Class / e> / A, A HISTORY ^ ©rand traverse :^egion ^ By r>r. M. L. LEj^lCH, -PUBLISHED IN THE- Grand Traverse Herald, TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN, 1883. A5'v r ' ■■■ i- i - jl. h: X s t o i?,"2" GRAND TRAVERSE REGION, By Dr. M. L. LE^CH, WBITTBN FOB THE GRAND TRAVERSE HERALD, Traverse City, Micliigaii. COP'S'EIICS-KCTEID, 1SS3, B^X" TiiOS. T. B-A.TES. PREFACE. I miDor importauce, is liigbly probable. \ "ble us to construct a theory of their The work of collecting materials for a Should it ever attain to the honor of beiug^'^^'^^^'O"' religion, and civil polity, , ,, „ , ,r, , , , 1 , , ,, ,, ., ,,, having a tolerable degree of probability, history of the Grand traverse region, i published in book form, the author will „, . ^ , , , •'. •^ ' ihis ancient people have been named was commenced without any well settled J be glad to avail himself of all possible the Mound-Buiklers, from the numer- purpose as to the use to be miide of nids in correcting in that edition the ; ous mounds of earth, some of them of them, further than to put them in a faults of this. To this end, friendly i immense magnitude, found in those shape convenient for preservation, for | criticism and a communication of lurther P"'''^ "^ ^^^ country they inhabited. the benefit of some future historian. As i interesting facts are cordiallv invited. the work progressed, the abundance and ' richness of the material obtained made it evident that a work might be written ] of great interest to the present genera | tioD. flow far the writer has succeeded in the attempt, remains for his readers to determine. A few simple principles have guided the author in the execution of tje work. It has not been written in the interest of any person, party or clique. To tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and to make of the truth an interesting narrative, has been his con- stant aim. In case of coijflictiug testi- M. L. Leach. Traverse City, December. 1883. CHAPTER I. The Dim and Shadowy Past — An An cicnt People— What is Known of ! They wor-shiped the snu They were an agricultural people, hav- ing made considerable advancement in the arts of civilization. They manufac- tured pottery of clay, and various imple- ments, weapons, and ornaments of stone and copper. They constructed exten- sive earth-works for religious uses. They ofTered Them — Mounds and Earth-tvorks — Ancient Mantifactorics of Stone Ar- row hcadu — Pottery— Copper Orna- ments — Protabilides in Heyard to the Occvpafion of the Orand Trav- erse Country ly the Mound- Build human sacrifices by fire. They offered sacrifices of their most valuable goods, on altars made of burned clay, and then covered up altar, and ashes, and the burned fragments of the offerings, with mounds of earth. They laid their hon- orable dead in shallow graves, and heaped huge mounds of earth above them. The mysterious rites of sepul- The history of a country differs in some points from the history of a people. The latter traces a people through all ture were celebrated by the aid of fire, their migraticns, and portrays their life and sometimes a human victim was sao- in the different countries they have oc- i rificed above the grave.* Their govern- mony, of which there have been but a j cupied ; the former confines its invest!- \ ment, whatever its form, was strong remarkably small number of instances, | gations to a single country, and treats of enough to control the mass of the peo- he has carefully and impartially exam- ''" ""^ different peoples that have at any pie, and hold together large bodies of time inhabited it. In our inquiry regarding the early oc- cupancy of the Grand Traverse country, we soon pass beyond the domain of au- iued and weighed the evidence, and has given the statement of what to him ap- peared to be the truth, without fear or fa- vor. It should be borne in miud that this is a local history ; hence it properly con- men in the service of the State. They built extensive fortifications, in positions well chosen for defense, that, in piimi- tive methods of warfare, must have been tains elaborate descriptions of local , another people. Of that other people events and incidents, and reminiscences there is no tradition even, or, at most. thentic I'ecord, into the dim and shadowy ' well nigh impregnable. They carried realm of conjecture. When the white on an extensive internal commerce, ex- man came, he found the Indian here; changing the products of one region for but the Indian had been preceded by I those of another. Such are some of the facts antiqna- of personal adventure, that would be ont of place in a history of a state or a na- tion. That the work is imperfect, can not be • but a very vague and uncertain one. All we know of them is gleaned from scattered and scanty monumental re- mains, brought to light by accident or the researches of the autiquai-iau. Yet denied ; that it contains inaccuracies of these remains are sufiicient to / rians have been able to establish iu re- gard to the ancient peopl& who, long ages ago, had their seat of power in the Mississippi valley, and spread their col- onies over the country from the AUegba- nies to the Rocky mountains, and from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 1 A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION Tbere is indubitable evidence that the Mound-Buikiers wrought the cop- per mines of Lake Superior — that the work was carried on by large bodies of men through a period of hundreds of years— but the evidence that they es- tablished permanent settUments there is wanting. The most reasonable theory is that the laborers spent the summer in the mines, but retired for the winter to a more genial clime. Hence, it be- comes an interesting problem to deter- mine the northern limit of their perma neut abode. It is evident that they had populous settlements in some of the more fertile districts of the southern part of the The evidence seems conclusive that the Mound-Builders, the most ancient iuhabitiiuts of the territory of tlie Unit- ed States of whom we have any knowl- edge, had extended Iheir scattered fron- tier settlements into the Grand Traverse country. Here, perhaps, mining expe- ditions from the more populous south called to make their final preparations for the northern summer trip, and here some of the returning miners were ac- customed to spend the winter. That ancient people have long since disappeared. Of the reason and manner of their disappearance, no record re- mains, except, perhaps, a vague and shadowy tradition, which seems to im- State. Farther north their remains are p|y that they retired toward.s the south, before the fierce and savage race that succeeded them in the occupancy of the country. *The writer lias in his possession Itie fragment" of a burned human sliull, found in a mound, in sueli a situation as to warrant tlie above state- ment. Two bodies had bei-n laid in shallow jjraves. and a mound partly built above them. On a level spot, on the partly built mound, a body hart been burned, and then the bed of ashes, with thf^ burned bones Ijing upou it. had been covered with earth by the completion of the mound. M. L. L. + It may be objected that the Indians made and used flint nrrow-heads and stoi:e axes, and that therefore the flndins of these relies is no evidence of the lormer pre ence of the Mound- Builders. 1 freely admit the possibility that in the casi s men- tioned the arrow-heads were made by the Indians, but I am fully convinced that at least three-fourths ot all the stone implements and ornaments found in the United States are the work of the Mound- builders. In regard to the pottery of the Grand Traverse country, its marking and genera! ap- pearance place it with the xjottery of the Mound- Builders. As to the copper ornaments and imple- m nts, the fact is weil established that the In- dians knew nothing of the copper mines, tnd did not put copper to any practical nse till the white men taught them how. M. L. L. found less frequently, and are of a less imposing character. Characteristic esirth works, (whether built for defense or for civil or religious purposes is uhcertain,) are found in Ogemaw county. Mounds are known to exist in Manistee county. That outlying colonies extended north to the Grand Traverse country, scarcely admits of a doubt. Around Boaidman Lake, near Traverse City, several small mounds formerly existed, some of which have been destroyed in the search for relics. One small burial mound has been opened within the village limits. The sites of several ancient manufac- tories of stone arrow-heads have been found. In excavating for a stieet, on the bank of Boardmau Kiver, in Trav- erse City, such a location was discovered, marked by the presence of great num- bers of chips of flint, or hornstone, the refuse of the material used for mak- ing the arrow-heads. At Charlevoix, the soil for a foot or more in depth, on the top of the bluff, north of the mouth of the river, contains great numbers of these flint chips, together with some un- finished arrow-heads that were spoiled in making and thrown away. Another well marked site of an arrow-head man- ufiictory, is on the farm of John Miller, on the north shore. of Pine Lake, about a mile from the village of Boyne City.t Fragments of ancient pottery, hav- ing the markings common to the pottery attributed to the Mound- Builders, is found at the locality last mentioned, and also within the village limits of Boyne City, as well as sparingly in other places. At Charlevoix, in excavating a cellar, an ancient grave was opened, in which was found a great number of beautifully finished flint arrow-heads, and a quanti- ty of copper beads. In the same locali- ty, some boys amusing themselves by running up and down the steep bank of the " Old Kiver," discovered a piece of copper protruding from the gravelly bank. An examination resulted in the finding of two knives and two bodkins, or piercing instruments, all of copper. CHAPTEB II. Migrations of (he Ottawas — First tneet- ing of the Ottawas and Chippcwas — The Three Brothers— The Under- ground Indians — The Mush-quah (as — An Unpardonable Insult — A Iribe Blotted Out. When northern Michigan first became known to the white man, the Ottawas, a tribe of the Algonquin family, occupied the region now known as the Grand Traverse country. Their origin as a tribe, is veiled in the obscurity of the past. Tradition says that they came from the eaet, advancing up the Ottawa River, in Canada, and then westward by way of the north shore of Lake Hui-on and the Manitoulin Islands. The reason for the migration is not known. There may have been no special reason beyond the common exipeucies of savage life, which necessitate removal, or they may have been influenced by the proximity of their fierce and powerful neighbors, the Iroquois, with whom they were al- « ' . wa.>sat war. The advance westward was slow and gradual, heibg interrupted by pauses of varying dorution. At the gieat Manitiiuliu Island the tribe for a lung time made their home. At the Sault St. Marie they flr.st met the Chippewas, who luhahited the coun- try bordering on Lake Superior. The two tribes were mutually surprised to find that, though previiuisly each hud Lad no knowledge iif the existence of the other, their languages were so nearly alike that they could converse intelligi- bly. A council was held, the subject was d!scu>*eed and the history of e^ch tribe rehearsed, but the tradition does not tell us that '.he mystery of the like ness of tlie languages and the probable consanguinity of the trines was solved. The Ottawas were brave and warlike. As they advanced we.stward, they fought and vanquished those who opposed their progress ; with those tliat were friendly they smoked the pipe of peace. Friend- ly intercourse with the Chippewas and Pottawattamies resulted in the formation of a sort of loose confederacy of the three tribes, who styled themselves "The Three Brothers." During tlie period of the earlier iutercours'e < f the whites with the Indians ot the Northwest, these tribes seem to have held undisputed possession of nearly the whole of the Lower Peninsula. The Ottawas remained for some time establis-hed in the vicinity of the Straits, before they extended their settlements along the shore of Lake Michigan. Dur- ing this period, though they were at peace with their immediate neighbors, they gratified their thirst for battle by frequent warlike expeditions against dis- tant tribes. They often passed south around the head of Lake Michigan, and westward beyond the Mississippi, some- times, it is said, extending their forays almost to the foot of the Rocky Moun tains. They brought home many west- ern prisoners. Some of these were called by the Ottawas Under-ground Ind- ians, on account of their custom of dig- ging pits in the ground for dwellings. The Under ground Indians were brave and intelligent, and made excellent coun- sellors. The captors often intermarried with their captives, and the descendents of the latter, in many cases, were closely related to the royal families of the Otta- was. Some of the most noted Ottawa chiefs of later times were descended from the Uuder-grouud Indians. At that time a portion of the present county of Emnict was the home of a small tribe, called the Mush quah-ta.s.