It would be a pretty correct estimate to add at least one-third more of the total number for those that passed during the night,—which would be a very low estimate of the shipping passing through our straits.
But few of the vessels passing through the straits leave the main channel, and go to the island some miles out of the way.
The lake traffic has of late years become perfectly enormous, the increase of the western navigation being unprecedented. For example, three thousand and sixty-five steamers passed up from Lake Erie to Lakes Huron and Superior, by Detroit, in 1859, and three thousand one hundred and twenty-one passed down. The greatest number up in a single day was eighty-five—down seventy-three. Detroit statistics show that five steamers, five propellers, four barques, seven brigs, and eighty-five schooners have been more or less engaged in the Lake Superior trade during the past season. Forty vessels leftduring the season for European and seaboard ports, some of which have returned, and one has taken her second departure. Navigation at Detroit opened March 14th, and closed December 15th.
William Johnston,Esq., who has long resided on the island, says: 'The Indians, from the earliest times, have always regarded the Island of Mackinaw with veneration. The Indian name is 'Moc-che-ne-mock-e-nug-gonge,' which, as before stated, signifies Island of Great or Giant Fairies.
"Indian mythology relates that three brothers of great or giant Fairies, occupied different Islands in this section of the country. The eldest occupied the Island Missilimackinac, the second lived on the Island Tim-au Rin-ange-onge, in Lake Michigan, now called Pottawattime Island, the youngest inhabited an Island called Pe-quoge-me-nis, in Lake Huron. The heathen Indians, to this day, look upon them with awe and veneration, and in passing to and fro, by their shores, still offer to the Great Spirits tobacco and other offerings, to propitiate their goodwill. The stories they relate of these Great Fairies, are very interesting and worthy of record.
"The present southern gate of Fort Mackinac overlooks the spot, where in olden times a door existed, to the entrance of the subterraneous abode ofthese Giant Fairies. An Indian Chees-a-kee, or spiritualist, who once encamped within the limits of the present garrison, related, that some time during the night, after he had fallen asleep, a fairy touched him and beckoned him to follow. He obeyed and his spirit went with the fairy; they entered the subterraneous abode, through an opening beneath the present gate near the base of the hill. He there witnessed the giant spirits in solemn conclave in what appeared to be a large beautiful wigwam. After being there some time, lost in wonder and admiration, the chief spirit directed one of the lesser ones, to show the Indian spirit out and conduct him back to his body. This Indian could never be induced to divulge the particulars of what he witnessed in his mysterious visit.
"An old Indian chief upon leaving this island, to visit his friends in Lake Superior, thus soliloquized, as he sat on the deck of McKnight's splendid steamer, the Illinois, while the darkness began dimly to shadow forth the deep blue outlines of the island:
"'Moc-che-ne-mock-e-nug-gonge, thou Isle of the clear, deep-water Lake, how, soothing it is from amidst the curling smoke of my opawgun (pipe), to trace thy deep blue outlines in the distance; to call from memory's tablets the traditions and stories connectedwith thy sacred and mystic character, how sacred the regard, with which thou hast been once clothed by our Indian seers of gone-by 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 stillness 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. Nothing then disturbed thy quiet and deep solitude, but the chippering of birds, and the rustling of the leaves of the silver-barked birch; 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 lime-stone battlements.'
"Several old buildings are now standing, the frames of which were brought from old Mackinaw in the year 1764, which gives an odd and venerable appearance to the village. Mr. Schoolcraft had the door of Marquette's Chapel pointed out to him, which had been brought over from Mackinaw, and hung to one of the edifices of the town.
"The village formerly received its greatest support from the fur trade, when in the hands of the late John Jacob Astor,Esq., being, at that time, the outfitting and furnishing place for the Indian trade. Hisoutfits extended then to the head waters of the Mississippi, on the northwest, south to Chicago, southwest by the way of Green Bay, to the Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers, in fact his business was carried on throughout all the then northwest Indian country. This trade became extinct in 1834, when Mr. Astor sold out to Ramsey Crooks,Esq., of New York, and others, but it lacked the energy and controlling influence which had been characteristic of Mr. Astor's business, and after languishing a few years, the new company became involved and their outposts were discontinued.
"The place since then has been mostly supported from the fisheries, which are excellent and extensive. It is estimated that twenty thousand barrels of white fish and trout are exported from this country alone annually, estimated worth, at this point, about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. A material support is also derived from the immense amount of trade.
"The population is fluctuating, owing to the influx of strangers seeking health, traders, and Indians; but the permanent inhabitants of the village are about one thousand and fourteen, as per census of 1854.
"Fort Mackinac stands on a rocky eminence immediately above the town, and is at present garrisonedby a company of United States troops: a chaplain (Episcopalian) is attached to the garrison, and services are held there every Sabbath. Fort Holmes occupies the highest bluff of the island, and is not at present occupied: this fortress was erected by the English, while they held possession of the island, during the last war, and by them named Fort George. But after the surrender of the island in 1814, the name was altered in compliment to the memory of Major Holmes of the United States Army, who fell in the unfortunate attack upon the island byCol.Croghan. The gallant Holmes was killed a little below the rise of ground, as you descend toward the Dousman farm-house, on your way to the British landing. On Fort Holmes is a triangular station for the government engineers, who have been at work some years in the straits.
"Visitors mounting the station on a still clear day, have a view of this island, the straits with its curves, islands and points, and the adjacent shores, which well repays them, especially on a calm day, for the lake and green woods lie in stillness before them, taking the mind for hundreds of years back, to the time when thousands of warriors occupied the prominent points brought within view.
"Off to the northwest, some four or five miles, liesthe mixed Canadian and Indian settlement of PointSt.Ignace and Moran Bay, with a few farms, which give a more agreeable view to the otherwise sameness of wood and water. There the Indians, called the Au-se-gum-ugs, lived until driven away by the Ojibwas and Ottawas, as they extended their conquests south and west. There also the Iroquois were permitted to locate and live before the French reached and settled on theSt.Lawrence, there some of the Iroquois were massacred and driven off by the Ojibwas and Ottawas. North of this can be seen the outlines of the bluff called "Rabbit Sitting," northeasterly theSt.Martin Islands, the entrance of the Chenoux, and the dividing ridge between this and the SautSt.Mary. On the northeast can be seen the Detour, and to the south, Bois Blanc Light-House, and the Cheboy-e-gun; and on the west the Straits of Lake Michigan, with Waugoohance Point and Light-House.
"To the northwest of the ridge, where the woods slope by a gradual descent to the shores of the Island, is the place at which the English in the last war (1812), from six to eight hundred strong, composed of a few English, Canadians, the majority being Indians, landed at night, and having secured Michael Dousman's cattle, at his farm adjoining the landing,and succeeded during the night in reaching the hollow, which may be seen on the way from Fort Mackinac to Fort Holmes, a little northwest of the present parade-ground, or nearly opposite the northwest rear gate of the present fort, with their cannon, which by daylight, was placed in battery on the knoll south of the hollow before alluded to, which by its position completely commanded the western gate and the garrison itself, took their station.
