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HISTORY OF A TRIP
TO THE
GREAT SAGINAW VALLEY,
JITT2 TriJ, 18717
BY INVITATION OF
TilE - FRT WAYNE, IMUNCE, AN  CINCINNATI RAILROAD,
AND WITH THE CO-OTPERATTION OF THE
BEE LINE, FORT WAYNE, JACKSON AND SAGINAW, AND JACKSON,
LANSING AND SAGINAW RAILROAD COMPANIES.
BY LA~TTIA~ REA2V
INDIANAPOLIS:
R. J. BRIGHT & CO., PRINTERS.
1871.




Entered according to Act of Congress. in the year 1871,.
BY LAURA REAM,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.




PREFACE.
"You have been elected historian of our excursion."  This is what Mr.
Keating said to me on our return trip. With visions of kind faces,
beautiful places, saw mills, saw-dust and salt floating through my mind,
it was a full second before I comprehended his meaning. Then I was
surprised and gratified. Considering myself a party by favor in that
delightful excursion, it was an unexpected honor, of a piece with the
uniform kindness shown me by the press. To express, in some sense,.
my obligations, I can only repeat what, from the fullness of my heart, I
said to him:
"I am afraid I can not do justice to the subject, but I am grateful for
the commission, and you may be sure I will do the best I can."
Just here, I desire to thank the members of the press for copies of their
valuable reports of the excursion. In view of these charming and complete reports, I have scarcely had courage to perform my task. Any one
of them is so much better than I can write, that I have been constantly
tempted to make a souvenir job of it by compiling something from each
rich tribute to the liberality and enterprise of the Fort Wayne, Muncie
and Cincinnati Editorial Excursion to Saginaw Bay-but this would not,
strictly speaking, be a history-and, in the weakness of my endeavor, I
must crave the further indulgence of my fellow-excursionists and friends.
LAURA REAM.
INDIANAPOLIS, July 15, 1871.







CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE.
Our Invitation-Where we were Expected-Map of the Great Saginaw
Valley-Short Cut to the Regions of Lumber and Salt..................  9
CHAPTER II.
The Company we had-A Frustrated Picnic-Mayor Randall of Fort
Wayne-Tender of Fort Wayne Hospitalities-List of Guests-The
Bridge that Carried us Over-The Fort Wayne, Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad-Officers of the Ft. W., M. & C. R. R..................... 11
CHAPTER III.
Fort Wayne-Her Manufactures and Prosperity-P., Ft. W. & C. R.
R. Shops-T., W. & W. Shops-Bass & Co., Car Wheel FactoryOlds & Son-Hoffman's Patent Band Saw Mill-Court House-Public
and Private Buildings-French Town-The Old Home of Hugh
McCulloch-The Banquet at the Rink-Jackson Hospitalities tendered by P. B. Loomis, President Ft. W., J. & S. R. R................. 15
CHAPTER IV.
On the way to Jackson-Felicitations-Fort Wayne Guests-The Beautiful Day-Ride on a Locomotive-Ho! for the Wilderness-An
Enterprising Editor-Loveliest Village of the Plain-Waterloo--
Pleasant Lake-Reading............................................ 20




CHAPTER     V.
Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad........................... 24
CHAPTER VI.
Jackson-Her beautiful Horses and Houses-The home of Mr.
Loomis-Lovely Old Age-The Cemetery-Home of W. K. Gibson-The Fair Grounds-The only Chemical Works in AmericaMercantile Prosperity-Holly-Mr. Webster's Place-Collation No.
2-A Musical Treat......................................       26
CHAPTER VII.
Dinner at the Hibbard House-Toasts, Music and Speeches-Tender
of Saginaw Hospitalities by Mayor Simoneau-Invitation seconded
by Enterprise, Hotckiss-A Love Feast..................................  31
CHAPTER     VIII.
Jackson in General-Her Situation-Commercial Importance and
Prosperity-Her Manufactures, Newspapers, Churches and Railroads................................................................................  37
CHAPTER IX.
The Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad................................. 39
CHAPTER     X.
The Press Gang of the Saginaw Valley-Welcome..................... 41
CHAPTER XI.
Saginaw-Her Hotels-The Sight of a Landlord-Geography of Saginaw-East Saginaw-A Saginaw Legend-Saginaw City-Saw Mills
and Salt Blocks-The Irons Chapin has in the Fire-Making Way
with the Logs-A Saw-Dust Fire-Lot's Wife-The Salt Wells of
Saginaw-  A  W oman's  Note................................................  43




CHAPTER XII.
Down the Valley-The Brewer Mill, W. Sage & Co.-Gang Saw Mills
at Work-The Music of the Valley-Bay City-Her Hotel, Opera
House, Manufactures and Press-Dinner at the Frazer HouseSpeeches and Toasts-Sha-be-nee-ganse, the Lo of Our Party-His
tribute to the Press-Re-Union at the Bancroft House-Serenades... 49
CHAPTER XIII.
The Saginaw Valley-Commercial Wealth and Resources-St. Louis
Magnetic Springs-Railway Connections..................................  59
CHAPTER XIV.
Farewell to the Valley-Resolutions of Thanks.............................. 64
CHAPTER XV.
Homeward Bound-The Michigan State Prison-Seeing us HomeA Bountiful Lunch-Renewal of Fort Wayne Hospitalities-Rose
Oil Mortality-Conclusion................................................. 67
TESTIMONIALS.
Cincinnati Testimonial.............................................................  71
Testimonials of the  Press..........................................................  73







A. T:%I:P
TO THE
GREAT SAGINAW VALLEY.
CHAPTER I.
OUR INVITATION.
Our invitation was printed in bronze, with an ornamental
border, on handsome note paper, and read:
FORT WAYNE, MUNCIE & CINCINNATI R. R.,
MUNCIE ROUTE,
FORT WAYNE, IND., MAY 22, 1871.
Dear Sir: Yourself and Lady are respectfully invited to participate in an Editorial Excursion to Saginaw Bay, on Tuesday,
June 6, 1871.
PROGRAMME.
The Excursion Train will start from Connersville, Ind., June
6th, at 10 A. M., via this Road, and a Special Car will leave
Indianapolis, via "Bee Line," at 10: 55 A. M., June 6th, arriving
in Fort Wayne at 4:35 P. M.
After a night's rest, the party will take Special Train on the
Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginawo R. B., to Jackson, Mich., and
thence via Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw R. R. to Saginaw Bay,
arriving there the evening of the 7th.
W.. WORTHINGTON, Sup't.
JNO. J. GRAFTON, Gen'l Ticket Agt.
2