* Their principal village was situated in a beautiful valley, in the northeast part of the township now called Friendship. The name of the tribe signifies -'The A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 3 People Wbo Roam Over tUe Prairus." They were of Alyouijuiu stock, us is proved by tlie fact tliat llit-ir lau^'iiage reseiutiled the Ottawa, while tbe tiihal name aud tbeir reooguizud affiuity to the Uuder giouud ludinus seem to [joint to a westeru origiu. Tbe Mulisiiuahtas were intelligent, pcaoeahle, aud iudus trioiis, ciiltivaliug large tit Ids of eoru, and seldom going ou tbe warpath. They had beeu ou f i ieudly terms with tbe Ottawas siuce the ai rival of the latter iu tbe couutry, though it is probable that Home degree of concealed ill-will exitled on both sides. It was a sad day for the iVushquab-tas, when, by their own fool- ish act, these friendly relations were dis turbed. There was a small Tillage of tbeMusli- qiiah-tas ou the lake shoie, at what is now called Seven Mile Point. A small party of Ottawas, returning iu their ca- noes from an expedition against tbe Sacs, having lost some of their comrades, as they came near the village commeuced wailiug for the dead, acording to the ludian custom. The Musb-quah-tas, hearing the distant sounds ot gritf, in stead of preparing to join in the mourn- ing, as would have been proper, rashly determined to express in an emphatic manner tbeir disapproval of the maraud ing expeeen transferred from St. Ig- uace to L'Arbre Croche, (The Crooked Tree,) south of the Straits. L'Aibre Creche seems to have been used l>y the French as a general name for the Ottawa settlements along the shore of Lake Michigan, in the western part of what now constitutes the county of Enamel. The village of L'Arbre Croche proper, so named from a ctooked jiine tree, a conspicuous and convenient landmark for the vojageurs coasting in tbeir canoes along the shore, was on the site of Mid- dle Village of the present day. Anoth- er landmark, conspicuous to the hardy voyageurs of those days, was a huge cross, of cedar timber, standing on the brow of the blufi", at what is now, from the circumstance, called Cross Village. Whether it was erected by Father Jonois, or some one who preceded him, is not known. By whomsoever erected, it has stood there till the present day, being repaired or renewed by the will- ing hands of the Catholic Ottawa*, when natural decay made repair or re- newal necessary. The Ottawas of L'Arbre Creche, un- der their head chief, Ne-saw-kee, could muster two hundred and fifty warriors. .Many of them were nominal Catholics. Profiting by the instruction of the mis- sion.irie.M, they had made some advance- ment in civilization, and cultivated the ground to a greater extent than former- ly. * South of L'Arbre Croche, in the west- ern part of the Michigan peninsula, there were other settlements of Otta- was, and there was a strong band in the vicinity of Detroit, under the immediate chieftianship of the renowned Pontiac. The principal village of tho Chippe- was iu the northern part of the penin- sula, was on Mackinac island. The vil- lage contained a hundred warriors. There was another smaller village at Thunder Bay, where dwelt their chief, Miuavavana. There were also numer- ous settlements of the Chippewas in the Saginaw valley and on Grand River. A part of the Wyandots, as we have already seen, were living at Detroit, aud the Pottawattamies occupied the southwestern portion of the peninsula. Theoretically, the peninsula, or, at least, the northern part of it, belonged to the Ottawas and Chippewas, the for- mer claiming the western and the latter the eastern portion, tha boundary be- tween them being an imaginary line drawn due south from the fori; at Mack- At the close of the French and Indian war, in accordance with the terms of capitulation agreed to by the French at Montreal, all the military posts of the northwestern wilderness pas.sed into the hands of the English. The Indians throughout the region were the enemies of tha English and the firm friends of the French. It was with ill concealed displeasure that they saw the Eugli^h come among th.^ra. The haughty and sometimes brutal treatment received from the latter, so different from the easy familiarity and kindness of the French, instead of tending to allay tho irritation, had only the effect of increas- ing it The first English traders at Mackinaw, who came after the removal of the French garrison and before the English troops arrived, ventured there nt their peril. They succeeded in propi- tiating the Chippewas, but the Otta- was of L'Arbre Croche, a strong body of whom were at Mackinaw, weie bent on mischief. The traders saved their goods, and perhaps their lives, only by arming their followers, barricading themselves in a house, and holding the Ottawas at bay, till the arrival of the troops assured some degree of security. Poatiac, an Ottawa by birth or adop- tion, having won distinction at the head of a numerous body of his braves at the memorable battle of the Mononga- hela, contributing not a little to the de- feat of Braddock's army, now smarting under wrongs both fancied and real, and foreseeing the probable ruin of his peo- ple before the increasing strergth of the English, conceived the bold plan of cutting off all the frontier military posts, almost at a single blow. So well were the arrangements of the wily chieflaia carried out that, in a short time, with the exception of the garrison at Detroit, not a British soldier remained in the re- gion of the great lakes. The fall of Mackinaw, next to Detroit the most important post in the western country, has been a theme of thrilling interest both to the historian and the writer of romance. la the events prouped around the tragic fate of the garrison, the people of the region the history of which we are endeavoring to trace bore a conspicuous part When, towards the end of May, 1763, the Chippewas of Mackinaw heard that Pontiac had already struck Detroit, they at once resolved on the immediate destruction of the English at the fort. Their number had recently been largely increased by the arrival of several bands from other localities. Though confed- erate with the Ottawas ot L'Arbre Croche, they determined to proceed in- dependently of the latter, securing all the plunder and glory to themselves. It was the fourth of June, the birth- day of King George. The Chippewas came to the fort, inviting the officers and men to come out and witness a game of baggattaway, their favorite ball-play, which had been arranged between them aud the Sacs, several bands of whom, from the Wisconsin River, were encamp- ed in the vicinity. The unsuspecting commander allowed the gates to be thrown wide open, and some of the sol- diers went out to watch the game. The Indian women collected near the en- trance, each with a weapon concealed under her blanket. When the excite- ment of the game had apparently reach- ed its height, the ball received a blow that sent it over the palisade, into the area of the fort. It seemed an accident, but was really a well executed part of the plau of attack. In an instant there was a rush of players through the gate- way, as if to recover the ball, but, as they passed the women, each snatched a weapon, and fell upon the nearest un- suspecting and defenseless Englishman. The bloody work was quickly complet- ed, and a general cry was raised of "All is finished." There were at the fort thirty- four officers and soldiers, consti- tuting the garrison, and four tradera A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. Of these, one officer, fifteen soldiers, and one trader were killed. The others were made prisoners. Of the prisoners, five soldiers were soon afterwards killed b.y an infuriated brave ^^ho had not been present at the assault, and took this method of expressing his approval of what had been done, and of his hatred of the English. It is uncertain what would have been the fate of the remaiuing prisoners, had there been no check to the doings of the Cbippewas. Probably most of them would have met death bj' torture. Their lives had not been spared from mo- tives of humanity or clemency. The French had looked coolly on, neither helping the Indians nor offering protec- tion to the English. The latter, how- ever, found a friend in Father Jonois, the Catholic missionary at L'Arbre Croche. But by far the most ef- fectual aid came from the incensed Otta- was. Confederates of the Cliippewas, it was their right to be consulted in matters of such moment as the destruc- of the English, or, at least, to be invited to join in the execution of the project. Begarding themselves as slighted and wronged, if not insulted, they resolved to revenge themselves by taking the con- trol of matters into their own hands. keep the greater number. The Olta- was soon after returned to L'Arbre Croche, taking with them Capt. Eth- erington, Lieut. Leslie, and eleven men. They were disarmed, but, probably through the influence of Father Jonois, treated kindly. Father Jonois per- formed a journey to Detroit in their be- half, bearing a request to Major Glad- wyn for assistance, but that oliioer, be- leagftred by a horde ef savages, could do nothing. Iq the mean time, Capt. Etherington, had found means to communicate with Lieut. Gore)l, commanding the little garrison al Green Bay, requesting him to come with his command immediately to L'Arbre Croche. Gorell had the for- tune to secure the good will of the Me- nomouies, ninety of whom volunteered for an escort. As the fleet of canoes on the way approached the Isles du Cas- tor, warning was received that the Chippewas were lying in wait to inter- cept them. Imoiediately the Menom- I onies raised the \ygt song, and stripped I themselves for battle. The alarm, how- ever, proved to be false. When the ! party reached L'Arbre Croche, they 1 were received with honor, and present- ed the pipe of peace. After a series of the thirteenth of August. councils, to which the Chippewa chiefs A party of seven Chippewas, with four were invited, the latter reluctantly con- prisoners, started in a canoe for the ! sented not to obstruct the passage of Isles du Castor, (Beaver Islands.) j the soldiers to Montreal. Accordingly, When about eighteen miles on their { on the eighteenth of July, the English, way, an Ottawa came out of the woods escorted by a fleet of Indian canoes, and accosted them, inquiring the news, ' left L'Arbre Croche, and, going by way and asking who were their prisoners, of the Ottawa Kiver, reached Montreal As the conversation continued, the ca- noe came near the shore, where the water was shallow, when a loud yell was heard, and a hundred Ottawas, rising from among the trees and bushes, rush- ed into the water, and seized the canoe and prisoners. The astonished Chippe- was remonstrated in vain. The four Englishmen were led in safety to the shore. Tne Ottawas informed them that their captors were taking them to the Isles du Castor merely to kill and eat them, which was probably not far from the truth. The four prisoners soon found