"At dawn the citizens of the village were roused, and told to flee to a place called the Distillery, west of the present village, as the English troops were about to attack the American fort, and that the English commanding officer had pledged his word for the safety of the lives of those citizens who would flee to the place designated. This was the first intimation the citizens had of war being declared between the United States and Great Britain. Soon a cannon shot was fired over the fort, its booming being also the first intimation the American garrison had of the country being in a state of war. An English officer appeared with a flag to summon the garrison to surrender, stating the overwhelming force they had in command. The American garrison, being short of one full company of men, was surrendered, and the few troops taken and sent toDetroit on parole. After this the English built and occupied Fort George, (now called Fort Holmes) between the years 1812 and 1814. The English government paid ten thousand pounds as prize-money to the volunteers and soldiers, and merchandise and arms to the Indians. In the year 1836 I examined the list or pay-roll for this prize-money; the names of all those who participated in the taking of Fort Mackinac were there enrolled, the money was divided according to rank, and each person receipted for his individual share.
"It is worth knowing, that by the treaty of Paris, of 1783, acknowledging the independence of the United States, and fixing its boundaries, Fort Mackinac fell under the jurisdiction of the United States, and was surrendered, according to McKenzie, in 1794. In 1812 it was taken, as before stated, by the English and their Indian allies. It resisted an attack from a strong detachment of the American army and navy in 1814, underCol.Croghan, and was finally restored to the United States by the treaty of Ghent.
"In 1814Col.Croghan landed at the English Landing, under cover of the guns of the American vessels. The troops moved from the landing, and had reached Mr. M. Dousman's farm-house. The skirmishingwith the English and Indians had already commenced. East from the house is a ridge over which the road lay. On this ridge and back of it, also on each side of the road, the English were posted in force. The gallant Major Holmes, on reaching the clearing near the house, formed his men for a charge upon the enemy posted on the ridge. To encourage his troops he led the charge. The English and Indians, seeing the strong force, had commenced retreating, when an English sergeant thought he might as well discharge the cannon before retreating with his comrades, so accordingly applied the match. At this instant, Major Holmes was either killed by a grape shot, or by an accidental musket ball. His death threw the Americans into a panic, and they immediately commenced a retreat, which ended in confusion.
"When the fleet first appeared before the island, there was only one company of troops in the fort—hadCol.Croghan then summoned it to surrender, it would have been given up; but he sailed away, went and burnt the trading-houses at OldSt.Joseph's Island, and from thence sent an expedition to the SautSt.Mary, under Major Holmes, who burned the North West Fur Company Houses on the Canada side, and carried away all the personal property ofindividuals on the American side. Thus ten or twenty days were lost. In the mean time, the Indians had come to the defense of Fort Mackinac, and, on the second appearance ofCol.Croghan, they were prepared, and our troops shamefully defeated.
"This island, although the bluffs present the appearance of sterility, is covered with a strong soil, which is continually renovated by the spontaneous decomposition of calcareous rock. The common growth of trees on the island are the sugar-maple, beech, birch, white and yellow pine, white and red spruce, balsam fir, white cedar, iron wood, and the poplar; the trees now seen are the second and third growth. On the northwestern part of Mr. Dousman's farm, a few of the old patriarchs of the forest are still standing."(Back to Content)
Lake Superior — Scenery — Transparency of its waters — Climate — Isle Royale — Apostles' Islands — La Point — Thunder Cape — Cariboo Point — A wonderful lake — Romantic scenery — Pictured Rocks — Rock Castle — The Grand Portal — The Chapel — Fluctuations in the waters of Lake Superior — Curious phenomena — Retrocession of the waters — Mirage — Iron mountains and mines — Description of — Products — Shipments — Copper — Immense boulders — Produce of the mines for 1857 — Shipment of copper from the Lake for 1858 — Centre of the mining country — Iron Mountains — Copper mines of Great Britain — Coal — Mackinaw, a great manufacturing point — Key to the Upper Lakes — Commerce of Lakes — Growth of cities.
Lake Superior, though it possesses not all the vastness of the ocean, is yet equal in sublimity. In gazing upon its surface, whether spread out like a vast mirror reflecting the varying tints of the sky, or ruffled by gently curling waves, or lashed into fury by the tempest, one is impressed with the idea of the Infinite. It is known to be the largest body of fresh water on the globe, being nearly four hundred miles long from east to west, and one hundredand thirty wide. It is the grand reservoir from whence proceed the waters of Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It gives birth to Niagara, the wonder of the world, fills the basin of Ontario, and rolls a mighty flood down theSt.Lawrence to the Atlantic.
This lake lies in the bosom of a mountainous region, where the Indian yet reigns and roams in his wonted freedom. Except an occasional picketed fort or trading house, it is yet a perfect wilderness. The entire country is rocky and covered with a stunted growth of vegetation such as is usual in high latitudes. The waters of this lake are marvelously clear, and, even at midsummer, are exceedingly cold. Mr. Charles Lanman, who has written a most admirable book, entitled "Summer in the Wilderness," says, "In passing along its rocky shores, in my frail canoe, I have often been alarmed at the sight of a sunken boulder, which I fancied must be near the top, and on further investigation have found myself to be upward of twenty feet from the danger of a concussion. I have frequently lowered a white rag to the depth of one hundred feet and been able to discern its every fold or stain. The color of the water near the shore is a deep green; but off soundings it has all the dark blue of the ocean."
Speaking of the climate, he says: "In midsummer it is beyond compare, the air is soft and bracing at the same time. A healthier region does not exist on the earth, an assertion corroborated by the fact, that the inhabitants usually live to an advanced age, notwithstanding the many hardships. The common diseases of mankind are here comparatively unknown, and I have never seen an individual whose breast did not swell with a new emotion of delight as he inhaled the air of this northern wilderness."
The largest island in Lake Superior is Isle Royale. It is forty miles in length and from six to ten miles in width. Its hills reach an altitude of four hundred feet. During the winter season it is entirely uninhabited, but in the summer it is frequently visited, particularly by copper speculators. Near the western extremity of the lake are the Apostles' Islands, which are detachments of a peninsula running out in the same direction with Keweenaw, which is known as La Point. The group consist of three islands, which rise like gems from the water. There is a dreamy summer about them which make them enticing as the Hesperides of the ancients.
The two most prominent peninsulas are Thunder Cape and Cariboo Point. Thunder Cape is about fourteen hundred feet high. It looms up against thesky in grandeur, and is a most romantic spot. Cariboo Point is less lofty and grand in its appearance, but is celebrated for its unknown hieroglyphics painted upon its summits by a race which has long since passed away. In the vicinity of the bluff are found the most beautiful agates in the world.