10

By arrangement. these Tnvitations will be honored for passage,
going and returning, by the Roads above named. You will confer
a favor by informing the undersigned at your earliest convenience
whether you can be with us, in order that every arrangement may
be made for the comfort of the party.
JNo. J. GRAFTON,
General Ticket Agent, Fort Wayne.
Upon receipt of which we, each and severally, had recourse
to a map in order to ascertain just where we were expected.
In this I do not write from personal experience alone, for I
was assured, on the excursion, that not one of the party had
ever been to Saginaw Bay before, or had had the least idea of
its precise location.
Since my return, I have found the public, generally, possessed of but a vague impression, and for the enlightenment
of such, as also for the convenience of those unable to participate in the excursion, I have been at great pains to- secure
and prefix A M1AP OF THE GREAT SAGINAW ROUTE, for which
I am indebted to our prince of hosts, John J. Grafton.
That most enterprising of journalists, Mr. Shurich, suggested that a map of our route would enhance the value of
my work. Whereupon, I consulted charts and chart-makers
with very little chance of having the idea carried out. In
my extremity I wrote to Mr. Grafton, who, in the absence of
a map, supplied me with one of his own design. He was very
modest about it, but it struck me as admirable, and I carried
it at once to the best lithographer in Indianapolis, who pronounced it "splendid," and "worth the price of the book." I
do not need to say any more; it carries recommendation on
its face.
The reader will see at a glance that Saginaw Bay runs out
like a thumb half way down the Michigan coast of Lake
Huron, and that to get there by the Fort Wayne, Muncie and
Cincinnati, the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw, and the
Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroads, is to pursue a beeline north a little further from Chicago than Toledo. The
innumerable railway connections will be observed, especially




11

the projected line to Mackinaw, Duluth, Puget's Sound and
China. Running the eye downward on the map, the principal resting points are Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville;
the nether points of Nashville, Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans
and Texas placed in bold relief.
The question, What of it? naturally arising, I answer,
Behold!
THE SHORT CUT TO THE REGIONS OF LUMBER AND SALT.
In other words, this route may be likened to a great chute
whereby the rich treasures of the North are precipitated into
the lap of the South and South West. The figure is not
strained, when we consider, how far the speedy transportation
of these staples will go toward the commercial and visible
reconstruction of the South. In return, for it is a chute which
works both ways, the South will find a ready market for its
valuable products. But this is anticipating what was better
said on our memorable trip.
CHAPTER II.
THE COMPANY WE HAD.
The main portion of invited guests, under charge of Mr. W.
W. Worthington, Superintendent of the Fort Wayne, Muncie
and Cincinnati Railroad, were joined at Muncie by a number
from Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Louisville and Memphis, in
care of Mr. John J. Grafton, General Ticket Agent of the
above-mentioned road. Mr. Grafton was accompanied by his
wife, a lovely young lady. It was yet too soon, and the
opportunity was not favorable, to know the company we had,
but we were, at once, made sensible of our good fortune in
falling into the hands of the officers of that road. Superintendent Worthington had an eye single to the comfort of his
guests, and Mr. Grafton was fairly ubiquitous in the art of
pleasing.




12

The weather, that 6th of June, was intensely hot, and as
we struck out of the clearings at Muncie there did not seem
to be a breath of air. The sun shone like a ball of fire in a
sky at white heat; when, suddenly, without the warning of a
cloud or peal of thunder, the heavens were overspread with
darkness and there fell a drenching rain. It dashed on the
roof, against the windows and upon the sides of the cars, the
welcome, bountiful and refreshing rain! We enjoyed it as
much as the hungry and athirst, parched earth.
I could not understand why the cloud seemed to have settled on the brow of Mr. Worthington, and Mr. Grafton had a
look of care in his face not unlike that of a housewife whose
"cake's all dough." At length the cars stopped at a beautiful grove, where we beheld
A FRUSTRATED PICNIC.
Do I need to paint the picture? The dripping rain, the
dripping townsfolk and country people, the dripping band of
music, the soggy pine tables and worse than soggy victuals.
The only water proof substance was a hamper of wine, and,
by odd chance, that was the first to be rescued from the rain.
Now it transpired that the good Railroad Company, Ft. W.,
M. and C., had arranged this picnic at Keystone for the happiness of their guests and to promote general acquaintance.
The much needed, generous rain had come half a day too
soon. Hence the anxious faces I have described. The Company did the next best thing they could. They took the
people, musicians and provender aboard, and while the dripping waiters served the soggy victuals and water proof libations, the Hon. F. P. Randall, Mayor of Fort Wayne, tendered
us the hospitalities of that city. Here, be it said, that his
Honor, in his genial countenance, rounded figure and eloquent
grace, would serve for the personification of welcome. His
address was replete with the spirit of fraternity and enterprise, and was an earnest of the courtesies extended us in
Fort Wayne. Before describing them, it will be proper to
give a list of our party as assigned to the hospitalities of that
city:




13

OUR PARTY.
Rev. A. CONVERSE and Wife, Christian Observer, Louisville, Ky.
J. H. TURNER, Esq., Wife and Child, Industrial and Commercial Gazette, Louisville, Ky.
Mr. E. WHITMORE and Wife, Public Ledger, Memphis, Tenn.
Mr. J. M. KEATING and Wife, Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.
MVr. P. S. WESTFALL and Wife, Express, Terre Haute, Ind.
Mrs. MILLIGAN, Terre Haute, Ind.
Mr. HOWARD BRIGGS and Wife, The Press, Greencastle, Ind.
Mr. S. MERRILL and Wife, Muncie Telegraph, Indianapolis.
Mr. A. J. HALFORD, Journal, Indianapolis.
Mr. W. B. VICKERS, Saturday Evening Mirror, Indianapolis.
Mr. B. D. JONES and Wife, Commercial, Indianapolis.
Mr. A. M. BENHAM, Wife and Child, Musical Review, Indianapolis.
Mr. CHARLES P. JACOBS, Wife, Child and Servant, News,
Indianapolis.
LAURA REAM, Cincinnati Commercial, Indianapolis.
LIVINGSTON DUNLAP, Indianapolis.
Mr. J. O. HARDESTY and Wife, Herald, Anderson, Ind.
Mr. CHARLES H. NIX and Wife, Huntington, Ind.
Mr. JOHN MARSH and Wife, Muncie, Ind.
GAZZAM GANO, J. L. IAVEN, MILES GREENWOOD, Committee
from Board of Trade, Cincinnati, Ohio.
T. R. BIGGS, L. H. SARGENT. H. L. LAWS, Committee from
Chamber of Conimerce, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mr. A. L. ANDREWS, Merchants' and Manufacturers' Bulletin,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
CINCINNATI DELEGATES AT LARGE.
Mr. and Mrs. LEWIS WORTHINGTON, L. S. WORTHINGTON,
M. D., Mr. JOSEPH KINSEY, Mr. OLIVER KINSEY, Mrs. MILES
GREENWOOD, Mrs. T. R. BIGGS, Mrs. J. H. LAWS, Mrs. G.
GANO, two Children and Servant, Miss SALLIE MEAD, Miss
MAGGIE BONNER, Miss HATTIE GANO, Prof. C. G. COMEGYS.




