The hotel is owned by Luther Beecher and is kept by
H. P. Stevens, who makes a very efficient and genial landlord.
Howard House, Detroit
J. B. Hamilton, proprietor, is
one of the best kept houses in Detroit, and the proprietor does everything
in his power, and is always on hand to supply the wants of his guests. His
accommodations are always good and charges reasonable.
This Page Was Last Updated Saturday, 03-Mar-2012 12:37:33 MST
Copyright 2004- by Deb Haines/MIGenWeb Project. All rights reserved. Copyright of submitted items belongs to those responsible for their authorship or creation unless otherwise assigned.
|