In the northeastern part of the lake is an island situated about twenty miles from the Canadian shore, which has a wonderful lake in its centre, about one mile in length. It is as beautiful as it is wonderful. It is imbosomed in the fastnesses of perpendicular cliffs, which rise to a height of seven hundred feet. It has but one outlet and is impassable even to a canoe. At the opening of this narrow chasm stands a column of solid rock which has a base of about one hundred feet in diameter. The column rises, gradually tapering until it reaches a height of eight hundred feet. A solitary pine surmounts the summit of this wonderful column. There it stands like the sentinel of this calm, deep lake, whose silence and solitude are rarely ever broken, and whose tranquil bosom has never been ruffled by the slightest breeze.
Rock Chapel.Rock Chapel.
Rock Chapel.
The Castles.The Castles.
The Castles.
The scenery on the shores of Lake Superior is in some places of the most romantic character. About one hundred miles west of SautSt.Mary, a rangeof cliffs are to be seen, what has been called the "Pictured Rocks." They are a series of sandstone bluffs extending along the shore of the lake for about five miles, and rising, in most places vertically from the water, from fifty to two hundred feet in height. These towering cliffs have been worn away by the action of the lake, which for centuries has dashed an ocean-like surf against their base. The surface of these rocks has been, in large portions, strangely colored by bands of brilliant hues, which present to the eye of the voyager a singularly pleasing appearance. One of these cliffs resembles so much the turreted entrance and arched portal of some old feudal castle that it has been called "Rock Castle." Beyond this is another architectural curiosity, denominated "The Grand Portal," which consists of an arched opening in the rocks. The cliff is composed of a vast mass, of a rectilinear shape, projecting out into the lake six hundred feet, and presenting a front of three hundred feet, and rising to a height of two hundred feet. An entrance has been excavated from one side to the other, opening out into large vaulted passages which communicate with the great dome, some three hundred feet from the front of the cliff. The Grand Portal, which opens out on the lake, is of magnificent dimensions, being one hundred feethigh, and one hundred and sixty-eight feet wide at the water level. The distance from the verge of the cliff, over the arch to the water, is one hundred and thirty-three feet, leaving three feet for the thickness of the rock above the arch itself. The extreme height of the cliff is about fifty feet more, making in all one hundred and eighty-three feet. It is impossible, adequately, to describe this wonderful scene. The vast dimensions of the cavern, the vaulted passages, the rare combination of colors, the varied effects of the light as it streams through the great arch and falls on the different objects; the deep, emerald green of the water, the unvarying swell of the lake, keeping up a succession of musical echoes; the reverberation of one's voice coming back with startling effect, must all be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.
Not far from this point is "The chapel" of the voyagers which nature has cut out of the cliff thirty or forty feet above the lake. The interior consists of a spacious vaulted apartment. An arched roof from ten to twenty feet in thickness rests on four gigantic columns of rock. These columns consist of finely stratified rock, and have been worn into curious shapes. At the base of one of these pillars an arched cavity or niche has been cut, access to whichis had by a flight of steps formed by the projecting strata. The arrangement of the whole resembles very much the pulpit of a church, while the arched canopy in front, opening out to the voluted interior, with a flat tabular mass rising to a convenient height for a desk, and an isolated block resembling an altar, all fashioned as appropriately as if formed by the hand of man, constantly impresses one that he is within the walls of a church.
In the Geological Report, made by Foster and Whitney, to Congress, we find the following remark: "It is a matter of surprise, that so far as we know, none of our artists, have visited this region, and given to the world representations of scenery, so striking and so different from any which can be found elsewhere. We can hardly conceive of any thing more worthy of the artist's pencil, and if the tide of pleasure-travel should once be turned in this direction, it seems not unreasonable to suppose, that a fashionable hotel may yet be built under the shade of the pine groves near the chapel, and a trip thither become as common as one to Niagara now is."
Beyond the grand portal, the rock, being less exposed to the force of the waves, bears fewer marks of their destructive action. The entrance to Chapelriver is at the most easterly extremity of a sandy beach, which extends for a quarter of a mile, and affords a convenient landing place, while the drift terrace elevated about thirty feet above the level of the lake, being an open pine plain, affords excellent camping ground, and is the most central and convenient spot for the traveler to pitch his tent, while he examines the most interesting localities in the series which occur in the vicinity, particularly the Castle and the Chapel.
One who had resided upon the shores of Lake Superior for several summers says, "Our attention has been directed to the fluctuations in the level of its waters, and while we have failed to detect any ebb and flow corresponding with the tidal action, we have on the other hand noticed certain extraordinary swells, which appear to be independent of the action of the sun and moon." The Jesuit Fathers in 1670-1, had their attention called to these extraordinary swells. In their "Relations," they say, "We found at one time the motion of the waters to be regular and at others extremely fluctuating. We have noticed however, that at full moon and new moon, the tides change once a day for eight or ten days, while during the remainder of the time there is hardly any change perceptible. The currents setalmost invariably in one direction, namely toward Lake Michigan, and they almost invariably set against the wind, sometimes with great force."
Mackenzie who wrote in 1789, relates a very curious phenomenon, which occurred at Grand Portage, on Lake Superior, and for which no obvious cause could be assigned. He says, "the water withdrew, leaving the ground dry, which had never before been visible, the fall being equal to four perpendicular feet, and rushing back with great velocity above the common mark. It continued thus rising and falling for several hours, gradually increasing until it stopped at its usual height."
Professor Mather, who observed the barometer at Copper Harbor during the prevalence of one of these fluctuations, remarks, "As a general thing, fluctuations in the barometer accompanied the fluctuations in the level of the water, but sometimes the water level varied rapidly in the harbor, while no such variations occurred in the barometer at the place of observation. The variations in the level of the water may be caused by varied barometric pressure of the air on the water, either at the place of observation or at some distant points. A local increased pressure of the atmosphere at the place of observation would lower the water level, wherethere is a wide expanse of water; or a diminished pressure, under the same circumstances, would cause the water to rise above its usual level."
In the summer of 1834, according to the report of Foster and Whitney, made to Congress, in 1850, an extraordinary retrocession of the waters took place at SautSt.Mary. The river here is nearly a mile in width, and the depth of the water over the sandstone rapids is about two and a half feet. The phenomenon occurred at noon. The day was calm but cloudy; the water retired suddenly, leaving the bed of the river bare, except for the distance of about twenty rods where the channel is deepest, and remained so for the space of an hour. Persons went out and caught fish in the pools formed in the rocky cavities. The return of the waters was sudden and presented a sublime spectacle. They came down like an immense surge, roaring and foaming, and those who had incautiously wandered into the river bed, had barely time to escape being overwhelmed. A similar event occurred in 1842, when the current set back from the rapids, and the water rose upward of two feet above the usual mark.
In 1845, Foster and Whitney, while coasting in an open boat between Copper Harbor and Eagle River, observed the water rise up, at a distance of afourth of a mile to the northwest, to the height of twenty feet. It curled over like an immense surge, crested with foam and swept toward the shore. It was succeeded by two or three swells of less magnitude, when the lake resumed its former tranquillity. At the same time the mirage was beautifully displayed, and imaginary islands were seen along the horizon. In 1849, they witnessed at Rock Harbor, Isle Royale, the ebbing and flowing of the water, recurring at intervals of fifteen or twenty minutes, during the entire afternoon.