14

Mr. A. C. MELLETT and Wife, Times, Muncie, Ind.
Mr. E. R. ZELLER, Citizen, Oxford, Ohio.
Miss SE E. TIMBERMAN, Oxford, Ohio.
Mr. C. F. JACKSON, Democrat, Hartford City, Ind.
BRUCE MOFFATT and Wife, Republican, Springfield, Ohio.
Mr. JOHN A. BEVERIDGE and Wife, Gazette, Xenia, Ohio.
Mr. W. J. CRAIG, Banner, Bluffton, Ind.
Mr. JOHN M. HIGGS and Wife, Examiner, Connersville, Ind.
Mr. SAMUEL SHAFFER, Democrat, Muncie, Ind.
Mr. A. G. WILCOX, Courier, Newcastle, Ind.
Mr. M. L. BUNDY, Newcastle, Ind.
Miss BUNDY, Newcastle, Ind.
Mr. E. H. BUNDY and Wife, Times, Newcastle, Ind.
Mr. GEORGE S. BROWN, Huntington, Indiana Herald, Bluffton, Ind.
The roll of passengers thus called, it is high time to pay
our respects to the bridge that carried us over
THE FORT WAYNE, MUNCIE AND CINCINNATI RAILROAD.
This road was first built from Connersville to Newcastle
several years ago, (the exact date I have not been able to
learn) and operated by the Cincinnati & Indianapolis Junction Railroad Company, who completed and ran it to Muncie,
in 1869. The road was then extended to Fort Wayne, and
completed in September, 1870, though not in good condition
for business. In January, 1871, a company known as the
" Muncie Transportation Company," backed by the distinguished capitalists, John Jacob Astor, and Moses Taylor, of
New York, Baring brothers, of New York, and London, and
John W. Forbes, of Boston, purchased the line from Connersville to Fort Waynie, a distance of 109 miles, and immediately
went to work with a large force of men to put the entire line
in the very best working order. They stocked the road with
new engines and cars of every kind, and expect, by the coming fall, to have it in prime condition.
The road is built in almost a straight line, and runs through
a new but magnificent country. The wealth of the agricul



15

tural districts is fast pouring in on the line, and towns, villages, and manufactures are springing into importance. It is
too soon to count large dividends, but it may be confidently
asserted that the road is now established upon a sure and
paying basis.
THE OFFICERS OF THE FT. W., M. & C. R. R.
C. I. DALTON, President, Boston, Mass.
W. W. WORTHINGTON, General Superintendent, Fort Wayne,
Ind.
C. S. WOODWARD, Chief Engineer, Fort Wayne, Ind.
JNO. J. GRAFTON, General Ticket Agent, Fort Wayne, Ind.
J. C. BRINSLEY, Master Transportation, Fort Wayne,.Ind.
R. GLYNN, Master Mechanic, Fort Wayne, Ind.
A. II. STEWART, Superintendent of Bridges, Fort Wayne,
Ind.
D. R. BONNELL, Superintendent of Telegraph, Fort Wayne,
Ind.
On the brilliant occasion, when in the words of a fellowexcursionist, " Jno. J. Grafton took a ride, and we were there
to see." Mr. P. I-I. Ashley was conductor, and John McCullom, Engineer.
CHAPTER-III.
FORT WAYNE.
The citizens of Fort Wayne met us at the depot in carriages,
many of them of the most elegant description, and conducted
us over the city. By this time the rain had subsided to a
misty drizzle, notwithstanding wh ich, the streets were crowded
with men, women, and children, in holiday attire. The first.
object of interest, after the gay spectacle of people, was the
Catholic possessions, being a square or block right in the heart
of the city, occupied by the Cathedral, Bishop's Palace, Col



16

lege and Convent. Two of our party, Mrs. Worthington, and
Miss Bonner, of Cincinnati, had the pleasure of a visit with
their old friend, the Right Rev. Lauers, Bishop of Fort
Wayne, and in view of his sudden death, it must be a sacred
souvenir to them.
The Court House is an attractive point, occupying as it does
an entire block, surrounded by ornamental grounds and fence,
and the center of four handsomely built blocks, with flag
stone side walks, and Nicholson pavements.
In our drive we passed through several handsomely built
business streets, and saw any number of beautiful dwelling
houses. Many of them were really elegant. Thence to the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago railroad shops, the
largest in the city. They are built of brick in the most substantial manner, and form quite a town of themselves, giving
employment to 1,500 men, and paying out $300,000 a month
for material and labor. Then, in order, comes the Toledo,
Wabash and Western shops, which employ 400 men. The
great car wheel factory of Mr. J. H. Bass, gives employment
to 300 men, and expends at least $120,000 per month for material and labor.
A leading work of interest is the carriage wood work and
buggy wheel manufactory of Olds & Son, giving employment
to 250 men, the product of whose labor finds a market in
Europe, and North and South America.
A notable object of interest was Hoffman's patent Band Saw
Mill, which is destined to work a revolution in the machinery
of saw  lills.
The standing room of the mill does not occupy a space of
more than twenty by forty feet, including the groove upon
which the log to be sawed is projected from and against the
saw. The engine, some ten feet in length and six in hight,
is to the right of the shed. The saw, forty feet in length,
four or five inches wide, and joined at the ends, revolves con-.tinuously in an elliptical line around a nether and upper
pulley, six feet apart. These pulleys are'six feet in diameter,
and the lower one, hidden from view by the floor of the mill,
is the driving one, while the upper one is on the strain, or




17

keeps the saw in place. The motion of the saw is regulated
by the box of cone shaped grooves, acting one upon another,
subject to the lever, tension, or break of the mechanical paradox, commonly called "feed," for which the inventor, Mr.
Hoffman, has a separate patent.  The log in position on the
trucks, it is passed backward and forward on the minature
railroad, the saw cutting it in the desired manner.
Mr. Hoffman spent fifteen years of labor and anxious
thought upon his invention before he succeeded in perfecting
it. The patent was obtained June 6, 1869. It is constructed
on the principle of the little circular saws which have been
in use for several years. It is the first application to the
sawing of logs. Its advantages over the ordinary circular
saw are:
First-In the saving of lumber, cutting one-twelfth of an
inch saw-herf, while an ordinary saw cuts five-sixteenths;
there is a saving of two hundred and twenty-nine feet in each
one thousand feet of timber, which, in valuable timber, would
save the cost of machine in six months.
Second-Saving of power. Ten-horse power is all that is
required to cut five or six thousand feet of hard or soft timber
a day.
Third-Making better timber, leaving no offset.
Lastly-The entire safety of the saw.
The saw blade is manufactured in Paris.
To give an idea of the unexampled prosperity of Fort Wayne,
I have only to state, that in 1860 the population was less than
11,000, now it is differently estimated at from 26,000 to 30,000.
It has an air of great commercial wealth, and uncommon
sumptuousness of living. I may add that if live newspapers
and splendid school buildings are any indication of metropolitan standing, Fort Wayne may take rank with the most
flourishing cities in the country.
"Where is French Town?" I asked of my host who had
called my attention to the citizens of French descent, who
were seen on every hand.
"There is scarcely any of the old town left," he replied.
I found upon inquiry, that the early French settlers had