themselves afloat in an Otta- wa canoe, and on their way back to Mackinaw, accompanied by a flotilla of canoes, bearing a great number of Otta- wa warriors. Arrived at Mackinaw, the Ottawas, * Parkman. id his History of the Conspirncy of Pontine, says that the name of thi- Otiawa chief at L'Arbre Troche hae not pun-ived in history or tra- dition. This is a mistalce. His name, Nee-saw- kee. is familiar to the Ottawas of to-day. His grandson. Nee-saw-\va-f]nat, a chief of the Little Traveree Indians, died in 1857. M. L. L. CHAPTER IV. The Period Following Pontiac's War — The War of \812— Military Oper- ations on the Inland of Mackinac — Indian Barbarities — Golden Age oj the Ottawas of L'Arbre Croche — Extent of their Settlements — Indian Houses — Oar dens — Hunting Grounds — 7'/)e Jesuits Again — Churches Built. From the massacre at Mackinac in fully armed, filed into the fort, and took ; 1763 up to the close of the war of 1812, possession of it. A council of the two ■ a period of fifty-two years, we are able tribes followed, in which the wounded to gather from history and tradition feelings of the Ottawas were somewhat only meager accounts of events occurring seethed by a liberal present of plunder, ' strictly within the limits of the Grand taken from the whites. The prisoners Traverse country. It was not at any seem to have been divided, the Ottawas, j titne the theater of active war. The Ot- because they were the stranger party, j tawas were still the only inhabitants, ex- or for other reasons, being allowed to ; cept here and there an adventurous fur trader, or possibly a zealous Roman Catholic missionary. That the Ottawas of L'Arbre Croche were concerned, directly or indirectly, in most of the Indian troubles of the northwesteru frontier, occurring during the period alluded to, scarcely admits of a doubt. They were probably repre- sented at the grand Indian council held near the mouth of Detroit River, in 1786. Some of their warriors, nodoubt, were present at the battles in which Harmer and St. Clair were defeated, and some of their braves may have fallen be- fore Wayne's Victorians army, ou the banks of the Miiumee. One of their noted chiefs, Saw-gaw-kee, a son of the former head chief Nee-saw-kee, was a firm believer in the Shawnee prophet Waw-wa-gi.sh e-maw, or, as he is called by the historians, Elkswatawa. It does not appear that either Tecumseh or the the prophet visited L'Arbre Croche in person, but the iufluence of the prophet was sufficient to induce a deputation of Ottawas from that vicinity to visit the distant Indian villages on Lake Su- perior, with a message he professed to have received from the Great Spirit, in- tended to rouse them against the Ameri- cans. When, in 1812, war was declared be- tween the United States and Great Brit- ain, Capt. Roberts, commanding the British post on St. Joseph's Island, was able in a short time to gather round him a thousand Indian warriors, for the capture of the Ameriiian fort on the is- land of Mackinac. It is probable that nearly the whole force of the Ottawa warriors of L'Arbre Croche and the scattered bauds around Grand Traverse Bay, was engaged in that enterprise. Tlie affair ended in the complete success of the British, happily without the shed- ding of blood. Two years later, when the Americans, under Col. Croghan, at- tempted to retake the fort, they were foiled mainly by the large force of In- dians the British commander had again been able to gather to his standard. In this attempt the Americans suffered se- vere lo.ss. The most shocking barbari- ties were practiced on the bodies of the slain. They were literally cut to pieces by their savage conquerors. Their hearts and livers were taken out, and cooked and eaten, and that too, it is said, even in the quarters of the British officers. More than forty years after- wards, when the Indians had become friendly towards the Americans, and the settlements of the latter had reached the Grand Traverse country, Asa-bun, an Indian of Old Mission, used to be point- ed out as one who had been seen run- ning about with a human heart in his hands, which he was devouring. Anoth- A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. er, a chief by the Dame of Aish-qun gwoD-a-ba, was credited by tbe settlers, whether justly or not, with keeping a Dumber of scalps, the trophii'S of his prowess at iMackinao, carefully hidden away iu a certain trunk. lu reviewing the history of the ludiau tribes of the United Slates, one can not avoid the conclusion that the greatest hindrance to the increase of population, and, indirectly, to the development of an iudigenous civilization, was not so much the privatioDS incident to a peace- ful savage state as to the destruction of life by constantly recurring wars. There seems little doubt that if the number of deaths by violence during a given time could be ascertained, it would be found not to fall far below the number of births for the same period. This re- mark applies more especially to the In- dians as the Europeans found tbem ; not to those ol the present time, where whites and Indians hve in mingled or adjacent commuuities, in the border settlements. The sudden partial transi- tion from their mode of life to that of their white neighbors and the adoption of many of the worst vices of the white men with few of their virtues, are doing more to hasten the extinction of the race than was done by all the Indian wars of which we have any knowledge. If, as their tradition asserts, the Otta was were at the height of their power and glory at the time of Pontiac's war, a Lit- er period was the golden age of those at L'Arbre Crocbe, with reference to the prosperity that comes from peaceful pnrsuits. At the close of the war of 1812, the occupation of the warrior passed away. Quarrels with their Indian neighbors of the south and west, and with the Iro quois of the east, had already ceased. Thenceforth there was no opportunity to take an enemy's scalp. The arts of war gave place to the peaceful pursuits of savage life. There followed as much prosperity as savage life improved by the first dawnings of civilization, in a country well fitted by nature for the habitation of a people in just that stage of advancement, was capable of produc- ing. The lakes, streams, and forests, with their cultivated gardens of no mean extent, supplied an abundance of food ; their peltries, bartered at Mackinnc, procured various articles of comfort and luxury. The baleful effects of fire-water were yet but seldom felt ; the ruinous inflnence of vicious white men had not yet begun to warp the Indian character. The concurrent testimony of witnesses still living goes to show that, previous to the time when the first adventurous white men erected their cabins in the Grand Traverse country, there was a de- gree of physical comfort, moral culture, ami sociid and domestic happiness among the Indiana far exceeding what the ob- servation of a more recent peiiod would would lead one to believe. Their con- dition was much better than that of the ordinary American savage of the average historical writer. Their principal and most permanent 8i'ttlemeuts were at Cross Village, Mid- dle Vi'.lage, Seven Mile Point, and Lit- tle Traverte; but between the first and last of these places, wigwams, singly and in groups, were scattered at intervals all along the shore. A few families had their home at Bear Creek, on the south side of Little Traverse Bay. There were gardens on the height of land, a mile or more back from the shore, not far south of the present village of Norwood, and a camping place, frequently occupied, on the shore. There were gardens on the peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay and a village at Old Mission. West of the bay, a small band had their home on the point afterwards known as New Mission, and another on the shore of Lake Mich- igan, at or near the site of the present village of Leland. Their dwellings were of various sizes and shapes, and were constructed of a variety of materials. The most substan- tial and permanent, consisted of a frame of cedar poles, covered with cedar bark. One of thene, called o-maw-gay-ko-gaw- mig, was square or oblong, with perpen- dicular walls, and a roof with a slope iu opposite directions, like the simplest form of frame houses among white men. Another, the ke-noday-we-gaw-mig, had perpendicular end walls, but the side walls in the upper part were bent in- ward, meeting along the middle line, thus forming the roof in the shape of a broad arch. Houses of this kiud were sometimes fifly or sixty feet long, and bad places for three fiies. The ne-saw- wah-e-gun and the wah-go-ifo-gawn, were light but very serviceable houses, con- sisting of frames of poles covered with mats. The former was cone shaped; the latter regularly convex at the top. The mats, ten or twelve feet long and three or four wide, were made of the long, slender leaves of the cat-tail flag, {Typha,) properly cured and carefully sewed together. When suitably adjust- ed on the frames, with the edges lap- ping, they - made a serviceable roof. Being Ii(!bt, and, when rolled up, not inconvenient to carry, they were used for traveling tents. Houses of mats were often used for winter residence in the woods, and were not uncomfortable. The ah-go-beem-wah-guD was a small summer house for young men, usually constructed of cedar bark, on an eleva- ted platform resting on posts, reached only by ascending a ladder. Winter houses iu the woods, were sometimes built of slabs, or planks, of split timber. They were often r the novelty of the thing than fiom any defi- nite purpose with reference to the future. Except the children who came with their parents, he was the firtt white settler in the Grand Traverse country who did not come in consequence of an appoint- ment from the Presbyterian Board or the Mackinac Indian agency. Eusebins and Almira Dame were in their feene ; Mary was younger. Dur- ing some portion of the time for the next year or two, tbe three, with youug Mil- ler, were pupils in the mission school. A trae picture of that school, could one have been handed down to ua. would be a picture of absorbiu.; interest. Except the Catholic mission school at Lit.le Tr.iverse, it was the first in the GiaLd Traverse country. Imperfectly we may picture to our- selves tbe small, roughly built, liigscbool- bouse, with its covering of cedar bark ; a few Indian cbiiilreii, half dressed, ac- c trdiug to civil z.d notions, looking witli wondering eyes upon tbe mysterious characters of tbe books put into theii hands; the four white pupils, conscious of ibe disadvantage of isolation from tbi great world of learning and ri-tiuement, yet ambitious to excel; tbe patiei.t, hopeful teacher, sowing the seeds ol truth accorling to tbn divine injiiuction, not knotting "whether sImU pro'^per. either this or that, or whether both shall be alike good." Then we may picture the surrouudiu^s — Ibe scattered gioup of log boases and Indian wigwams; tbe forest, lovelj iu tbe ten li'i green of early summer or gorgeous in gay autumn col- ors; the bay, placid ind shimmering iu tbe g lideu siii.liglit orlay the Methodist Episcopal society of Old Mission, and is s-iU ust.d as a house of worsliip. Tbe little log schoolbou.se, iu which Mr. Brad.ey taught Miller aud the young Dames, in connection with bis c is.-es of luaiau boys aid girls, was accidentally burned several years ago. During tbe next ten years, some changes occurred at the missiou. Mr. Bradley as teacher was succeeded by a gentleman by tbe name of Whiteside. Not liking tbe position, Mr. Wliitoside soon resigned, aud was followed by .