The difference between the temperature of the air and the lake, gives rise to a variety of optical illusions known asmirage. Mountains are seen with inverted cones, headlands project from the shore where none exist. Islands clothed with verdure or girt with cliffs rise up from the bosom of the lake. On approaching Keweenaw Point, Mount Houghton is the first object to greet the eye of the mariner. In peculiar stages of the atmosphere, its summit is seen inverted in the sky long before the mountain itself is visible. On the north shore the Paps, two elevated mountains near the entrance of Neepigon Bay, at one time appear like hour glasses, and at another like craters, emitting long columns of smoke, which gradually settles around their cones.
The mines and minerals of the northwest constitute the most striking feature of the country, and at the present time one of the great sources of its wealth.
The centre of the mining country is called the Superior country, or the northern peninsula of Michigan, but there is no reason to believe it is confined to this region. Coal and iron, the most valuable of all minerals are found in various places in the northwest. The principal and most valuable minerals found west of Mackinaw, are iron, copper, and lead. A general view of the mineral region may be found in Owen's Geological Survey of Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Superior. Great beds of iron are found in ridges or cliffs, some of which rise up to an immense height. Some of these ore-beds of Lake Superior are fifteen feet in thickness, and one of them contains iron enough to supply the world for ages. Above them are immense forests, suitable for charcoal.
The discovery of the iron mountains and mines of Lake Superior was made in 1846, but they were not fully developed until the year 1855, when the ship canal at SautSt.Mary was completed. The mines are from three to sixteen miles from Marquette, a thriving village of upward of one thousand inhabitants, overlooking the lake, about one hundredand forty miles above the Saut. The mine nearest the lake is about two and a half miles distant from Marquette, and bears the name of Eureka. The ore is said to be of surpassing richness, and yields an iron of the best quality, adapted to cutlery. The Jackson iron mountain, and the Cleveland iron mountain, are fourteen and sixteen miles distant. They send to Marquette an aggregate of one thousand tons per week. These mountains rise gradually to the height of six or seven hundred feet, and are a solid mass of iron ore, yielding from 50 to 60 per cent. of the best iron. The New England iron mountain is two and a half miles beyond the Cleveland mountain, and abounds with ore of equal richness. A mile or two further is the Burt mountain, and the same may be said of this, both as it regards quantity and quality, as of the others. A railroad has been constructed from Marquette to the iron regions, and immense quantities of ore and iron are transported over it daily.
All the hills and mountains surrounding Lake Superior, abound in valuable minerals of which copper is the most abundant. It exists in every variety of form. According to the opinion of the lamented Houghton, this region contains the most extensive copper mines in the known world. The native copperboulder discovered by the traveler Henry in the bed of the Ontonagon river, and now in Washington, originally weighed thirty-eight hundred pounds. A copper mass of the same material, found near Copper Harbor, weighed twelve hundred pounds. At Copper Falls, there is a vein of solid ore which measures nine feet in depth, and seven and a half inches in thickness. At Eagle river a boulder was found weighing seventeen hundred pounds. The number of mining companies in operation on the American shore is upward of a hundred.
The Minnesota mine, fifteen miles from Ontonagon, during the year ending January 1, 1857, produced 3,718,403 pounds of copper. The Cliff mine during the year, produced 3,291,229 pounds of copper. The Portage Lake District, including Isle Royale, Portage, Huron, Quincy and Pewabic shipped 539 tons of copper in 1857.
The Lake Superior miners estimate the total shipment of copper mineral from the lake during the year 1858, at 6,008 tons, of an average purity of 67 per cent—making the product of ingot copper about 4,000 tons, worth in the market at present $1,840,000. Estimating the population of the copper region at 6,500 persons, this gives an annual product of about $280 for each man, woman and child. The shipmentswere as follows: From Keweenaw Point 2,180 tons; from Portage Lake 1,152 tons; from Ontonagon District 2,676 tons; total 6,008 tons.
The extent and importance of the copper mines of Superior, in relation to the general trade in that metal, may be estimated by the following account of the amount of pure copper produced in other parts of the world. The United Kingdom of Great Britain 14,465 tons, Norway 7,200 tons, Russia 4,000, Mexico 500, Hesse Cassel 500, Hartz Mountains 212; Sweden 2,000, Hungary 2,000, East Germany 443; making a total, out of America, of 30,820 tons. The single District of Ontonagon can produce as much copper as the entire Kingdom of Great Britain. The copper mines of the United States, are doing their part as effectually in adding to the solid wealth of the country, as the gold mines of California, or the silver mines of the Arizonia. The copper mining countries are another illustration of the principle upon which success is based, namely, that concentrated talent, effort and capital are necessary to a development of the resources of a country.
When we look into the manufacture of this article, we shall find a new element in the future growth of towns to arise in this region. At present, a large portion of this copper is shipped abroad to be smelted.But is there not every reason, as well of economy as of material, for carrying on smelting, and all other manufacturing processes, at the point of production? The cost of transporting the raw material is greater than that of carrying the manufactured product. But when all the elements of successful manufacturing exist where the raw material is found, then the economy of the process is doubled. Of metals, of navigation, of food, we have shown there is an inexhaustible supply. But there is also coal near enough to supply the last and only material which might be supposed wanting. Coal is found in the Southern Peninsula of Michigan, in abundance and of good quality. This coal is found at Jackson and at Lansing. This was a matter of so much importance that Prof. Douglas, of the State University, proceeded immediately to analyze it.
The following are the principal results of his analysis. It was made chiefly in reference to the manufacture of gas:—
"The coal was of the bituminous variety, having a jet black color and slaty structure. It was readily ignited, burning with a dull flame and smoke, the fragments comminuting more or less by the heat. It had a specific gravity of about 1.25.
"100 parts gave volatile matter 50.780, sulphur4.028, iron 4.400, ash 8.400, carbon (not volatilized) 41.600.
"The value of coal for the manufacture of gas is usually estimated by the amount of volatile matter it yields at a full red-heat."
Of ten samples of English coal, this had more volatile matter than six. Of American coals, it had more of the burning principle than any, except one. The quality of this coal is unquestionably good, and its distance from Mackinaw is no objection, since access can be obtained both by water and railroad. Both the coal and iron used in the manufactures of Cincinnati are brought from places distant from one hundred to five hundred miles; and yet scarcely any place in America has prospered more by manufactures than the Queen of the West. Mackinaw has more than the advantages of Cincinnati for manufactures. It not only has iron and coal, but copper and lead, near enough for all the purposes of successful manufacture. Favorable indications of coal exist within fifty miles south of the Straits, and indications also exist of lead. When we consider these facts, and the vast extent of country, of inland oceans, and of streams around it, why should not Mackinaw be a point of concentration for manufactures, as well as of distribution for commerce?