18

rapidly affiliated with the English, and had thus, in the course
of a couple of generations, lost their distinctive nationality,
in this respect, varying from the French of Vincennes.
I had the pleasure of sojourning in one of the oldest places
in Fort Wayne.
THE FORMER HOME OF THE HON. HUGH M'TCULLOUGH.
It is now occupied by his son, Mr. Charles McCullough, and
his family. It is an old fashioned frame dwelling, two stories
in height, with wide portico in front, supported by heavy
columns reaching to the main roof. There is a wide hall in
the center of the building running past double parlors on one
side, and library and family room on the other, terminating
in the dining room. The second floor is well arranged, and
like every other part of the house, handsomely furnished,
the pictures and books being of rare value.  In front are
charming old grounds, with a rose plat and fountain at the
foot of the steps. In every direction are majestic trees, planted,
many of them, by the mother of Mr. McCullough. To the
left, the grounds slope abruptly to the St. Mary's river, the
ripple of whose waters falls like music on the ear. There is
many a charming nook on the bank, which, but over the way
from the busy town, is yet as retired as a dell. What trees to
read a book in, and it made my heart ache to be a child again,
just to swing out, by my hands, on a limb over the stream.
No wonder the old servitor called it "a purty place," and
thought "Misther McCullough must often been a thinking of
it in his new home in Lunnen."
THE BANQUET AT THE RINK.
As if private hospitality was not enough, the good citizens
of Fort Wayne, in the Rink assembled, gave the excursionists a public reception. It was an uncommonly brilliant
assemblage. The display of fine toilets was not surpassed by
the superb display of flowers, and there was nothing wanting
to make the banquet a success: delicious refreshments-it
was all refreshment, after our days ride-the gay scene,
the ravishing music, delicious viands, sparkling wine, and




19

flow of soul. Mayor Randall presided. On taking the chair,
he repeated the welcome so graciously extended on the cars,
and in this connection expressed his obligations to Mr.
Worthington, of Cincinnati, for having built the Muncie
railroad. To his enterprise was the North mainly indebted
for the opportunity of exchanging courtesies with their
Southern neighbors. His Honor then made an interesting.summary of the commercial wealth of Fort Wayne, citing
the manufacture of $600,000 worth of car wheels for one.example. He remarked, that twenty-five years ago, the trade
of Fort Wayne was almost exclusively with Cincinnati, but
latterly had been diverted into other channels, and that the
object of this excursion was to show. the great facilities of the
new route from the Ohio river to the Lakes.
Mr. Joseph Kinsey, of the Cincinnati Board of Trade,
replied. His first words were that he hoped that the large
and profitable trade that had once existed between Cincinnati
and Fort Wayne would be renewed. He beheld the advance
Fort Wayne had made in manufactures with astonishment
and pleasure, and with the progress he knew his' own city
was making, he was proud to lock hands with the citizens
of Fort Wayne. He pledged himself to promote harmony
between the two points. And Mr. Kinsey will do it. He is
one of the live men of Cincinnati, who sees as he runs, what
is best calculated to extend her prosperity.
He was followed by Mr. Biggs, of the Cincinnati Chamber
of Commerce, who observed that fifty years ago the citizens
of Cincinnati organized an expedition to explore this section
of the country. Fifty miles from here they were met by
hostile Indians, who forced them to retreat. "To-day," he
playfully added, "we were met fifty miles from here, and
captured by the Honorable Mayor and good citizens of Fort
Wayne. In this instance, 'Barkis was willing.'" He then
drew an interesting comparison between the old time way
of doing business and the present, closing with the well
expressed wish that the future success of Fort Wayne might
equal the past.




20

By this time, the hilarity was so great, that Messrs. Turner,
Jacobs, Greenwood, Bundy, and other gentlemen called upon,
contented themselves with making a few remarks to the
point.
His Honor then introduced to the assembly, "Mr. Loomis,
the President of the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad."
That gentleman made a favorable impression. In the language of "the boards," he brought down the house. How
could it be otherwise? The first words he spoke were a compliment to the might of the pen, and, of course, the press
applauded. Then he invited us, in the most cordial manner,
to take a ride with him in his humble coach the next day,
and we cheered assent.
So ended the banquet, and with our hearts filled with good
cheer, we bade good night to the citizens of Fort Wayne.
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE WAY TO JACKSON.
Wednesday morning, at 8 o'clock, our party assembled at
the. Saginaw depot, where a special train of palace cars, with
superbly decorated engine "E. A. Webster" was in waiting.
There, also, was the Jackson committee of invitation to receive
us; Mr. P. B. Loomis, the President of the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad, Superintendent William A. Ernst,
Hon. Eugene Pringle and Mr. E. A. Webster, Directors of
same road, Mayor Noyes, City Attorney Peck, Recorder
Tinker, Alderman Seaton and Messrs. Bennett and Knickerbocker.
Quite a number of citizens arrived to see us off, and the
following named persons took passage with us:
Hon. F. P. RANDALL, Mayor, Fort Wayne.




21

Mr. T. S. TAYLOR, Journal, Fort Wayne.
Mr. JNO. J. GRAFTON and Wife, General Ticket Agent, Fort
Wayne.
'Judge R. LOWRY and Wife, Fort Wayne.
Miss ANNIE LOWRY, Fort Wayne.
Mr. F. S. SHIURICK, Agent Associated Press and Correspondent Cincinnati Gazette, Fort Wayne.
Mr. W. T. JENISON, Fort Wayne.
Mr. WM. H. CooMBS and Wife, Fort Wayne.
Mr. WM. S. EDSALL, Clerk Allen County Court, Fort Wayne.
Mrs. E. P. EDSALL, Fort Wayne.
Mr. ROBERT G. MONEECE, Gazette, Fort Wayne.
Mr. WM. B. HENDERSON, Sentinel, Fort Wayne.
Mr. W. B. WALTERS, Sentinel, Fort Wayne.
Miss LIZZIE M. EVANS, Fort Wayne.
Miss LIZZIE TOWNLEY, Fort Wayne.
Mrs. N. B. FREEMAN, Fort Wayne.
Taking our places in the cars there was a general interchange of telecitations, each excursionist flattering himself
upon having been entertained by the most agreeable family
in Fort Wayne. It must be confessed, not belonging to the
itinerancy, that we had found ourselves assigned to private
hospitality with a feeling of dust-and-travel-worn-unworthiness that was anything but pleasant-a feeling of intrusion,
that, I am happy to say, was quickly dispelled by the gracious
welcome we received.
Thus favorably impressed, the city looked beautiful to us
that morning, and we left it with regret. The rain had
washed every speck of dust from the houses and shrubbery,
and they stood fair and fresh in the sunshine. The best view
of the city must be from the Saginaw route, whence it lies
high in the confluence of the St Joseph's and St. Mary's
rivers.
Fairly under way, there are two prime objects of interest
to the traveler; the conductor and engineer.
Assured at a glance that Mr. A. C. Smith could be relied on
as cool, patient and capable, I gladly availed myself of an
opportunity to make the acquaintance of the conductor.