\\r. Andrew Porter. CliHiiges were also made, from time to time, amcmg the employes of tbe Indian agency. Some of them remained in tbe country, after their connection with tbe agency liml terminated, aud turned their atteution to farming or other pnrsiits. Among such appear tbe names of John Campbell, Robert Campbell, Wm. R. Stone, aud J. M. Pratt. Among tbe ear- lier settlers uot connected with tbe mis- si 111 or tbe sgenc^ , were H. K. Coles, John Swane^, and Martin S. Wait O. P. Ladd and bis brother in- law, Orlin Hugbson, settled on tbe peninsula as early as 1850. but remained only two or three years. E. P. Ladd, bavingcomeona visit to his sister, Mrs. Hugbson, in Mny, 1852, was so Well pleased with the couu- tiy that be at once determined to make his home here. O. A. Craker arrived iu April of tbe same year, and immedi- ately hired out to Mr. Dougherty. The little group of wigwams and log cabins at the harbor, had grown to a vil- lage of considerable size. The Indians bad generally abandoned their eaily style of wigwams, and were living in houses built ol hewn logs aud wbite- wasbed ou the outside. Seen from a distance, the village presented a pietty and inviting appearance ; a close inspec- tion did not always confirm first impres- sions. According to their original cus- tom, the Indians lived in the village, and cultivated gardens some distance away. The gardens, or patches of cultivated ground, were of all sizes, from one acre to six. The ludiaus bad no legal title to the soil. By tbe te ms of treaty, tbe peninsula unl been reseived for their exclusive occupation for a period of five years, aud after that they were to be permitted to remain duriug tbe pleasure of the government. I lie period of five years bad long since expired. Their landed property was held by sufferance, and was liable at any moment to be taken away. The project of removing them beyond the Mississippi was at one time seriously entertained by the government, or at least it was so understood. The pros- pect was not pieu ing to tbe Indians. A deputation sejt to examine their pro- posed utw bo.ue ill tbe west, reported : unfavorably. They determined not to ' be removed, preferring to take refuge A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 11 in Cuimdiir as a litrgu part of tlie luiliau populiitiou of Emmet couuty had dotie several j-eurs before. At tliiH juncture, tho adoptinn of tbe revised Stite constitution of 1850 male citizeus of nil civilized persoDR of ludian descent, not ii. m lers ..f any fril>e. Here wao a way out of tbe difiicnlty. They could piirclmse laud of the goveru- meut, i>eltle dotvu npou it, and claim the ', prote (i>>ii II the State and the f;eneral , government as citizens. The land on the peninsula wis not yet in market ; that oil the we.^t shore of thfc li ly wiis. By the adv ce of Mr. DoUirheitv. sever- al f.iuiilieK agreed to ~el apart a certain amonnt, out uf tl eir next annual pay- ment, for the pnrch i.se of land. A list of names wa.s miide, an 1 tlie chief was auth 11 iztil to receive the money from the agtnt at Mackinac, which he bron^ht to Mr. Dunglierty fm- safe kteping. ' Having made their selections, on the west side of ihe bay, so ne nf their most trusty men were sent to the laud ofHce, \ at Ionia, tbe following spriug, to make tbe purchase. If the geueral government ever seri- ously entertained the pro; ei of remov. ing the IndLuis of the Grand Traverse cou^itiy beyond the Missi8.«ippi, it was abandim-'d, nnd several townships, in wb-it are now the counties of Leehiuaw, ' Charlevoix, and Emmet, were withdrawn j from market and set apart asi reserva- j tions for their benefit. Withiu the lira- i its of these reservations, each head of a family and < acli single per.-s n of mature age was permitted to select a parcel of ; laud, to be behl lor his own use, and eventually to become his property in fue Si.llple. As already indicated, the lands on tbe peninsula were not yet in mark.'t. The Indians held possession of considerable portions, bat could give no legal title to the soil. They coul 1, however, sell their p'issessory rights, and white men, recognizing the eligibility of the location fur agricu'turitl pursuits, were not back- ' w.od in bi'coin ng purchasers, taking tbe chance of obtaining a title from the gov- ernment at a future time. Tbe combined effect of the several circumstances narrated above, was to cause a gradual scattering of the Indians of the m sail HI s.itleii.ent. Those who bad purchased land on the west side of tbe bay, removed to their new homes. Others removed to the lands they had selected iu the reserved townships. Seeing that the Ii.dnn community at tbe miss.'iu would tii.ally be broken up, j Mr. Doug'ierly wi-el\ concluded to j change the location of ibe mission it.self. Accordingly pnr.'lia>'e was made of an eligible tract of land, suitable for a farm and u.ajujil labor soliool, on Mission , Point, near Ihe place u jw culled Ou^ena, in Leelauaw cmuly, to which he re- moved early in the spring of l852. Considering Ibe scattered condition and migratory habits of tbe Indians, it was thought that Ibe most eifective woik for their christianizatiou and civilization could be dona by gathering the youth into one family, where they would be constantly uud for a term of jears under the direct supervision and influence ot teachers. And then, a well mauageil in- dustrial school, it was thuught, could not fail to exert, in some degree, a ben- eficial influence on the parents and youth of the vicinity, who did not at- tend, by a practical exhibition of the ad vantages of education and industry. In this respect, the new location of the mis- sion was Well chosen, being in the vicin ity of those families who bad purchased land of the government, and who, it might reasonably be expected, would profit by its example. Mission Point had been occupied by a banil of Indians, cilled, from the name ot the.r chief, Shnwb-wah sun's band, some of whose gardens were included in the tract purchased by Mr. Dougherty. There were apple trees growing there, at the time of the purchase, a^ large as a man's body. Tradition says that the band had inhabited the western shore of thci bay for a long time, and had once been numerous and powerful. The mnnuiil labor school was opened in the fall following the removal. The number of pupils was limited to fifty — twenty five of each sex. Young children were not received, except iu one in- stance, when tbe rule was su.^pended in favor of two homeless orphans. When received into tbe school, the pupils were first washed and clothed. The common clothing of both sexes con- sisted of coarse but decent and service- able material. Tbe boys were employed on the farm ; the girls iu housework and sewing. Al five o'clock in the morning, tbe bell rang for all to rise. At six, it called all together for worship. Snoii after worship, breakfast was served, the boys sitting at one tablf, the girls at an- other. After breakfast, all repaired to their daily labor, and worked till halt past ei^bt, when tbe school bell gave warning to assemble at tbe school-room. The boys worked under tbe supervision of Mr. Craker. Every boy had suitable tools assigned him, which be was re- quired to care for and keep in their proper places. Mr. Craker kept the tools in order, so th.it they were always ready for use, and each boy could go to bis work promptly. A considerable por- tion of the mission farm was cleared, and afterwards cultivated, by the labor of tbe boys. Tbe girls were divided in- to classes, or compauies, to each of which was a.ssigned some particular de- partment of domestic labor, changes be- ing made weekly, so that all could be in- structed in every department In tbe school-room were two teachers —one for the boys and another for the girls. Miss Isal>ella Morrison, of New Haven, Ct, was for many years the girls' teacher. After her resignation, the placf! was filled by Miss Catherine Gibson, till the mission was discontin- ued. Miss Gib.on was from Pennsyl- vania. In the boys' department, tbe teachers were successively Miss Harriet Cowlea, Miss Beach, Mr. John Porter, and Miss Henrietta Dougherty. Miss Cowles came from near Batavia, N. Y., Miss Beach from White Lake, N. Y., and Mr. Porter from Pennsylvania. Concerning tbe mission, it only re- mains to mention that tbe financial em- barra8.smeut of tUe Board, growing out of the war of the rebellion, necessitated the discontinuance of the work. The School was fiually broken up, and tbe mission fnrui passed into other bands. Looked at from the christian stand- point, the mission seems to have been moderately successful. A good under- standing was always maintained between the mi.s.sionaries and the Indians. Mr. Dougherty testifies that the latter were uniformly kind. Both at Old Mission and Mission Point, a considerable num- ber were hopefully converted. CHAPTER VIL Personal Incidents and Heminiscencea — Wading the Boardmnn — A A'ew Wa}/ to Dry a Shirt— S'eepin;/ in 1 arrth — A Tribute tg Mr. Dough- erty — The Dougherty Family — Homance of the Early Days — The Firist Wedding— Bridal Trip in a Birch Canoe — Lewit Miller as an Indian Trader — Marriage at Mack- inac and Tempestuous Voyage Hojnr — " Where is the Town f" During the period of Mr. Dougherty's residence at Old Mission, there being no physician iu tbe country, be was often applied to for medicine and advice for the sick. On one occasion, after Mr. Boardmau bad established himself at the bead of tbe bay, at tbe place where Traverse City now stands, he was called to prescribe for Mrs. Duncan, who was keeping tbe boarding-house at that place. Ho found Mrs. Duncan very sick. Two or three days after, not hav- ing beard from his patient in tbe inter- val, he became anxious for her safety, and resolved to get some information in regard to her condition, and to send a further supply of medicine, or repeat his viait. 12 A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. There were some men from Board- mau's eBtablishment getting out timber at the harbor on the west side of the peninsula, (Bowers' Harbor,) which they were conveying home in a boat. Hop- ing to get th desired information from them, and to send the necessary medi- cine by their hand, he walked across the peniusulA to their place of labor. The men had gone home with a cargo. Thinking he might get to Boardman's in time to return with them on their next trip, he started for the head of the bay on foot, making his way as rapidly as possible along the beach. There was no bridge over Boardman river near the boarding-house, and, on his arrival, the skiff used for crossing was on the other side. There was no time to lose. Not to be delayed, he quickly entered the stream, and waded across, the cold wa- ter coming up to his chin. Fortunately, he found his patient much improved ; unfortunately, the boat in which he had hoped to return was already nearly out of sight, on its way back to the penin- sula. Mr. Dougherty would have been hos- pitably entertained, could he have been persuaded to remain, but he felt that he must return home. Not stopping to put on a dry suit that was offered him, he partook of a hasty lunch, and set out on his return. Some one set him across the river in the skiff. As soon as he was out of sight in the woods, he resolved to dry his clothes, without hindering him- self in the journey. Taking off his shirt, he hung it on a stick carried in the hand, spreading it to the sun and air, as he walked rapidly along. The day was warm, and the sun shone brightly. When the shirt was partly dry, he ex- changed it for his flannel, putting on the shirt, and hanging the flannel on the stick. It was near sundown when he reached home, thoroughly fatigued, but happy in the thought that his patient was getting well. The nest day, he was so sore and stiff as to be scarcely able to move. Some years later, after the removal of the mission to the west side of the bay, Mr. Dougherty had an adventure that may serve to illustrate the wild charac- ter of the country, and the shifts to which the settlers were sometimes re- duced. While seeking supplies for his school, one spring, he heard that a vessel, car- rying a cargo of provisions, had been wrecked on the shore of Lake Michigan, somewhere south of Sleeping Bear Point, and that consequently there was flour for sale there at a reasonable price. In those days, the wrecking on the shore of a vessel with such a cargo, while it was, as now, a misfortune to the owners and underwriters, was not unfrequently a blessing of no small magnitude to the inhabitants. The captain of the unfor- tunate craft was usually willing and even anxious to sell, at a moderate price, such provisions as could be saved from the wreck, and