Mackinaw is centrally situated in the mineral region, and with coal and hard wood for charcoal in perpetual abundance, and the cheapest possible mode of transportation, will become a great manufacturing point, and be able to manufacture innumerable articles, which are now made in Europe, and which our people have been compelled to import for use, simply because the material hitherto employed has been of a quality unsuitable for such purposes. Besides the healthful and bracing temperature of this locality, when compared with Ohio and Pennsylvania, whose summers are found to be exceedingly enervating, especially to those employed in the manufacture of iron, affords advantages, and offers inducements which cannot be overlooked, since in the physical strength and comfort of the workmen, is involved the all-important question of economy. If it should be asked, is the site such that a great city can be built upon it, without imperial wealth, like to that ofSt.Petersburg, or with the artificial foundations like to those of Chicago, or bankrupting successive companies like Cairo on the Ohio,—the answer is at hand and decisive. At Mackinaw there are no marshes to fill up or drain, no tide sands, no flood-washed banks, no narrow and isolated rocks or ridges, to intercept the progress of commercialgrowth and activity. On the contrary, the lake rises under the heaviest rains but little, and breaks its waves on a dry shore rising gradually far above its level. There is no better natural site for the foundation of a city in the world, nor one possessing more inviting or beautiful surroundings, and when we consider its available resources, it is evident that nothing can prevent its rise and progress. The straits are so completely the key of the Upper Lakes, Mackinaw must, as in the days of the fur trade, unlock the vast treasures of the entire northwest. The shore of Lake Superior, being but about fifty miles north of Mackinaw and dependent on a canal navigation, annually navigable sixty days less than the straits, on account of ice, to say nothing of breakage, it is perfectly obvious that there can be no competing city further north.
The following from the Toledo Blade shows the immense importance of this point as a key position:
"The immense commerce of the lakes, the growth of which has been unparalleled by anything in the the history of the world, and the vast mineral, timber and agricultural resources of their shores, which are even now, only beginning to attract attention, may well awaken a desire on the part of enterprise to get possession of the key position which is to commandand unlock the future treasures of this vast empire. Already, six important commercial cities, with an aggregate population of about 350,000 inhabitants, have sprung up on these island waters, and are the most flourishing of any away from the Atlantic coast. Others are struggling into notoriety on the borders of Lake Superior, and must, at no very distant time, become important and active places of business. But the place of all others, where we would expect a city to spring up and grow rapidly into importance, is still undeveloped.
"The Straits of Mackinaw, four and a half miles wide, make the only natural ferry communication between the great peninsula, enclosed by the lakes and the rich mineral region lying on the southern border of Lake Superior; and must, hence, be the terminus of all the great railroad lines that traverse Michigan longitudinally and compete for the trade north of the straits, now rapidly growing up into importance. It must therefore be the point of radiation, eastward, through Canada; westward through the mineral region; and southward, through Michigan. Canada has already made grants of land for several important roads which must ultimately reach the straits; and lines are also provided for by government grants, from the straits through the Northern Peninsula, and from the straits southward to FortWayne by the way of Grand Rapids, and to Toledo, through Lansing. The culminating point being thus settled for several roads, all others will naturally centre at the same crossing, even if the coast line had not made such a thing inevitable.
"The point which projects northward into the lake, from the Michigan Peninsula, to form this strait, is admirably located for a great city. It is the site of old Fort Mackinaw, and in health and commercial position, can have no rival in those southern waters. This point has been selected by a company of capitalists, on which to plant the commercial city of the north; the Venice of the Lakes, foreshadowed in the extract which we have placed at the head of the article. This new city is to bear the name of the ancient fort and strait, and to be called Mackinaw. It will hold the key of all the northern lakes; and should its growth be marked by energy and enterprise, will command the trade of the greatest mining region in the world; be the chief depot of the northern fisheries; the outlet of an immense lumber trade; and the focus of a great network of railways, communicating with tropics on the south, and stretching out its iron arms, at no distant day, to the Atlantic on the east, and Pacific on the west.
"The proposed city will have the advantage of themost salubrious climate to be found in the temperate zone, and will be the resort of those seeking health, as well as those seeking wealth. It has a northern position, being on the same parallel as Montreal; but the winters are equable, and the summers though short, are mild and pleasant, being modified by the great body of water which stretches out on every side, except at the south. As a manufacturing point it may well command universal attention. The Lake Superior iron is known to be the best in the world, and coal and wood are at hand in the greatest abundance; while communication by water is so wide as to leave nothing to desire on that head. It should be as famous for smelting as Swansea, in England, for it must have unbounded supplies of iron and copper ore.
"But we have no space to speak of its commercial position. It must be seen at a glance that, as all the produce which flows through Chicago, Milwaukee, and the great West must sweep by on its way to the East, and all the goods and merchandise of the East, must be borne by its wharves on their way to the West, that it cannot fail to be a point which must spring at once into importance. The government, too, must have a fort, a light-house, and customhouse there, which with the fisheries, must supply a large profitable business to its earlier population."(Back to Content)
Lake Huron — Eastern shore of Michigan — Face of the country — Picturesque view — Rivers — Grand — Saginaw — Cheboy-e-gun — Natural scenery — Fort Gratiot — White Rock — Saginaw Bay — Thunder Bay — Bois Blanc Island — Drummond's Island — British Troops —St.Helena Island — Iroquois Woman's Point — Point La Barbe — Point aux Sable — PointSt.Vital — Wreck of the Queen City —St.Martin's Island — Fox Point — Moneto pa-maw — Mille au Coquin — Great fishing places — Cross Village — Catholic Convent.
Lake Huron, which, with Lake Erie andSt.Clair, washes the eastern boundary of the southern peninsula of Michigan, is two hundred and fifty miles long and its average width is about one hundred miles. Its depth is about eight hundred feet. The southeastern shore of Michigan presents a level surface covered with a dense forest, at points meeting the edge of the bank. The trees of this heavily-timbered land, with their massive shafts standing close together, "cast a gloomy grandeur over the scene, and when stripped of their foliage appear likethe black colonnade of a sylvan temple." In advancing into the interior, a picturesque and rolling country opens to view, covered with oak-openings or groves of white oak thinly scattered over the ground, having the appearance of stately parks. The appearance of the surface of the country is as if it was covered with mounds, arranged without order, sometimes rising from thirty to two hundred feet in height, producing a delightful alternation of hill and dale, which is sometimes varied by a rich prairie or burr-oak grove.
The principal rivers of the State are the Grand,St.Joseph's, Kalamazoo, the Raisin, the Clinton, the Huron, and the Rouge. The Grand is two hundred and seventy miles in length, and has a free navigation for steamboats which ply regularly between Lake Michigan and Grand Rapids, a distance of forty miles. The Saginaw empties into Lake Huron and is navigable for sixty miles. These, with the others we have named, interlock their branches running through different parts of southern Michigan, and while they beautify the landscape they afford water-power and fertilize the soil.
The river Cheboy-e-gun is the largest stream in the northern portion of the lower peninsula and empties into the Straits of Mackinaw opposite BoisBlanc Island. At its mouth is a village containing two steam saw mills and one water saw mill. A light-house stands a mile or two east from this point. Brook-trout, bass, pike, pickerel, and perch, are caught at the entrance of the river. In the fall and spring numerous water-fowl resort to the upper forks of the river and to the small lakes forming its sources. These lakes also abound with a great variety of fish, which can be taken by spearing.