22

Mr. Grafton introduced me to Mr. Webster. As a perfect
stranger, Mr. Webster presented the tout en semble of a generous, whole-souled gentleman. He had an eye full of mischief, regular features, a pleasant smile and very engagiing
manners. He did not ask me if I was "anything to Vinnie
Ream," but I at once remarked, "Was not the name 'Webster' on the engine?"
"My name," he replied, with pardonable pride. "Would
you like to take a ride on the engine?"
"Of all things in the world," I answered. "Can you arrange it? "
"I think so," he quietly answered me.
Of course I did not know he was the young Jackson millionaire, and that the engine was named after him, and nearly
belonged to him. Recognizing him only as a capital companion I followed along by the side of the train and climbed
up into the cushioned, curtained and carpeted parlor of the
engineer. Seated with others on either side of the engine, I
was introduced to the engineer, whom I had abundant opportunity of observing. Standing by the engine with his hand
on the throttle valve, Girard J. Shipman never took his eye
from the track.  The track stretched out to a point I could
scarcely discern, while his accustomed eye was able to define
objects at a great distance. Now he would ring the bell for
a crossing, (there was a surprising number of them,) now
whistle off something on the track, the engine going faster
and faster as the wood was thrown in the furnace. What a
hungry furnace it was, devouring the wood, both great and
small, as it was thrown in! I hung my head out of the window and watched the piston, driving like mad, until I could
reckon at what rate we were traveling, and the red wheels
as they went round, seemed more beautiful than any dissolving views I ever witnessed.  The feeling of exhiliration was indiscribable. It was greater than that of skating
or riding on horseback. 1 felt, too, a sense of security unknown in the passenger coach, and a respect for the engineer
hitherto beyond belief. With the motive power in his hand,
he holds the lives of all on board at his will, and in the case




23

of Mr. Shipman, his care and vigilance proved him worthy
of the trust.
The weather, that 7th of June, was glorious. The rain
had dissipated the heat, the air was divine, and such a sky
was never seen before in summner! It was the clear blue of
azure, flecked and broidered heavily, over with changing
white clouds, as in autumn. It was just the day for a ride
on a brand new locomotive, elegantly decorated with flags
and wreaths, through which her broad, brass sides shone
like burnished gold. It was positive rapture to watch her
bending her head to the work, and skimming along the iron
rails, the never so green earth on either side.
"iBut she's a beauty," I said to the engineer.
He did not turn his head or take his eye from the track,
but there was a glow of pride in his face as he said, "I tried
to make her look nice."
"Did you trim her up this fine way?" I asked in surprise.
"Every bit of it," he answered. (" There's one of my banners burning.)  The ladies of Fort Wayne furnished the
wreaths of flowers; I did the rest."
"It was 'Ho for the wilderness!' in grand style," I thought
to myself, as we steamed along.
"Where's the wilderness?" I asked, as we made our way
through smiling villages and luxuriant farms. What a looney
1 must have seemed to the engineer, who laughed, but made
no talk.
We drew up at Auburn, a little town by the way side, with
a very large school house, and I returned to the passenger
coach.
Our company here received the addition of Mr. P. C. Mays,
editor of Courier, Auburn, and his wife. The first act of this
enterprising gentleman was to pass around slips of paper
which read as. follows:
"AUBURN,
County seat of DeKalb County, Ind. Situated on the Fort
Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad, and the present terminus of the Detroit, Eel River & Illinois Railroad. The line.of the proposed extension of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad,




24

from Pittsburg to Chicago, will pass through this place.
Population about 1,500."
Upon our return trip, Mr. Mays, as he left at this point,
surprised us with a neat little speech, expressing his enjoyment of the trip, and venturing the hope that we would all
meet again. It was received with great applause. One of
my regrets in making up this work, is that I failed to receive
his description of our trip; I know it would be vastly
entertaining.
Waterloo was the next stopping place. Here we had the
pleasant accession to our numbers of editor of the Press,
B. F. Kennedy, and his wife.
Waterloo has a population of 2,000 and very considerable
trade.
We next came to Pleasant Lake, situated upon a beautiful
sheet of water by that name; thence to Angola, where the
editor of the Steuben Republican, Mr. R. W. Weamer, and his
wife, were added to our party.
Reading is the first village in Michigan on the line, and
Jonesville is the point where the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern crosses. Here we were joined by Jos. J. Dennis, of
Independent, Jonesville. At every one of these places the
citizens were assembled at the depot, and greeted us with
cheers and music by the band.
CHAPTER V.
FORT WAYNE, JACKSON AND SAGINAW RAILROAD.
It was during that ride from Fort Wayne to Saginaw, that
I was furnished with the following interesting particulars of
the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad.
Directors-P. B. Loos, acson..   IT, Jackson; H.. S, Jackson;
D. MERRYMAN, Jackson; E. A. WEBSTER, Jackson; W      D.
THOMPSON, Jackson; W. R. REYNOLDS, Jackson; Hon. E. O.




25
GROVESNOR, Jonesville; Hon. A. P. EDGERTON, Fort Wayne;
HENRY J. RUDISILL, Fort Wayne; A. I-I.   AMILTON, Fort
Wayne; JOHN BASS, Fort Wayne; HENRY BAKER, Fort.
Wayne; Hon. JAMES F. JOY, Detroit.
President, P. B. LooMIs; Vice-President, A. P. EDGERTON';
Treasurer, B. S. CHIAPIN; Secretary, EUGENE PRINGLE; Attorney, J. D. CONELY; Assistant Superintendent, A. H. REESE;
Chief-Engineer, C. S. WOODWARD.
The road was inaugurated in form by the appointment of a
committee of two, on the 24th of June, 1868, and organized
in September, 1868, under the name of the Jackson, Fort
Wayne & Cincinnati R. R. The Indiana portion of the line,,
known as the Fort Wayie, Jackson & Saginaw R. R., was organized in October of the same year. These two roads were
consolidated on the 25th of February, 1869, under the latter
name, and completed from Fort Wayne to Jackson, a distance
of one hundred miles, in less than nineteen months, December 5th, 1870. The road, in its construction, has in all
respects been made first class; its embankments being fifteen
feet broad at the top, the cuts twenty-two feet in the bottom,
and the slopes one-and-a-half to one: the sidings are numerous for a newly built road, and the road crossings well built.
The income of the road has met the expenses, and the road
is now prepared to do double the amount of former business.,
at very little increased cost.
It is of interest to know how so great a work was accomplished in so short a time. I have it from one who knows,
that the committee, in order to inspire confidence in the communities through which the line projected, placed all the
means raised in local districts at the disposal of the people of
the district in which it was subscribed, permitting them to
nominate the person as a local treasurer, who should have
the entire charge of their contributions, to be paid out only
on the certificate of the engineer of the company, and for
work done in the vicinity wherein they resided or were interested. This is the way a body of men, scattered along a line
difficult of intercommunication, were held firmly and persist3