the people were only too glad to buy. Starting early one morning, Mr. Dougherty walked across the country, to the Indian village of Cho-mago-bing, near the site of the present village of Leland. From Che-ma-gobing he fol- lowed the shore round the bay since marked on the maps as Good Harbor, past the place afterwards called North Unity, and round the point separating Good Harbor from what was then known as Sleeping Bear Bay, but since called Glen Arbor Bay, his point of destination being the residence of John Lerue, who he knew lived on the shore somewhere in that region. The walk was long and fatiguing. When the shades of evening fell upon the landscape, he had not reached Mr. Lerue's cabin. At ten o'clock he came to a small shed on the beach, where i some cooper had been making barrels for the fishermen on the coast. It was now too dark to travel, and he resolved [ to pass the night there. The air was chilly, but everything yas very dry, and | he feared to make a fire, lest the shed should be burned. One less conscien- tious than Mr. Dougherty, and less care- ful of the rights ot- otliers, would not have hesitated fpr such ii reason, but he preferred a night of discomfort to the risk of iniuring a fellow^being. A back- woodsman of more exiserience would, no doubt, have found a method to make ev- erything safe, while enjoying the luxury of a camp fire. Looking about for the best means of protection from the cold, he found two empty barrels, each with a head out. It occurred to him that these might be converted into a sleeping apartment. It required some little ingenuity to get in- to both at once, but after considerable effort he succeeded. Bringing the sec- ond barrel so near that he could reach the open end, he worked his head and shoulders into the first, and placing his feet and legs in the second, drew it up as close to the first as possible. In tell- ing the story years afterwards, Mr. Dougherty declared that he slept, and could not recollect his dreams, but, as his business was urgent, the luxury of his bed did not keep him long the next morning. He was out early, and soon found Mr. Lerue's house, which was not far off. He now learned, what would have saved him a toilsome journey, had he known it a day earlier, thajfthe flour had been removed to Northport, which 1^a9 only a few miles from the mission. Af- ter breakfast, Mr. Lerue guided him across the point that separates the bays, and he set out for Northport. Arriving there after dark, ho was disappointed with the information that the flour h»d all been sold. After a night's rest, not in barrels on the beach, he had no'alter- native but to return home empty-handed Mr. Dougherty was a graduate of Princeton theological seminary. He was a person of strong convictions, energetic and persevering in. labor, in manner gentle and pleasing. His life work was well done. Blest with a companion of snperior natural and educational endow- ments, and the sincerity, sweet dispo- sition, and polished manners of the ideal christian lady, the social atmosphere of his home produced a healthful moral ef- fect on all who came within the sphere of its influence. Mr. and Mrs. Dougher- ty were fortunate in their children, of whom there were nine — one son '"and eight daughters. Two of the daughters died in childhood. The other children grew up to be an honor to their parents and a blessing to the communities in which their lots were cast. At the prop- er age, most of them were sent east, for a few years, for the sake of the educa- tional advantages that could not be had at home. The society of the early days of the Grand Traverse counti^ was largely indebted to the Doughertys for the refinement that distinguished it from the coarseness too often found in border settlements. * Those early days had their romance, as well as their stern realities of hard- ship and endurance. The first wedding in the Grand Traverse country would, no doubt, form a pleasing episode in the history we are tracing, were all the inci- dents of the iiffair plaeed at the disposal of some one capable of weaving t hem in- to shape with an artistic hand. It has been already mentioned that Deacon Dame's oldest daughter, Olive M., came to Old Mission the next sum- mer following the arrival of the family. She had passed the winter in Wisconsin, where she had been betrothed to Mr. Ansel Salisbury. In the fall after her arrival, Mr. Salisbury came to Old Mis- sion to claim his bride. Mr. Dongherty was anxious that the Indians of his flock should profijj by ac- quaintance with the institutions of chris- tian civilization. The opportunity to show them a form of aiarriage recog- nized by the white man's law and the church, was too impoitant toilet slip; conseqiientlj, by the consent of all par- ties, it was arranged that the ceremony should take place in public. I A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 13 At a cuuveuieut huur iu ibe moruiug, tbe little scbuo'.buuse was fillfd witb a mixed company of wliites and ludiuus. There was uo newspaper reporter pres- ent, to describe tbe trousseau of tbe bride or tbe costumes of distiDKUisbed f^nesls. We must draw upi>n tbe imagiualiou for a picture of tbe same. We see tbe bride in simple attire, as became tbe occasion and tbe surrouudings. There are the Indian women, iu their brightest shawls and elaborately beaded moccasius, and the Indian men, some of them clotbeil iu a style only a degree or two removed from the most primitive undress, all looking gravely on, apparently unmoved, yet keenly observant of all that passes. Tbe whites are dressed in their Sunday b(8t, which, to tell the truth, is in raot-t cases somewhat rusty, their hilarity scarcely veiled by the gravity inspired by the solemnity of the occasion. The hymeneal rite is simple and impressive — tbe more impressive from the simple earnestness of its administration. Then we see the group of friends on the shore, waving adieus amid smiles and tears, as the newly married couple float away in their canoe, on the bridal tour. Mrs. Dame accompanied her daughter as far as Mackinac. The craft in which the company embarked, was a large birch bnrk canoe, navigated by four In- diana. They proceeded directly across tbe bay to the east shore. There tbe Indians got out a long line maufactured from basswood bark, and running along the beach, towed the canoe rapidly after them. At night they had reached tbe mouth of Pine River, where they made their camp. The next morning, the In- dians hoisted a large, squaie sail, and, mnuing before a fair wind, they reached Mackinac at ni.'ht. Mrs. Dame re turned in the canoe, with tbe Indians, to Old Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Sulisbury remained a few days at Mackinac, and then embarked on a steamboat for their home in Wisconsin. It has already been stated that Lewis Miller came to Old Mission in company with the Durae family, more for the novelty of the thing tb:in because of any definite plan for the future. At that time, the fur trade, having its center at Mackinac, was still profitable. When Toung Miller bad been at the Mi^siou •bout a year, he entered into an arrange- ment witb Mr. Merrick, a mercbiint of Mackinac, to open trade with the Indi- ans on tbe bay. Mr. Merrick was to fur- nish the goods ; Miller to conduct the business, A wigwam, rented of an In- dian, served (or a btorebouse at tbe Mis- sion. To carry on trade with the Indians Bucctasfuliy and profilubly, invi>lved a great deal of hard labor. Fiequeht jonrueya had to be made to Mackinac, and to various points along the shore, at all seasons cf tbeyear. When tbe lake was open, Indian canoes or Mackinac boats were useil ; when it was closed, there was no way but to travel on snow- shoes, on the ice or along the beach. The winter journeys were always at- tended with hard-' ly out upou tbe scene, beautiful iu it.H gloomiuess, aud saw ouly tbe forest-skirled shore aud tbe smoke curliug upward from tbe log houses of tbe whites aud a few ludiau wigwams, the first questiou she asked her buHbaud was, "Where is tbe towu?" Mr. Miller's oldest sou, Heury L., was the first white child boru iu the Graud Traverse oouutry. that oue could ride through it iu all di rectioun ou horseb ick at a rapid pace. Ou tbe right bauk of the river, a few rods below its exit frum the lake, ju>t where the laud slopes gently dowu to the water, there was a little opeu space covered with grass, where the Indians sometimes lauded from their cauoes. On the higher land above were some In- dian graves, of no gre.it age, each with a Stake at tbe head and foot. Ni t far away were ot!ii r graves, of a circular, monud like form, the work, probably, of a more ancieut people. Ou the uorlh- eastern shore of the lake were a few bark wigwjims, wh. re the women imd by the uame of Dunham, who, having been in tbe bay on a previous occasion, acted as pilot. Tbo Lady of the Lake,* a craft of only a few tons burthen, had originally beeu a pKasure yacht. She was sharp built, sloop rigsed, aud a faht sailer. Having become old aud rotten, and there- fore undesirable for the purpose for which she was oilgiually intended, Mr. Boaidman had been able to purcliase ber cheaply, is a vessel to answer his present convenience. Her only fault was that, ou account of ber decayed con- dition, she was unsafe in a storm. After assisting for a few days in the buililing of the house, Gay was dis- patc-bed with the little vessel to the children of some ludiiin families usuiil y i ,, ,1 Manitou Islands, to bring ou u party of •Mrs. DoUKhcrty dii'd .May i4, 1876. Mr. Dough- erty is living at the pri-iieut tlmi-, 1IJ83, lu Somera, Wli. CHAPTER VIIL The Site of Traverse City as it was — First Purchase of Land— Arrival of Horace Boardman — First House Built— The Lady of the Lake and her Passengers— ]Vomen of thr. Col- ony- Visited by Indians — Home sickness— Sawmill Built. Not far sontb of the shore of Grand Traverse bay, at the head of its western arm, lies Boardman lake, a sheet of wa- ter a square mile or more iu txtent. Fiom its northwestern angle is-ues the passed the wiuter, while tbe men were absent on their annual hunt. With these exceptions, there wa:i no mark lo indicate that tbe foot of man had evi r trod these solitudes, or tb:it bis voice had ever heen heard above the ripplii,g music of tbe river or tbe singing of tl.e north wiud iu tbe tops of the pine trees. However, it was not the beauty of the place, nor its attractive solitu.ies. employes, who, it had beeu arranged, should come as far as the islands by steamer. Returning, tbe Lady entered i the river ou the 5th of July. There came in her as lasseugers Mr. Gay's young wife, then only about fifteen or sixteen yearsof age, and her four moutlis- old baby, Mr. and Mr.«. Duncnn, a hired girl n njid Ann Van Amburg, and 6.ev- neur to nature's heart, but its [iromised ad\autage8 for g'in, that brought the first adventurous settler to fix bis abode here. ^" errl carpenters. Only the walls of the house had as yet been erecttd. The building was without roof, floors, doors, or windows. A sort of lean to, or open shed, with a floor of hewn planks, had beeu built for a In 1847, Capt. Boardman, a thrifty farmer living near Napierville, III., pur". | temporary kitchenTagarusT one side of chased of the Unit-d State, government 1 the house, in which a cookstove had a small tract of land at the mouth of the , been set up. A tent was now construct- river, and furnished means to his son, Ld of some spare sails, inside the uufin- Horace Boardmau, to build a sawmi I. ^ is^ed building, for the accommodation The latter with two or three men in his of the two married couples and the girl, employ, arrived at the river in the early The singl* men shifted for themselves part of June of that year, and immedi- ; as best they could. The company lived Boardman river, which flows for some J at.