The natural scenery of Michigan is imposing. The extensive tracts of dense forests, clothed with the richest verdure, fresh as when it first came from the hands of the Creator; the prairies and lakes which abound, the wide parks, whose soil is entirely covered for miles with large and rich flowers, present a striking and agreeable contrast. The beech and black walnut, the elm, the maple, the hickory, and the oaks of different species and large size, the lind and the bass-wood, and various other kinds of forest trees, plainly indicate the fertility of the soil from whence they spring. Grape vines often hang from the branches a foot in circumference, clustering around their trunks, or thickening the undergrowth along the banks of rivers; and, while the glades open to the sun like cultivated grounds, the more thickly-timbered forests, shut out from the sky bythe mass of vegetation, present in summer a gloomy twilight.
In traveling along the main roads of Michigan, splendid tracts of park-like lawns sweep along the path for miles covered with flowers, broken by prairies, thick forests, and lakes.
Fort Gratiot stands at the foot of Lake Huron and commands the entrance to the upper lakes. Advancing along the western shore of this lake the voyager sees a long, alluvial bank covered with a forest of pine, poplar, beech, and hemlock.
On advancing further the banks become more elevated until they rise to forty feet in height. About fifty miles from Fort Gratiot, a large rock rises to the surface of the lake, a mile or so from the shore, which is called the "White Rock." From the earliest period this rock has been regarded as an altar or a landmark. It was to the early voyagers a beacon to guide them in their course; but to the Indians it was a place of oblation, where they offered sacrifices to the spirits of the lakes.
Saginaw Bay is a large indentation of the shoreline like to that of Green Bay in Lake Michigan, but not so large. Near its centre are a number of small islands. Twenty miles from its mouth stands the thriving town of Saginaw. From the northwesterlycape of Saginaw Bay to Flat Rock Point, the shore of Lake Huron presents a bank of alluvial soil, with a margin of sand along its border intersected with frequent masses of limestone rock, in some places ground to fragments by the surging of the waves.
Thunder Bay is also another indentation made by the Lake. It was thus called from the impression that at this point the air was more than ordinarily charged with electricity.
Bois Blanc Island, at the head of Lake Huron, stretches in the form of a crescent between the Island of Mackinac and the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is from ten to twelve miles in length by three or four in breadth. The lower part of this island is sandy, but the larger portion of it is covered with a fertile soil bearing a forest of elm, maple, oak, ash, whitewood and beech. It has been surveyed and a government light-house stands on its eastern point.
In the northern part of Lake Michigan are located Beaver Islands. There are five or six of this group bearing different names. Big Beaver is the most considerable, and contains perhaps forty square miles. These islands all lie in the vicinity of each other, and within a few miles northwest of Grandand Little Traverse Bays in Lake Michigan. The Big Beaver was, up to July, 1856, in possession of the Mormons, who claimed it as a gift from the Lord.
Another interesting locality is Drummond's Island, between the Detour and the False Detour. It was taken possession of by the British troops when they surrendered Fort Mackinaw in 1814. On this island they built a fort and formed quite a settlement. Upon an examination of the boundary line between the United States and Great Britain, it was ascertained that this island was within the jurisdiction of the former, and it was accordingly evacuated by the British in 1828. The British subjects living on the island followed the troops, and the place was soon deserted and became a desolation.
St.Helena Island is a small island near the Straits of Mackinaw, not far from the shore of the northern peninsula, containing a few acres over a section of land. It is a great fishing station, and enjoys a good harbor protected from westerly winds. Its owner, who has exiled himselfa la Napoleon, spends his time in fishing, and other pursuits adapted to his mind.
In addition to the numerous islands constituting the surroundings of Mackinaw there are a numberof interesting localities denominated "Points", that we must not omit to mention. The first, because the most important, and one which is connected with many historic associations which we shall direct attention to, is the "Iroquois Woman's Point," the Indian name for PointSt.Ignatius on the opposite side of the straits from Mackinaw, distant between three and four miles, about the same as from the Battery at New York to Staten Island. The original inhabitants with their descendants have long since passed away. Its present occupants are principally Canadians. It has a Catholic chapel.
Point La Barbe, opposite to Green Island Shoals and Mackinaw, is a projection of the upper peninsula into the straits. It is four miles distant from Gross Cape, and derives its name from a custom which prevailed among the Indian traders in olden time on their annual return to Mackinaw of stopping here and putting on their best apparel before making their appearance among the people of that place.
About half way between Mackinaw and Cheboy-e-gun, a projection from the lower peninsula into the straits, is Point aux Sable. PointSt.Vital is a cape projecting into Lake Huron from the southeastern extremity of the upper peninsula. There isa reef of rocks off this point where the steamer Queen City was wrecked. On a clear day this point may be seen from Fort Holmes, and it presents an enchanting view. TheSt.Martin's Islands are also in full view from this point.
In the southwestern part of the straits, about twenty miles distant from Mackinaw, is Fox Point. A light-house has been erected on a shoal extending out two miles into the lake. Moneto-pa-maw is a high bluff still further west, on the shore of Michigan, where there are fine fisheries, and is a place of considerable resort. Further west, near the mouth of the Mille au Coquin river which empties into Michigan, there are also excellent fisheries, and to those who are fond of this kind of sport apart from the profit connected with it, there is no place in the world possessing half the attractions as Mackinaw and its surroundings, while the "Mackinaw trout," with the "Mackinaw boat" and the "Mackinaw blanket," are famous over the world.
Between Little Traverse and Mackinaw is the village of Cross, or La Crosse. The following interesting account of a visit to that place is taken from the Mackinaw Herald in 1859:
"The name of this village—'Cross,' recalls to one's mind, some reminiscences connected with the earlyhistory of the Indian Missions. Suffice it to observe, that it derives its name from the circumstance of a large cross having stood for many years on the brow of the hill, on which the present Indian village stands, planted there by some of the followers of James Marquette, during their explorations and missions in this part of the country. The old cross was of oak, and was still standing about forty-five years ago. Recently it has been replaced by another. An old Indian, calledThe Short-Arm, over whose head some eighty winters had passed, was still living in 1836, and who, when a little boy, recollected to have seen the last Missionary of this place. 'I am old, my children,' said the aged Missionary, 'and I wish to die among my own people—I must leave you.' He left; and in the course of time the Arbre-Croche Indians relapsed into Paganism. They continued in this state until a young Christian Ottawa, namedAw-taw-weesh, who had just returned from among the Catholic Algonquins in Canada, appeared among them and taught religion. He became also, in some respects, what Cadmus was of old, or Guess among the Cherokees—the first teacher of letters, among his people. As writing paper was then scarce, at least among the Indians, he taught them to write on birch bark, with sharpened sticks, instead of pens.This man is still living. He is now old, poor, almost entirely blind; and although having been a real benefactor to his people, he may go down to his grave, unpitied, and unknown.