.26

ently to the accomplishment of a great work, at little expense,
in a short space of time.
Considering the importance of the road as a link for the
distribution of the products of the Saginaw Valley to the
large area of country embraced in the States of Ohio, Illinois,
Indiana, Missouri and Kansas, with eastern returns of
freights of cattle, corn, etc., its future prosperity seems to
be beyond a doubt.
The signs of habitation and agricultural wealth, increasing
on either side of our route, showed us we were drawing near
the city of Jackson. We were struck with the absence of
suburban decay, which is part of even small places in old
States. The transition was from the beautiful country to the
beautiful town.
CHAPTER VI.
JACKSON.
It was high noon when we arrived at Jackson. The city
lay near by to the left of the depot, and the street for a square
or two was lined with elegant carriages and horses. We were
met by the Committee of Reception: Mayor Noyes, City
Attorney Beck, Alderman Loomis and Seaton, Recorder
Tinker, Messrs, E. A. Webster, I. S. Ismon, W. M. Bennett,
Eugene Pringle, W. D. Thompson, and C. R. Knicherbocker.
These gentlemen took charge of us, assigning us to the carriages in waiting.
Our attention was at once drawn to the wonderful display
of horses. They were beautiful, high-stepping and gay, with
superb heads, planted firmly on proud, arching necks. And
there was every variety to delight the eye-bay, black and
grey, with an occasional roan and sorrel. In Mr. HI. S.
Ismon's carriage, I had the pleasure of riding behind two as
handsome bays as ever trod the earth. They were large and




27

strong, with glossy coats, and the fine qualities of limb and
neck which are rarely seen in animals of their growth. They
were simply perfect, and they were driven by a groom who
knew all their good points by heart.
THE HOME OF MR. LOOMIS.
We drove first to the residence of Mr. Loomis. It is situated in a gently rolling wood, several acres in extent, and is
approached by an irregular road nicely graded, and as smooth
as the drives in Central Park. The house is many winged
and of no particular style of architecture, having evidently
undergone alterations and additions. A door here, a bay window there, to suit the present owner. To the right of the
entrance is an elegant library, a large drawing room is on the
left, half of one side of that opens into a charming boudoir,
and that again is a wide detour to a snuggery, thus outlooking every point of the compass. The entire suite of rooms
is elegantly furnished, most exquisite, pictures, statuary and
books adorning the walls, niches, and nookies.
LOVELY OLD AGE.
In the boudoir there is an exquisite picture of an old lady.
It looks from the canvass, large dark eyes of serenest depths,
a holy calm about the lips, the face framed in by the soft lace
border of a cap which falls over the forehead, and almost
conceals the iron grey hair. It is the most charming picture
of old age I ever beheld. It is the ideal type of a well spent
life, crowned with scriptural peace and pleasantness.
I did not need to be told that it was the portrait of the
mother of Mr. Loomis. I looked at him with new interest,
and could discover in his face the same qualitibs of energy,
fortitude and benevolence.
At his residence we enjoyed the charming hospitality of
his wife and daughter, who were assisted in doing the honors
by Mrs. Ernst, and other fair ladies of Jackson. Mrs. Ernst
was noticeable for her lovely grey hair. It was less grey than
black, *and like Mrs. Greenwood's was worn in very becoming
puffs. If I could describe Mrs. Greenwood and other ladies




28

we met, and of our party, as they are impressed on my memory, it would be charriming reading. It would also be a big
book, and I must resume my story of our gay pilgrimage
through Jackson to
THE CEMETERY.
After a drive through its beautiful grounds, we concluded
that Jackson was not only a desirable place to live and die in,
but the sweetest place on earth to be buried in. Having thus
paid tribute to the dead of Jackson, we returned to the dwelling places of the living. Conspicuous among these was the
HOME OF MR. W. K. GIBSON,
another of the rich young men of Jackson. About the pleasantest feature of Jackson was the large number of rich young
men. They must have the wisdom of age to have been able
to make money, and they have youth to enjoy it. The distinction is plain. Mr. Gibson has a palatial mansion, with
grounds like an English earl-a park and a lake; and what
is better than all, he has an open, liberal heart. Long live he!
From Mr. Gibson's, again behind the trusty bays, we were
driven through the town to
THE FAIR GROUNDS.
There is not generally much scenery about a Fair Ground,
but this one had the most beautiful avenue of willows that
can be imagined. The trees were fifty feet in hight, and their
huge interlacing boughs formed a delightful arched way to the
left of Grand.River, two-thirds of the length of the grounds
angling left to the race track.
The buildings of the Fair Grounds are well built and are
kept in good repair, a man in charge living at the gate.
The races are a great attraction. The track is half a mile
in. length; but in view of the fact that Jackson is one of the
best horse markets in the country, I was surprised to see so
small a space for spectators; I should think not more than
five thousand persons could view the track. We were there




29

on the eve of a great Horse Fair, those well known champions of the turf, Lou Loder, Silas Rich and Pilot Temple
having already arrived.
The next place we visited was
THE CHEMICAL WORKS.
It is chartered as the Michigan Chemical Company, and has
a capital of $500,000. The main building is frame, its dimensions being 125 feet in length by 101 in width, with two shed
roofs, above which rises a brick chimney 60 feet in hight,
which serves as the escape pipe of three brick furnaces thirty
feet square. There are several additional buildings, and the
furnaces, boiling vats, cisterns, kettles and reservoirs are of
vast proportions. The machinery is of most complicated and
unique pattern.
The main object of attraction is a huge tower, built of
stone slabs, seven feet square, and it is 70 feet to the summit
of the tank which crowns its top. The tank contains a filterer, needed in the manufacture of chemicals. The articles
manufactured are soda ash, sal soda, bicarbonate of soda,
caustic soda, bleaching powder, chlorate of potash, and muriatic acid. The material necessary for the manufacture of
these articles is found in abundance at and near Jackson.
It is the only establishment of the kind in the United States,
or on the continent. Great Britain has hitherto monopolized
the manufacture of soda, sal soda, or British soda, as it is
called. Over a quarter of million tons of soda are manufactured annually, and when it is considered that two hundred
tons per day are used in the United States, the importance of
having established this branch of manufactures will be fully
appreciated. It will also excuse my long account.
In the management of the chemical works, it was necessary to import some forty workmen from Europe, but already
more than a hundred of our ingenious and ready countrymen
have acquired the art. It is expected that 300 men will soon
be employed.
Proposed weekly manufacture-70 tons soda.ash, 50 tons soda
chrystals, 50 tons bi-carbonate soda, 20 tons caustic soda, 40