-'r commenced the coustructi.m of a i^ this manner during the remainder of distance in a northwesterly dircetion, , dwelling. The place selected was on the summer. T.,e hou«ie was not fiin- then turns sharply round towards the M be right bank of tl.e stream, a little ished till the saw-mill was so far corn- east, and, after runuing along nearly [ ""ay helow where it issues from Board- pieted as to saw lumber with which to parallel with the bay shore, enters the oian lake, but a few steps from the fiuigh jt bay at a point nearly opposite that at grass plat and canoe landing above al- n was only a day or two after their which it issues from the lake. Its course "ded to. The exact location of the „Hv«1 that the women, being alone from tbe lake to the bay is not ur.like [ building was in what is now Ea-st street. ^„^ ^j^^^^j ^,^ ^^^^ ^^„^^, ^^ thetram- the letter V, with its sharp angle turned between the center of the street aud its towards the west. The site of Traverse southern boundary, just east of the east- City lies between tbo lake and the bay, "^m boundary of Boardman aveuue. extending some distance to the south I' ^as a house of mod,-st preten- and west, aud includes within its limits sions as to size, being ouly sixteen feet that part of the river already described. '■. by twenty. four, aud one story high. All accounts agree in the statement I The material for the walls was ( iue logs ' te^t Mrs. Gay, though scarcely less that, before the so-call.d improven euts l^ewn square with the broad ax. In af- fHghtened, thought it policy to put on of civibzatiou had marred tbe adcrn- 'er years, it was kno.vn to the inhabit- a semblance of b. a very. Sheaccording- pling of horse-t, follosved l>y a confusion of discord int yells, which their excited imnginatious magnified into the terrific warwhoop of a maltit u'.e of bloodthirsty savages hankering after scalps. Mrs. Duucau and Ann cowered within the ly went out ana spoke to the Indians in meuts of nature, this was a most beanti- auts of the vilage as the "old block- ful spot. Tbe waters of Boardman lake l|""se." It was eventually destroyed by theiVowu langmigeVa'few wordroTwhic'b were clear as crystal. The river, with- hre. | ^^^ ,^^j ,^^^,^^ .,_ ^,^.,^ ^.^.^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ out drift-wood or the unsightly ol-strnc On the 20th of June, a week or more Rapids. To the relief of tl.e women tious of fallen trees, rau witli a swift cur- after Mr. Boardman 's arrival, the Ladv the Indians proved to lie friendly. They rent through an open forest of pines, of tbe Lake, owned by him aud sailed had seen the Lady ofthi Lai e sailing which occupied all the space between by Michael Gay, one of his emploves. up the bav. and bad come tj visit the the lake aud the bay. There was no uu- arrived in tb-^ mouth of the river, with ' white man's camp, prompted mainly by derbrush nor herbage-only a brown car- suppliea The. e came with Ga^ a man curiositv, but h»d brought for ttaffio A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 15 sugar auil fisb, which they were glad to exchauge for such cotrujoditips as the whites hnd to dispose of. They were particnlnrly fond of pork, and were es- pecially glad to give any of their own food in return for it. The trade with the Indiiuis became afterwards an im- portant source of supply, when the fail nre of provisions threatened the little colony witli famine. Jlrs. Gay had some acquaintance with the French language, and one of the fudiau women spoke it fluently. lu future transactions, the two acted as interpreters, Mrs. Gay translating the Euglish into French ftud the Indian woman the French into Indi an, the response being conveyed back in a si miliar manner, through a double translation. How much of homesickness there was ill the little colony, we are left in a great measure to conjecture. It may be re- lated on Mrs. Gay's own authority that, as for herself, she time and again sat for hours by the little grass plot at the ca- noe landing, the only place she could find that Lad a look of civilization, shed- ding tears over her separation from the associations of her former home. Mrs. Duncan was fortunate enouuh to pay a visit to the ladies at Old Mi.s8ion, the fall succeeding her arrival at the riv- er, but Mrs. Gay whs here more than two years before she h.nd the pleasure of looking upon the face of a civilized wom- an other than the two with whom she came. It had been Mr, Boardman'e intention to throw H dam acroas the Board man river, at some point not far below the lake, and buili'. a saw mill on that stream The convenience of residitg near the mill, had been the main consideration that determined the location of the block house. After a more thorough explo- ration of tl e country, however, and an estimate of the prol able ditBculties in the way of building, he was led to mod- ify liii? plan Mil! ("nek, asuiall stream that has its sources in the hills to the south an 1 west c)f the bay, and enters the Boardman at the western angle of its bi nd, seemed to offer facilities for cheaply building a small mill, that should answer present purposes. He therefore determined to build on that stream, with the intention of erecting afterwards a larger and more permanent structure on the Boardman. By that plan he would have the advantage of the small r mill for mbking boards, planks, and timbers for the larger, thus avoid ing the dilf.c.il y of obtaining from a distance the lumber it would tie neces- sary to have before a large mill oould be put in o condition for service. There was L.a pl.ictlt ja.er thau Manistee where lumber could be obtained, and the Lady of the Lake was too small and too un- safe to be relied on for bringing any large quantity such a distance. It was not easy, at that time, to induce vessel masters to enter the bay, which to them wae an unexplored sea. Immediately after the arrival of the carpenters, nil hands were set to work npou the mill. The Lady of the Lake made a trip to Manistee after plank for the flume. When the fnme was ready, all the white men at Old Mission and several Indians came to help raise it. It took three days to get it up. It was finally got into a condition to be set run- ning about the first of October. Then some of the first lioards made were used to complete the block- louse, which up to that time had remained unfinished. It was a long walk from the house to the mill. The path from one to the oth- er ran along the southwestern bank of the Boardman. For convenience of reaching it from the house, a foot- bridge of poles was thrown across the river at tie canoe landing. This slight struc- ture was af terwardc replaced by a broad- er and firmer bridge, on which wagons could cross, t *Tlue vepsel t honld n it be raistaten for another of the same uaine. in which Lewis Miller returned to old Mi^j.-^ion. after liis marriage. tin after year? the eaw-mtll was remodeled and pnt tiia Viirielyofufce. .41 the pretent tinie(18S:i,) it i:' still Btandius, Ijut i^* ttt.occupied. It is known among the iniiatitants cf the villape as the '* old planing-mill." All vustij^ee of the bridge have long since di6:ipp< arel. The remains of the foun- (latijLB if LLe block-bouse may still Le seen. M. L. L. CHAPTER IX. The Ladi/ of (he Lake Wreck' d nt the Manitowi—Mr. Boardman's Journey Home — AriTicly of the Peopte at the Jiiver — A Relief Expedition — Oet- ti.n(j Dinner Under Difficulties — Be- mrjvalfrom the Block House — Mrs. Oay Turns Shoemaker — Another Woman in the SJt'ement. The mill having been completed, and there no longer being suitable employ- ment for the mechanics who had been engaged upon it, it became necessary to provide for their conveyance home. It was arranged that 5Ir. Boardman should take them in the Lady of the Lake to the Manitous, where they could get pas- 1 sage on one of the steamers that weie in I the habit of touching there. He would then freight his ves-sel with supplies, j which he expected to find waiting there, j and return. j It was Hl>ont the lOlh of October that ; the Lady of the Lake sailed on this her 1 last voyage. While waiting for the sup- plies, which had not arrived, after land- ing her passengers, the little vessel was caught in a storm, driven ujpon the beach, and totally wrecked. The sup- plies came, but Mr. Boardman searched in vain for means to transport them to Grand Traverse bay. Convinced at last that he could accomplish nothing by re- maining at the island.", he took passage on a stenmer for Mackinac. Here he found means to cross to the mainland, and then set out on foot on his toilsome journey home. His route lay for more than a hundred miUs along the beach, most ol the way without even a sem- blance of a foot-path, and without a civ- ilized dwelling, except at the missions of Cross Village and Little Traverse, at which he could ask for a night's shelter or a morsel of food. lu the meantime, the people at home became alarmed at his long absence. Then information reached them, through the agency of some fishermen, that the vessel was lost. It was late in the sea- son. Navigation would soon be closed. Something must be done, and done quickly. A consultation was held, the result of which was an agreement that Mr. Oay should go to Old Mission, get 8 boat there, if possible, and endeavor to reach the Manitous and bring away such supplies as he might be able to find. Mrs. Duncan accompanied Mr. Gay to Old Mission, for a visit to the ladies there. The day after their departure, Mrs. Gay and Ann, perhaps not having the fear of famine before their eyes, or perhaps expecting to pensh with hun- ger but believing in the maxim "live while you live," resolved to have one more good dinner. An examination of the larder showed on hand a small sup- ply of musty flour, some sour yeast, a little maple sugar, and fish enough for a meal — not a very promising stock, to be sure, out of which to prepare a tempting dinner. Among the men was one named Joe Mead. Joe had a contract with Mr. Boardman to cut logs the next winter. To make sure of provisions for his hands, he had scoured the country — that is, he had been to Old Mission, the only settlement in the region, and brought back all the supp ies he could ger, the chief item of which was a barrel of hogs' heads. It was known, too, that Joe bad some saleratus among his stores. A dinner without meat would be lacking, and sour yeast without an alkali would not raise musty flour. The women ap- plied for a hog's head and a bit of faler- atus, but Joe would give them neither, so they were fain to make the best of it. Lye made of ashes, with the sour yeast, served to make the dough light, and some of the sugar was converted into syrup ; so they had, after all, a respecta- ble dinner for the time and place — pan- cakes of musty flour, maple syrap, and fisb. 16 A mSTORT OP THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. The meul was scurcel-y reudy, wbtu they were agreeably surprised by the arrival of Mr. Boardmaa, foot-sore aud exhausted and glad to be again at home. At table tears of thankfulness ran down bis cheeks, as he partook with a been relish of Ihe homely fare they had unin- tentionally prepared for him in their ef- forts to get up a " good dinner." Mr. Gay was sucxsessful in his expedi- tion. At Old Mission he obtained the little schooner Arrow, her owner, H. K. Cowles, with Robert Campbell and sev- eral others, volunteering to accompany him to the Manitous. Having loaded with the supplies, at the latter place, he returned in safety, reaching Old Mission on Thanksgiving day and the nver on the day following. It was found that the block-house was too far from the mill for convenience. After Mr. Gay's return from the Mani- tous, he built a small log house, for the use of his own family, near the mill. Both families, hnwever, and all the bands, were accommodated in it for a short time, till a small plauk house could be built for Mr. and Mrs. Duncan and the men. On examining the stores brought in by the Arrow, it was found that a box of boots and shoes intended for winter use had been left behind. Only one pair of shoes had come, which had been ordered expressly for Mrs. Gay, and these proved to be not a pair, both of them being shaped for one foot. We are not informed bow the men managed for the winter, but Mrs. Gay resolved that the women should not go barefoot. Applying to Mr. Boardman, she ob- tained permission to use some spare belt leather belonging to the machinery of the mill for soles, and some heavy gray cloth found among the