"But awakened by his teachings, the Indians afterward called loudly on Missionaries to come among them, and they have had them during the past thirty or forty years.
"At this day two Catholic Clergymen and a Convent of four Brothers and twelve Sisters—being a religious community, of the Third Order ofSt.Francis—are stationed at this place. But, to return: As rough voyaging generally gives keen appetite, so the party did ample justice to the eatables, which had been prepared by the Indians. Perhaps some reader at a distance might suppose this supper to have been taken in awigwam; with the fire-place in the centre, a hole above for the escape of smoke; and the party squatting down upon the ground, with legs crossed in tailor fashion, around a single dish: no, no; but it was prepared in a good, substantial house; on a table with a table-cloth, with crockery, dishes, tea-cups and saucers, and knives and forks, such as are used by common white folks. Then there stood the waiters, ready to assist the double-handed manipulations going on at the table. At a convenient hour, the party separated for the night;the agent was put in possession of the clergyman's house, then temporarily absent on a mission, by theRev.Mr. Weikamp, the Superior of the Convent.
"The next day, after the forenoon services of the church at the village, the agent and party, according to previous invitation, went to the Convent for dinner. Arrived there, they were introduced first into a log cabin, situated at some distance in the rear of the convent, occupied by the four Brothers, belonging to the order, and theRev.Superior. He occupies a single room, in real new-settler style. This is his sitting-room, library, study and bed-room. He has traveled in Europe, and some parts of Asia; he has various objects of curiosity; and among these is a silver coin of about the size and value of a Mexican quarter of a dollar, which he brought with him from Jerusalem. This piece of money is said to be one of the kind of which Judas received thirty pieces, from the chief priests and magistrates, the price for which he sold his Divine Master. Another thing, is a Turkish pipe, with its long, pliable stem, with which the lover of the 'weed' could regale himself without being annoyed by the smoke, as usual; for the pipe, which is made somewhat in the shape and of the size of a small decanter and half filled with water is so arranged that while the wet tobacco isburning in the cup on the top, the smoke, during suction at the stem, descends through a tube into the water, and none of it escapes visibly, into the open air. TheRev.Mr. Weikamp, the Superior, is a German, and speaks English fluently. He is in the prime of life, and is full of energy and perseverance. He is not one of those who, from the fact of belonging to a religious order, may be supposed to be gloomy, with head bowed down, not hardly daring to cast his eyes up into the beautiful light of the heavens; but he converses with freedom, ease and assurance; and he relishes a joke as well as any man, when it comesa propos. A fanciful peculiarity, though nothing strange in it, attends his steps wherever he goes, in the shape of a small black dog called "Finnie," with a string of small horse-bells round his neck. "Finnie" has two black, watery and glistening spots in his head for eyes, which seem ready to shoot out from their sockets, especially when spoken to. When told in German, to speak, 'Finnie' begins to tremble—he shakes his head—jingles his bells; and utters a kind of guttural snuffling, and half-suppressed growl or bark. But, as we are not acquainted with the German language, we cannot say, that "Finnie" pronounces it well!
"Dinner being announced at the convent, the partywent over with the Superior to partake of it. Everything about the table was scrupulously neat—an abundance of the substantial of good living had been prepared by the Sisters. Some time after dinner the vesper bell rang at the convent; and by special permission, the party were shown into the choir usually occupied by the Brothers alone during the services of the church. This was on one side of the altar; and on the other, was a similar choir for the sisters. In the body of the church, the Indians or others are admitted. For a few moments after entering, all was silence;—but the priest having intoned the vespers, the sweet tones of a large melodeon suddenly swelled through the sanctuary, mingling with the voices of the sisters. This for a time had a singular effect. To hear music in these wild woods, far away from civilized society where instrumental music forms part of the ordinary pleasures and amenities of life, served to recall to one's memory other days and other climes. After vespers, the Superior of the convent conducted the party through the building to view it. The dimensions are: 160 feet long, 80 wide, and 28 feet high. There are two court yards, each 40 by 40 feet, and the church also 40 by 40, placed between them. When finished, this building will contain 108 bedrooms, a large schoolroom,carpenter and blacksmith shops, dining-rooms, kitchen, store-rooms, halls, corridors, &c. It will be separated into two parts; one to be occupied exclusively by the Sisters, and the other by the Brothers. At the time of this visit, there were some cultivated flowers yet in bloom in the court-yard. So much for the material building: and now a hasty sketch of this religious order may not be unacceptable to some of our readers.
"This religious community, is the Third Order ofSt.Francis, of Assisi, instituted in Europe by this saint in 1221. It was established for persons married or single living in the world, united by certain pious exercises, compatible with a secular state. It soon spread over all Europe, and even kings and queens on their thrones vied with the poorest peasants in eagerly entering this order, to share the labors of the mission within its sphere, and to participate in its spiritual benefits. Among the persons of this order, who were expelled from their cloister homes during the revolution which agitated Europe in 1848, was Sister Teresa Hackelmayer. This nun, at the proposal of a missionary father in America, and by permission of her Superior, came to New York in the winter of 1851, to establish a community of her order in that State. But meetingwith disappointment there, she finally established a convent at Oldenburg, in the State of Indiana. In 1851, a second convent of this order was founded at Nojoshing, four miles from Milwaukee, on Lake Michigan. In 1853, theRev.J. B. Weikamp founded, in West Chicago, the third convent of this order, and also formed a community of Brothers;—and in October 1855, with the understanding of Bishop Baraga, then Vicar Apostolic of Upper Michigan, he transferred those two communities to 'Cross Village'—his present location.
"The company having ranged through the building, as observed, took a walk outside. From the south side of the convent, a broad walk is laid out reaching to an inclosure of some forty feet square, at the distance of about fifteen rods. Another and narrower walk through the centre of this inclosure leads to a small square building, on the opposite side, having a four-sided roof meeting in a point, and surmounted by a cross. On entering this building, a lounge or settee, stands in front, and on the wall above it, hangs a piece of board or canvass, painted black, on which are human skulls of different sizes, each with two cross bones painted in white. A trap-door is raised from the floor, and a deep, spacious vault is opened to view: this is the place of burial for the Superior ofthe convent. On the outside, the spaces on either side of the little walk are intended to be the last resting-places of the brothers and sisters. It is a solemn thought to see men thus prepare deliberately forDeath!But as the party retraced their steps in such cheerful, good humor, loitering toward the convent, one might have supposed that the beautiful weather, the bright sunshine, and the bracing air had, for the time, scattered away all thoughts of death. Among the questions proposed to the Superior was, 'Whether at any time the brothers and sisters were allowed to have social, familiar intercourse with each other?' The Superior answered, in substance, that they were not; nor even allowed to speak to each other, without permission of the Superior. 'Then according to your principle,' some one rejoined, 'the world would soon come to an end!' The remark raised a general laugh, in which the Superior himself joined heartily."(Back to Content)
Three epochs — The romantic — The military — The agricultural and commercial — An inviting region — Jesuit and Protestant missions — First Protestant mission — First missionary — Islands of Mackinac and Green Bay — La Pointe — SautSt.Mary — Presbyterians — Baptists — Methodists — Revival at Fort Brady — Ke-wee-naw — Fon du Lac — Shawnees — Pottawatimies — Eagle River — Ontonagon — Camp River — Iroquois Point — Saginaw Indians — Melancholy reflections — Number of Indians in the States and Territories.