30

tons black powder, which will consume weekly, 210 tons of
salt, 580 tons of coal, 280 tons limestone, 40 tons Maganese ore.
MERCANTILE PROSPERITY.
In our short drive, we could see every indication of mercantile prosperity. The lumber yards, flouring mills and
manufacturing industry are on a large scale. Of the last, the
railroad shops are of marked importance. The work for five
or six hundred miles of railroad is done here.
The Holly Water Works are in successful operation, as we
can testify, who saw no less than five streams playing as high
as a kite over Main street. This street, by the way, is handsomely built up and has a fine Nicholson pavement, and is
plentifully dotted with gas posts.
Now said Mr. Ismon, I will take you to
MR. WEBSTER'S PLACE.
Driving to the western elevation of the suberbs, we entered
the gate of a large oak clearing, elegantly laid off in walks
and drives. We saw the site of Mr. Webster's new home,
there is yet nothing but the foundation, but that looked large
enough for a State House. The grounds are twenty acres in
extent, and just hilly enough to give variety to the scene.
What attracted observation was the novel shape of the
grounds. To the east and south they were at a right angle,
but west and north they had been dipped into in all manner
of pocket-like shapes by lots, on which were built handsome
dwelling houses, which gave them, (the grounds,) from a
bird's eye view, the outlines of a Chinese puzzle. These
houses, a hundred or more of them, in sight, were built by
Mr. Webster to rent, but Jackson has so small a renting population, that they sold like hot cakes.
Through the north quarter of the grounds there is a rippling stream  of water, which is fancifully bridged over.
Crossing this, our party halted under a clump of trees, where
a table was spread, and some finely dressed negroes served
us with Champagne and Sandwiches.     Such Sandwiches!
Grated tongue in flakey biscuits, buttered when hot, and a




31

sprinkling of mustard. The very thought of them is appetizing. No wonder, in the enjoyment of them, little master
Benham, (the four year old of our party,) threw up his hat
and cried: "How is this little thing for high?"
Here we had the additional happiness of making the better
acquaintance of our fellow-excursionists and new friends, so
that when dinner was in order, we sat down to it like the
happy family in the full fellowship of brotherly love.
I can not say enough for a musical treat before dinner, to
which we were indebted to the amiability of Mrs. Keating of
Memphis, and Mrs. Lowry of Fort Wayne. They both sang
with exquisite taste and feeling. Their sweet voices will
live in our pleasantest memories. Mrs. Keating is a lovely
blonde of the south, as graceful in bearing as refined and
cultivated in mind; Mrs. Lowry is one of our Hoosier ladies.
She is kind and fair and has a relish for social enjoyment
which makes her the congenial friend of her charming jeuenne
belle fille.
CHAPTER VII.
THE DINNER AT THE HIBBARD HOUSE.
After the bountiful collations at the houses of Messrs.
Loomis and Webster, nothing short of the dinner at the Hibbard House could have tempted us. It was well cooked and
well served, besides consisting of every conceivable delicacy
and substantial dish.
We were seated at three long tables-two hundred and fifty
of us in all. A reverend gentleman presided at one table,
Mayor Noyes at the second, and Mr. Loomis at the third. At
the drawing of the corks, Mayor Noyes arose, and pledging a
toast of "welcome to our guests," called upon Mr. Loomis to
reply. There was great straining of necks to see that gentle



32

man when he got to his feet, and he was listened to with
unfeigned delight. I can not begin to do justice to his speech
and the happy manner of it. It was as if, figuratively
speaking, he took each one of us to his heart in his friendly
welcome:
" Ladies and Gentlemen of the Editorial Excursion to the Saginaw Valley: I can not find words to describe the hearty
welcome the city of Jackson extends to you to-day. [Cheers.]
In welcoming you, members of the press, we do honor to the
highest power in the land-[Cheers again] a power superior
to kings and potentates, and mightier than a secret treaty
commission [Applause] or secret session of the Senate of the
United States. [Tremendous applause.] Recognizing you
as this power, we, the citizens of Jackson, beg leave to hope
that you will be favorably impressed with our little city.
[Cheers.] Again we welcome you, and trust we will meet
again." ~ [Cheers.]
Mayor Noyes then proposed "Louisville" as the first toast,
and called upon Mr. Converse to respond.
Now, Mr. Converse and his estimable lady were the veterans of our party, and we looked for his remarks with respectful attention. He is quite old and looks infirm-his delicate
features thrown in pale relief by his silvery hair. His manners are dignified but kind, and on our trip he had shown a
liberality of spirit worthy of imitation.
When called upon to speak, he rose as if he had scarcely
strength to stand, but his voice fell clear and strong on the
ear, as he expressed, in choice language, his appreciation of the
intelligence, enterprise and prosperity displayed in the city
of Jackson. In behalf of Louisville, he desired to extend
thanks for the courtesy and enlarged hospitality shown her
representatives. He jocosely observed that though weak and
feeble in his personnel, at least, they (the press) were terrible
with the pen, and should soon make due report of them. He
declared that on his return he would tell his children and his
grandchildren what he had seen and heard on this occasion,
and advise them to strive to emulate the enterprise and good
will of the people of Michigan, thus he would be doing his




33

part towards cementing a bond of union between the South
and North stronger than the bands of iron that now united
them. At the close of his remarks, there were hearty cheers.
To the second toast, " Michigan," Ex-Governor Blair
responded in a pleasant voice and with an air of intelligence
and bonheur which was very pleasing.
"It is but a little while," he said, "since we were strangers
to those who lived fifty miles south of us, and we hail with
delight the opportunity the railroads have afforded of taking
counsel together. [Cheers.] I honor the press, and I have a
great fear of editors. I have had occasion. [Laughter.] We
welcome you to our city, [Cheers] and when next you come
this way, we will take you by Houghten Lake to the Straits
of Mackinaw and Duluth, the great center of creation, to
Puget's Sound, the most beautiful sheet of water in the world,
and thence to China, where Mr. Seward has gone to pave the
way, and fit it, perchance, for annexation, as it lies contiguous
to our northwest boundaries.   [Great applause.]  It will
not be at a distant day either-this trans-continental route
from pole to pole." [Cheers.]
This is scarcely an outline of Governor Blair's eloquent
address, but I hope the spirit thereof is conveyed.
Here speech-making gave place to a song, "The Larboard
Watch," from the "Appi Troupe."
To the third toast, "Tennessee,".Mr. Keating responded.
In our brief acquaintance, he had impressed us as a thorough
gentleman, of much culture and uncommonly keen powers of
observation. When called upon to speak, he arose, and what
with glowing face, sympathetic eye, deprecating words, and a
certain indescribably touching timber of voice, he made a
profound impression on the assembly. It was, perhaps, the
first time that a full-blooded Southern man had had the ear of
a Michigan audience. They listened to him with profound
attention, if not critically, until finding the spirit they liked,
they applauded without stint.
I despair of being able to make anything like a correct
synopsis of his remarks. The idea conveyed was:
"I never was more delighted in my life than on this trip.