stores for vamps and quarters. One of the men made her a last. Then ripping to pieces one of the useless odd shoes to obtain pat- terns, she made a pair each for Mrs. Duncan, Ann, and herself. Thongh not remarkable for beauty, they proved serviceable, and much more comfortable than the narrow, high heeled things called shoes, that cramp the feet and de- form the limbs of fashionable belles and make graceful motions in walking an impossibility. And now the little community was shut in for the winter. All connection with the great world outside was sev- ered, except an irregular and uncertain communication by way of Old Mission and Mackinac. Many were the inci- dents, however, novel, sad, cheerful, and ludicrous, that occurred to break the mocotony of their hermit-like exist- ence. The changes of the weather, the "^peculiarities of the climate, the ever varying phases of the laud^cape, the wonders of the forest, tbe strange beasts and birds that visited their dwellings or were caplured in the woods, the thou sand aud one little things attendant on wilderness life in winter, many of them of special interest because of their rela- tions to the character ol this new and interesting country, kept the attention engaged and helped to make the time pass lightly. Still tliey were glad when, at the approach of spring, the snow slowly melted away, aud there were in- dications that the face of nature was aboutjto put on a more cheerful aspect. In the summer of 184:8 a small wharf was commenced at the shore of the bay, aud a tram- way built for tbe purpose of transporting lumber to it from the mill. The next winter a beginning was made towards getting out timber for the con- struction of the contemplated large mill on the river. Mr. Boardman from time to time varied bis business by getting out shingle bolts, aud hemlock bark for tanning purposes, for the Chicago mar- ket. He cleared three or four acres of land, and was successful in the cultiva- tion of garden vegetables. Tbe summer of 18J9 was marked by several incidents that added interest to the life of the settlement, A man of the name of Freeman came, and got out a i considerable quantity of hemlock bark for shipment, employing Indians to per- form most of the labor. The bark, of course, was stripped from trees growing upon government land. There was no clean grass, outside Ihe tent, the com- pany sitting round it in oriental fashion. The viands consisted of pork aud pota- toes, fried, with huckleberries for des- sert. The next day Mrs. Rutherford re- turned the visit, dining with Mrs. Cay. Mrs. Rutherford was partly of Indian descent, nevertheless she was regarded as an importaut acquisition to the socie- ty of the colony. CHAPTER X. Hannih, Lay & Co. — Mr. Hannah's Voyage to Grand 'J'raverse Bay — The Vessel Stuck fast on a lioch — Mill Men Playing Old Sledge — Ex- ploraliijns — A tiatidred Millions of JHne — Purchaxe Made — Clearing the Boardman — Steam Saw- Milt Built — Lumber Camps — Running Logs. In the month of May, 1850, three en- terprising young men, in the city of Chicago, entered into partnership, under the firm name of Hannah, Lay & Co., for the purpose of carrying on the lum- bei trade. The names of the partners were Perry Hannah, Albert Tracy Lay, and Jamts Morgan. Tbe firm opened business on the corner of Jackson aud Canal strcet-i, buying their stock 63 the cargo, in the harbor. Early in 1851, they conceived tl.« project of having, somewhere, a saw-miil of their own for making lumber, thus saving to themselves the profit they were now paying to the manufacturer. Falling in with a man of tbe name of one in this remote region whose interest Curtis, one of the mechanics who had it was, or who considered it his duty, to prevent spoliations of the public prop- erty. The government had found it neces- sary to order a re- survey of the lands in the vicinity of the bay. For some time the surveyors' camps were pitched in the vicinity, the settlement being for them a sort of headquarters and base of supplies. In the employ of Bisdon, one of the surveyors, was Henry Rutherford, after- wards well known in the settlement, having his wife with him. Word was brought to the women at the mill, one evening, that there was a woman in Ris- 1 don's camp. The announcement was sufficient to produce a flutter of excite- ment. Mrs. Duncan had visited the la- dies at Old Mission, but Mrs. Gay, since her arrival at tbe river, had not seen the face of a civilized person of her own sex, except the two who had come with her. Setting out alone the next morning, she found her way to the sur- veyors' camp, and spent tbe forenoon with Mrs. Rutherford, remaining to din- ner in response to a cordial invitation from the latter. The cloth was spread on the ground, where there was a bit of built Mr. Boardman 's mill, they ob- tained from him their first knowledge of the country on Grand Traverse bay. In the meantime the price of lumber had gone down to a very low figure. Capt. Bui.rdmnu fuund that hi» mill, as managed by his son, was i.ot profitable. Concluding tl.at it would be wise to dispose of the property be proposed to sell it to the new firm. In the spring, Mr. Hannah, accompa- nied by Wm. Morgan aud Capt. Board- man, took passage i 1 tbe li'.tle schounex Venus, bound t<,r the b ly, for tbe pur- pose of viewing the prop. rty. The Ve- nus was commanded by Capt. Peter Nel- son, a Dane by l)irth, afterwards well knowL in the Grand Traverse country, for ma;iy years keeper of the light-house near Northpurt and now a resident of that village. Tbe voyage was tempestuous. After riding out a gate of ^three days' duration on Lake Michigan, they fiunlly entered the bay, and made Old j^fs^iqi), bwJtMW in pleasant weather. . . , ,,- ,,,^ . The scene before them, an tbe vessel rounded to in tbe harbor, appeared to the tempest-tossed voyagers the loveli- est ever beheld by mortal eyes. The A HI8TORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. _^ 17 8un w«8 jast siiikiug be-himl the western { way of escape was to draw her back bv I ere.1 „uA h; ^a hills, the whitewashed hou.se« of the i' means of the kedce am-hor Tr , ^^ ' . ^^ ""^^ " °""« °^ ^""^^ ludiau village «W.i,.« b„„b.lv i. h,s .arrr/,.' .Sl^'^ll'^^^A''" eu root aud was flonrishing on their de- caying trunks, that no water could be seen. ,Teu long miles of the channel had to be cleared, before the first pine was reached. With an energy and a steadfastuess of purpose that ever after marked the transactions of the firm, the work was pushed on till logs could be ruu down the stream. The saw-mill had only a single mnley saw. Finding from a few months' expe- rience that it was too small and too slow tor their purpose, Hannah, Lay & Co Indian village Kinamiiig brightly I, his narrow and shallow passage by "which parting rays, while the tops of the for- she had entered. Several hours of tedi- est trees seemed bathed in a floating ous labor were re(]nired to liberate her mist of gold. Outhe bank sat a pictur- i from her ),erilous position. The oa,>- esque group of Indian men. enjoying , tain slept ' no more till his vessel was the fragrant fumes of the pipe. The i moored to the slab wharf, at the head of women were seen engaged in the femi- the bay. nine avocations pertaining to their sim- I Tk i ... pie mode of life. The sh„uting o a L , the %"'"T " !'' '""'' ^'""^ company of chUdren in gleef.il pUv 1 1 T'' "' I'T 'r'^'' ""^ ''^ mingled with the sound of Lkling bell ' ZZ tr ""' I . n '•'''" ""'" from a herd of ponies feeding o!i the ' clt B , r""^ T^ ''^"' I Kill », J 1 J J . .* , ^"P'- Jsoardman keeping well in ad- tnll-siue bevond. miide mnsic m hnrm.i ., f b '=■■ '" •>" ^ "u, m.iue music jn Uaimo- | vance, they soon arrived at the mill uy with the quiet beauty of thn scene. - '"ixeu at tue mill The restless spirit of the white man had not yet brought discontent to these sim- ple childrr-n of the forest— the baleful effects of the diSitroyiug fire water were yet comparatively unknown. After remaining two hours at Old Mission, the Venus set sail for her des- tination, the head of the west arm of the bay. The night was beautiful, with a glorious moon shining brightly in the Leavens. When a mile out, with the ves-sel's prow turned towards the north, and a gentle breeze from the south fill ing her sails, Capt. Nelson, who had been worn.out with labor and watching f1iirin» th^ 1 J- .• «"«xiuci, yjayi. Dosruman, wbo was now uuriug tne ea e, ijave directions tn iho r <, blanket, and lay down on the quarter deck, to get a little rest. Fatigued The miU was not running. On entering [ determined to construct a new one to the hou^e, the hands were all found ! be run by steam power. A site was se- there amusing themselves with the game j lected on the narrow tongue of land ly- of oUJ Sledge After shaking hands ing between the lower part of the river all ioiu.d. Cap t. Boardman said to his ; and the bay, where, on one hand, logs son. Horace bow is this, that you are , could be floated in the stream directly to not running the mill ?" The reply was. I the mill, and. on the other, the lumber Fatlier,it was a little rainy to-day ; ^ could be loaded on vessels by being con- Tu 'Z\T .T"'""' ""'■'^ -"7 1 veyed only a short distance on trucks, well, and they wanted the men in the The project was executed in 1852, and mill to make up the number for the , the next year the mill went into success- game ; so I concluded to shut down for ful operation * a time, in order that they might have a i . , ... 1 little iun." This easy way of doin>- f-^he captain was forced tril« J„ h ,1 , , , $4,500. reluctantly to let her remain. When her bottom on the rocks alarmed all i ^he first work done by the new own- was his surprise to find his vessel lying hands, and brought the captain ^^ickly «;«■ ^"^Z" «""«tr„ct a tram-road from olose to a bold, wooded shore with her tohisfeet. Then such a chiding as the '^'";'^";' "f 'b« Bor.rdman to the mill. ,„,,«„,t entangled among the trees poor sailor received for his disobedi- | «" ^J" \ss floated down the stream, when the pL in the immediate vi- enceof orders, i. seldom heard lu any ^''""i '^ bo^'-d out «t th^ bend, and einity of the mill had been worked up dialect of the Scandinavian tongue. The --Po^ e^ over land to .he mill, whence H.nnah, Lay A Co. commenced tne sys! vessel lay quiet but was stuck f-t. "-J"'-'-. -formerly, could be run ,,^ „,- ,„„^.„,,i.,g „„„„„„ J ^^ lT^!J !:TI^^ '^^ """""« '«'=' '^-' I '''""■' ^"^ "''•P'"*"* «''-•""« of northern Michigan, which The next task performed, which proved ^^^y have miccessfnlly purBued np to K* ..e . .. II - . 