The history of this region, in the language of one, exhibits three distinct and strongly marked epochs. The first may be properly denominated the romantic, which extends to the year 1760, when its dominion passed from the hands of the French to the English. This was the period when the first beams of civilization had scarcely penetrated its forests, and the paddles of the French fur trader swept the lakes, and the boat songs of thevoyageursawakened the tribes on their wild and romantic shores.
The second epoch is the military, which commenced with the Pontiac war, running down through the successive struggles of the British, the Indians, and the Americans, to obtain dominion of the country, and ending with the victory of Commodore Perry, the defeat of Proctor, the victory of General Harrison and the death of Tecumseh, the leader of the Anglo-savage conspiracy on the banks of the Thames.
The third may be denominated the enterprising, the hardy, the mechanical, and working period, commencing with the opening of the country to emigrant settlers, the age of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, of harbors, cities, canals, and railroads, when the landscapes of the forest were meted out by the compass and chain of the surveyor, when its lakes and rivers were sounded, and their capacity, to turn the wheel of a mill or to float a ship, were demonstrated, thus opening up avenues of commerce and industry. Its wild and savage character has passed away, and given place to civilization, religion, and commerce, inviting the denizens of over-crowded cities to its broad lakes and beautiful rivers, its rich mines and fertile prairies, and promising a rapid and abundant remuneration for toil.
We have alluded to the labors and sacrifices of the Jesuit missionaries in the early period of thehistory of the northwest, and it is right and proper that the labors of the Protestant missionaries, though of a much later period, should not be forgotten. The Jesuit fathers were not alone in sacrifice and toil in introducing the Gospel among the tribes of the northwest. The first Protestant missions established in this region, as far as we have been able to learn, were those of the Presbyterian Church on the Island of Mackinac and at Green Bay.
The first missionary who visited Mackinaw was theRev.David Bacon, father of theRev.Leonard Bacon, D. D., of New Haven. He was sent out by the Connecticut Missionary Society in 1800, and commenced his mission in Detroit, where, after remaining a year or two, he relinquished his field to a Moravian missionary,Rev.Mr. Denky, and visited the Indians on the Maumee. From this he returned to Detroit, and from thence went to Mackinac, where he remained until the missionary society was compelled, from want of funds, to recall their missionary.
The following interesting account was given by C. J. Walker,Esq., before the Historical Society of Detroit:
"The Connecticut Missionary Society is, I believe, the oldest Missionary Association in America. Itwas organized in June, 1795, the General Association of Connecticut, at its annual meeting that year, having organized itself into a society of that name. Its object was 'to Christianize the heathen in North America, and to support and promote Christian knowledge in the new settlements within the United States.' For some years its efforts were principally directed to sending missionaries 'to the new settlements in Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania,' and subsequently 'New Connecticut,' or the Western Reserve of Ohio, became an important field of its operations. The trustees, in June, 1800, determined 'that a discreet man, animated by the love of God and souls, of a good common education, be sought for, to travel among the Indian tribes south and west of Lake Erie, to explore their situation and learn their feelings with respect to Christianity, and so far as he has opportunity to teach them its doctrines and duties.' A very sensible letter of 'Instructions' was adopted and a long message 'to the Indian tribes bordering on Lake Erie' prepared, showing very little knowledge of Indian mind and character. Mr. David Bacon presented himself as a candidate for this somewhat unpromising field of labor. His son says he was one of those men who are called visionary and enthusiasts by men of moreprosaic and plodding temperament. He had not a liberal education, but was a man of eminent intellectual powers and of intensely thoughtful habits, and beside a deep religious experience, he had endeavored diligently to fit himself for a missionary life, the self-denying labors of which he ardently coveted. On examination Mr. Bacon was accepted.
"On the 8th of August, 1800, Mr. Bacon left Hartford on foot with his pack upon his back, and on the 4th of September he was at Buffalo, having walked most of the distance. On the 8th, he left on a vessel for this city, which he reached after a quick and pleasant voyage on the 11th. He was made welcome at the house of the commandant, Major Hunt, where, I believe, his first religious services were held.Gen.Uriah Tracy, of Litchfield,Conn., General Agent of the United States for the Western Indians, was then here, and, together with the local Indian agent, Jonathan Schieffelin, took an active interest in the mission of Mr. Bacon. John Askin,Esq., the same liberal-minded merchant, who so essentially befriended the Moravians twenty years before, and Benjamin Huntington, a merchant here, formerly of Norwich,Conn., rendered him valuable information and assistance. Learning from these sources that the Delawares at Sandusky, were aboutto remove, that the Wyandottes were mostly Catholics, and that there were no other Indians 'south and west of Lake Erie,' among whom there was an inviting field of labor, his attention was turned to the north, and, with the advice of these judicious friends, on the 13th of September, he took passage with General Tracy in a government vessel bound for Mackinac, and went to Harson's Island, at the head of LakeSt.Clair, near which there was quite an Indian settlement. Although only forty miles distant, he did not reach there until the 17th, being four days upon the voyage. Jacob Harson or Harsing, as it was originally spelled, the proprietor of this island, was an Albany Dutchman, who, in 1766, on appointment of SirWm.Johnson, came to Niagara as Indian blacksmith and gunsmith, and his original commission or letter of appointment, written by Sir William, is now before me. On the breaking out of the Revolution, finding Mr. Harson friendly to the Americans, the British stripped him of his property and sent him, sorely against his will, to this frontier. He established himself upon the island as early as 1786, where his descendants now reside, acquired great influence with the Indians, and lived in a very comfortable manner. He received Mr. Bacon in this beautiful retreat, withgreat kindness and hospitality, and he thanks the Lord that he is provided a comfortable house, a convenient study, and as good a bed and as good board as I should have had if I had remained in Connecticut. I know of no place in the State of New York so healthy as this, I believe the water and the air as pure here as in any part of New England, and I have never been before where venison and wild geese and ducks were so plenty, or where there was such a rich variety of fresh-water fish. There were many Indians in the vicinity. Mr. Harson encouraged the establishment of a mission, and Mr. Bacon deemed it a most favorable opening. Bernardus Harson, a son of Jacob, was engaged as interpreter. He returned to Detroit on the same vessel with General Tracy,Sept.30th, to attend an Indian Council which was held here on the 7th of October, when he was formally introduced to the Indians by General Tracy, and was most favorably received. He returned to the island and remained until the Indians departed for their winter hunting grounds, when he left for Connecticut, where he arrived about the middle of December. He was soon ordained to the ministry, and I believe married, for he returned with a young wife of whom nothing is heard previously.