1 iL i i- 1 ■ ■ her keel rested on a sunken rock, with I not less than twenty feet of water all to be one of no small magnitude, was round On making further soundings the clearing of the river, so that logs from the boat, which was got out for could be floated down from the immense the purpose it was found that the rock tracts of pine on the upper waters. It on which she re.f*d was situated in a was not merely here and there a fallen ri on aVruLTd'ZT'"' ■' r ''t ""' ^ ''" "'"°^^'>- ^° "'""'' ^""'""^ "' -nter. gangs of men were on au 8iJee.aad that the only phices the stream was so completely oov- sent into the woods, to establish camp.. the present tirae,t giving employment, both summer aud winter, to a large number of men. The Boardman river had been cleared as far up as the pine forests. At the be- 18 A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRA^^RSE REGION. A gaug cousisted of tweuty men, more or less, a foreman, or boss, a cook, a stable-boss, and perbiips a chore-boy. A number of teams, either horses or ox- en, were kept at the camp. A house was bu Jt of pine logs, large enough to accommodate the company. A part of the interior, perhaps separated from the rest only by a simple railing, constitu- ted the special domain of the cook, up- on which no one was allowed to tres pass. Another part was dovoted to the accommodation of the men. Buuks were arranged in tiers, one above anoth- er, against the wall, for sleeping places. A huge stove made the apartment com- fortable in the coldest weather. Rough benches for seats, and a long table, with the plainest and most durable kinds of dishes, constituted the bulk of the fur- niture. A large stable, built aho of logs, afforded shelter for the animals. Jro visions for the men and forage for the animals, were brought to the camp from time to time, during the wintsr, by teams employed for the purpose. The first faint gleam ot day usually found the men at their work, and, excej^t for dinner, there was no cessation of la- bor till night had again spread her dark mantle over tha scene. Some cut down the piLe trees,- others divided them with the saw into logs of suitable length, and others again loaded the logs on huge sleds and drew them to the river bank, where they were tumbled into the stream. When the work of the day was done, the teamsters took care of their animals, receiving from the stable boss the »ations to which they were entitled. In the house, wet garments were hung up to dry, and every man made himself as comfortable as he might without in ttuding on his neighbor. When sup- per was over, various amusements served to while away the time till the hour for retiring. Some read, by the light of a lamp, such books and papers as they couid get, some played cards, chess, or checkers, and sometimes a song en- livened the spirits of those who sang, if not of those who heard. Juke, raillery, and repartee passed freely round. If a visitor called, he was made welcome and hospitably entertained. li a minister of the gospel paid them a visit sometime in the course of the winter, all amuse- ment was laid aside to listen to a sermon in the evening, and whon he dejiarted the following morning, he was not al- lowed to go away empty handed.! When spring opened, the camp was deserted. The men, except the log- drivers, returne d to work in the mill, which was now put in operation for the season, or went to their several homes. It was thebusiness of the log- drivers, or river-drivers, as they were sometimes called, to run the logs down ihe river to the mill. Not uufrequently, at the pliice where the logs had been put into the stream, the channel was filled with them from bank to bank to a great height. To break this "jam," or loosen the logs so that they would be carried away by the current, which was usually stroug from the melting of the snow at this season, involved no small amount of labor, and was sometimes dangerous. When the logs were all finally afloat in the stream, the drivers followed them down, pushing off those that stranded on the shore, and breaking the tempora- ry "jams" that formed wherever ob- structions were met with. Frequently the men rode considerable distances on the floating logs, keeping their po.sition by the aid of sharp spikes in the thick soles of their boots, and by balancing themselves with their long pike poles At night they slept in temporary camps on the bank of the river, to which sup- plies were conveyed for their use. * This mill is now known as the Company's old 8aw-mill. + 18S3. JThis brief description of a lumber camp, has beon wiitteti no from personal recolh-Ltious of a vi -it the \vi-iter made to one of Hannah. Lay & Co's camps on the Boardman, ny invitation of the foreman, v. m. Rennie, in the winter of 1660-61. That same winter, Kev. J. W. Robinson, the raethodist minister at Traverse City, visited Mr. Rennie'e camp. The men of two camps came together in the evening tolisten to a sermon, and made up a handsome purse for Mf. Robinson, as a token of their appreciation of his imereet in their welfare. _^ CHAPTER XI. A^etv Partners in ihe Firin of Hannah, Lay & Co. — Mr. Lay and Mr. Han- nah Live at the B:iy Aliernatebj — The First Store — Boardinfj- House Built — Names of Early Settlers — Mill Built at East Bay — First Boad 02'}ened — Post office Established — Hoiv Ann Dakin Carried the Mail — Amusements — Henrietta Baxter s Adventures — First Marriages. In 1852 a fourth partner, Mr. Wm. Morgan, who Lad accompanied Mr. Hannah on his prospecting tour, was re- ceived into tbe firm of Hannah, Lay & Co. Afterwards, in 1859, Mr. Smith Barnes, a former resident of Port Hu- ron, was admitted to partnership in the mercantile department, but without any connection with the lumber trade. Mr. Fiaucis Hannah, a brother of the member of the firm, came to the bay in the fall of 1851, with a view to becoming a partner. After spending the winter in the settlement, he concluded that the financial advantages of a connection with the firm would not be a snflicieut com- pensation for the seclusion of a life in the wilderness, and finally declined the proffered partnership. While there, he had charge of the business of the firm. After Francis Hannah retired from the employ of the firm, Mr. Lay and Mr. Hannah for several years took turns in the management of the business at the bay and in Chicago, Mr. Lay re- maining at the former place during the summer and Mr. Hannah iu Chicago, the two changing places for the winter. Finally the oversight of their interests was permanently divided between them, Mr. Hannah residing constantly in Trav- erse City, qud Mr. Lay iu Chicago. From the Commencement of their business at the bay, they kept a small stock of goods for supplying the wants of persons in their employ. Their first store was kept in a log building, six- teen feet long and twelve wide, that ptood by the side of the old Boardman boarding-house, near the water mill on Mill creek. From that they removed to a small frame building, erected for the purpose, on the north side of the river, just east of what is now the corner of Bay and Union streets. In order to make room for a larger structure, as businef'S increased, the building was af- terward moved to the north side of Bay street, opposite the Bay House, and was for many years used as a tin shop. A lady who went shopping to this building in 1853, described the stock as consist- ing of "a few pieces of calico, and just dry goods enough to supply the little community." After the erection of the steam saw- mill, it was found convenient to have some place near it, where those em- ployes of the film who were without families could be accommodated with board anJ lodging. Accordingly a boarding-house was commenced in the spring of 1854, and by the last of Au- gust was so far advanced as to be habit- able. The original building with its subsequent additions, occupied a site on the south side of Bay street, a short distance west of the corner of Bay and Union streets, and, at the time of the present writing, is kept as a hotel by Wm. Fowle and known as the Bay Hou.se. A saw mill io the depths of a wilder- ness previously unbroken, built only with a view to the profit arising from the manufacture of lumber where laud and timber were cheap, has often turned out to be the nucleus around which thriving settlements have grown up. In the case before us, the modest enter- prise undertaken by Capt. Boardman and his son, and afterwards greatly en- larged and energetically pu.shed by Hannah, Lay & Co., proved to be the laying of the foundation for a populous and thrifty community. The names of all who came to the new settlement in an early day, have not been preserved. Some remained only A HISTORY OF THE GKAND TRAVEESE REGION. 19 a bbort time, aud then reluiued to tbe places wheuce they came, or wauderetl to other parts ; others iileutitied tlieui- selves with the iuttrests of the commu- uity, and iieciime permaueut citizeus. At the Betting in of wiuter, iu 1851, the following families are known to have I nearest themselves. so conveniently near, and all could see that connectiou of the settlements by means of a passable road would be a public advaiitiige. The iuhubitauts of each settlement, by voluntary contribu- tions of labor, built the half of the road been iu the settlement: Michael Guy's John Lalie's. Henry Rutherford's, Beu- jauiiu Austin's, T. D. Ilillery's, Wm. Voice's, Seth Norris's, Robert Potts's, a family named Barnes, a German family whose name has been forgotten, aud au old couple of the name of liOwery. The following naaies of unmarried persons, residents at that time, have been pre- served : Henrietta Baxter, wlio after- wards becf.me Mrs. J. K. Giinlou, Cath- erine Carmichael, sister to Mrs. Hillery and afterwards wife of H. D. Campbell, Dominic Dunn, Wm. Rennie, Ciiyler Germniue, Dougald Carmichael, brother to Mrs. Hillery and Catherine, James K. Gnuton, and Richard Meagher. Fran- cis Hannah was also there, having charge i ^jissiou^ of the business of Hannah, Lay & Co. D. C. Curti.'i, foreman the firm, Thomas C out as engineer, to take charge of the Ul) to 1853, the postofflce at Old Mis- sion was the only one in a vast region of country around the bay. Iu tbe winter of 1852 aud '53, Mr. Lay, while iu Wash- ington, was successful in his effort to get one eslablislied in the new setile- meut. The name of the one at Old Mis- sion was Grand Tiaver.se. The new set- lli-mcnt at the bead of the bay was be- ginning to l)e known as Grand Traverse City. When Mr. Lay proposed the lat- ter name for tbe new postjffice, the clerk with whom he was transacting tbe culiar. Most of the married people were young. The unmarried men were intel- ligent, moral, and well disposed, but bent on having their full share of sport. As not. unlrequently happens in border settlements, where the male population is apt to greatly outnumber that of the gentler sex, their recreations sometimes assumed a somewhat mischievous char- acter. On New Year's night, in the winter of 1851 aud '52, "the boys" determined to amuse themselves by waking up, in a startling manner, the more sedate citi- zens. Secretly collecting all the fire- arms, they f juud they could muster thirteen guns. With these they went round to several of tbe houses, tiring volleys under the windows, to the utter consternation of the more timid inmates, business suggested that "Grand" be | who, living in constant fear of a hostile droi)ped, and it be called simply Trav- ' visit from the M .r.nous, Ibougbt their erse City, as the name; would have less ' dreaded enemy was upon them, esemblauce to that of the office at Old to which Mr. Lay acceded. f O ! — ' geuce auu luicueaa lo «Liiv Hannah, Lay ii CO. : ^^^^3 Qjigi^ated the name subsequently j^^^j ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ,,je ^^^^ m lu the employ of I ^^^^^ ^^ ^ thriving village. , jj^ Baardmau's enterprise utler, who had come I i i , , t xi i j- i „ „ out as engineer, to lane cuaige oi mc . . ,„ ,-,-^ t -nr ■ l ^ , .,. T ^ ^ t. ' coming to Traverse City from Manistee, enyine of the steam sawmill about to be I , _y ., r. . i ^ i- eugmt Oi n c- I I ^j^ j^ ^^g jj^g g^^^ contractor, his built, and John B. Spencer, who was ; •' , ' , , ii II 1 i compensation being §400 per year. At eetting out saw-logs for the mill and '. . , - ,, , geiiiug out. " e , , I first It was earned by an Indian, called timber for building a dock, ond who ].,,., i i • i ^„i i^... , "^ , J,, „ ., ! Old Joe, in a pack upon his shoulders. 800U afterwards removed to Elk Uapids. i . ■ , -., x „„'o ^„.. , , . ., ■ , xi c 1 1 Before the expiration of Mr. Lay s con- Thomas Cullers family an ived the tol- "^ ..-,.1. -t ^ ,. iuomao v/ui c r , , . ,„-„ ! tract, however. the ouantitv of mail mat- lo wing year. There arrived also in 1852, ' . / i .^ „ i ,i f„ '" ^ J CO.. ! ter had so increased that a horse had to d and two men 01 lue name , , , ti , i,i /-i • n . , Reemployed. Hugh MeGinnis was then th families, and, unmarried, '^, •' . , ^ 4 , i . John Garland and two men of tbe name of Evans, wi Henry D. Campbell, Thomas A. Hitch cock, B. McLellan, aud Hugh McGin- nis. Dr. Charles llolton and wife came either in the spring of 1852 or tbe fall previou.s. Dr. D. C. Goodale, with his family, arrived in April, 1853. * Many of tbe persons named came for engaged as carrier, who cut out a trail as far as Herring creek, the first move iu road-making between Traverse City aud 1 the lake shore. I Dr. Goodale was appointed postmas- ' ter, who chose H. D. Campbell as as- sistant. Dr. Goodale continued to hold M>inv of tbe persons nameu came lor 1 ,„ , t- 1 • 1 .,„ f„ - '^ . , , . the office till after Lincoln 8 election to the purpose of entering tbe employ of ; . , , ■ ,1 r '' F"'l'" ■-- " '. . t ,M nrB>iiilt.n