34

We have been received with such whole-hearted, unbounded
hospitality. And to say that I am surprised, does not express
my amazement at the endless resources and enterprise of this
section of the country. Surprised and delighted, I am prepared to believe that all that is necessary for the complete
fraternization of the South and North is for them to get
acquainted with each other. Neither one of us is as bad as
we seem. [Applause.] As for Tennessee, [here his voice
sank,] we are reconstructing very fast in the sense in which
you have made a garden of the wilderness. Our city of
Memphis was made as desolate as a wilderness by the war,
but within the last two years we have been looking up again.
Our population and trade are rapidly increasinlg and thriving.
We now number 40,000'in population, and have handled in
the last ten months no less than $120,000,000, and you can
judge we have not had very much time to play the Ku Klux.
We have rascals among us-[Laughter]-so have you; [More
Laughter] but they are exceptions to the rule, and there is a
difference which we would have you bear in mind. Every
manner of crime with us is stigmatized as Ku Klux, while
with you it comes under the head of police items. We have
many serious obstacles to contend with, and we would ask
you, before judging of us, "Put yourselves in our place."
There is more than the mere name in that title of Charles
Reade, "Put yourself in his place." It is the modern.version
of the divine rule of Christ "Do unto others as you would
have others do to you." [Profound sensation.]
All in all, the South may congratulate herself upon having
such representatives as Messrs. Keating and Whitmore, of
Memphis, and Messrs. Turner and Converse, of Louisville.
It was regretted that the attendance of the Southern press
had not not been more general.
It is not unearthing dead issues to say that had the railway
communication between the North and South been as complete as that between the East and West, there never would
have been a war. There was no chance to put themselves in
each other's places. Let the lines between the South and




35

North be drawn nearer, past the possibility of future misunderstanding.
But I am forestalling the excellent address of Mr. W. K.
Gibson, who responded to Mr. Keating's appeal, meeting him,
as the saying goes, more than half way. The spirit of his
generous words would be lost if I did not describe his personal appearance. At first glance I thought it was Mr. Webster. There was the same hearty manner, genial countenance,
and eyes of fun. As I have had occasion to remark before,
he is another of the young millionaires of Jackson, but there
isn't the shadow of a money line in his face; and it will not
do to say any more that riches harden the heart, with such
living contradictions as live and thrive in the city of Jackson.
The reader can imagine the enthusiasm infused by such words
as these:
"It gives me the heartiest pleasure to express, in behalf of
Jackson, our gratitude at the opportunity of welcoming you.
We would not welcome you with words only-our hearts are
open to you. If our Southern friends would welcome you
with open doors, we will welcome you with our doors off their
hinges. [Shouts of applause.] And when the editor of the
Memphis Appeal, in behalf of the South, comes half way, we
will meet him the other half, and be joined in a marriage so
strong, Chicago and all the politicians in America can not get
up a divorce between us." [Renewed applause.]
The speeches were diversified with music by the Appi Concert Troupe. Henri Appi sang "A man's a man for a' that,"
and when vociferously encored sang Margery with telling
effect. He is a great, burly fellow, and when the laugh came
in, he puffed out his cheeks and doubled up his body in the
most comical way. His laughter was infectious. We laughed
until we cried (no doubt it was very silly,) and then laughed
again.
To the toast of the Ladies, there was little verbal response.
The ladies had shown their appreciation by enjoying every
moment of our trip; and the best thing which can be said for
them is, that they did not interfere, in the least, with the
enjoyment of the Gilpins of our party. The man staid at




36

home who asked his friend, "Are you going to take your wife
along, or are you going to enjoy yourself?"
The regular toasts disposed of, Mayor Noyes introduced
Mayor Simoneau, of East Saginaw, who welcomed our party
to the hospitalities of his city, in the following words:
" Gentlemen and Members of the Press Excursion: The people of the young City of East Saginaw have delegated to me
and my associates here the pleasant duty of greeting you, and
extending in their name the hospitalities and courtesies due
to so distinguished a party of visitors. We come, gentlemen,
to bid you welcome to our pioneer homes, and proffer the
hand of friendship, and to exhibit the results that flow from
honest toil, and which are enriching us, and we hope in the
future will benefit you. We have no temples, but we have
curiosities of art and nature; and we have those other and
better things-a worthy people, and a productive industry
that ranks second to no other in our fair State.
"Such as we have, give we unto you; trusting these things
may be as pleasant in your sight as they are to us. The freedom of our city, of our homes, of our limits, shall be yours
while you sojourn in the Valley, and a kind remembrance is
all we shall ask in return; and to the gentleman of this sister
city who shall go home with us, we also say welcome, as
brethren in the heritage of the Michiganders.
"Without detaining you further, gentlemen, we say to all,
welcome to our Saginaw."
Mr. Hoscbkins of East Saginaw Enterprise, followed in a
hearty speech of'welcome to the "Southern friends."
Meanwhile there had been a play of wit between the parties at the second and third table, which I with others at the
first table was too far off to appreciate. At length "Mr.
Livermore" was called upon on the charge of being an
"abolitionist," and I saw a gentleman arise who would never
be called old, although he is white headed. His complexion
was as fresh as a rose, and his voice rung out crisp and cheery
as he said:
"I am a Jackson man, and yet the speaker calls me an
abolitionist. Why, sir, I was a Jackson man when the bears




37

and Indians swarmed through its streets. [Applause.] A
few years ago I would have taken it as a great insult to have
been called an abolitionist, but I am one now, and am proud
of it. I would abolish all feeling of animosity between North
and South, and I don't get mad very often, but when I hear
the charge made that all our southern brethren are Ku Klux,
I don't believe it, and as a Jackson man I repel the insinuation. [Cheers.] We welcome you with all the warmth of
our affections. This city was named after General Andrew
Jackson, and that is the kind of an abolitionist I am."
[Applause.]
The banquet now partook largely of a love-feast, and
there's no telling when it would have ended had not Mr.
Webster announced that the ears were in waiting.
CHAPTER        VIII.
JACKSON IN GENERAL.
Jackson is situated in the. County of Jackson, which occupies the highest land in the lower peninsula, rivers running
within its limits on the west to lake Michigan, and to lake
Erie on the east. The face of the country is not diversified
by hills, strictly speaking, but rather by high strips of land
similar to the ridges between the valleys of high prairie land.
The soil is very productive, being a rich, sandy loam. In
mineral wealth the country is unsurpassed, having within
easy reach large quantities of coal, iron, fire clay, marl and
limestone. The timber is of the most valuable description.
The small towns in the county are Grass Lake, Parma, Brooklyn, Napoleon and Concord.
Jackson lies on the Grand river, rising from the river in
each direction to what might be called the upper basin of a
valley terminus, which in turn, is overlooked by a high




38

plateau, semi-circular in form, on which is located the cemetery and many beautiful residences.
Jackson is considerable of a railway center. There are no
less than seven, radiating in different directions to the great
iron ore deposits of the upper peninsula, the salt wells of
Saginaw valley, the pine and other timber of north Michigan,
and with eastern, western and southern lines of railroad,
making Jackson the nucleus of all kinds of manufacture,
and vast facilities for trade. Among the railroads completed
are the Michigan Central, Grand River Valley, Michigan Air
Line, Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, Jackson, Lansing
and Saginaw, and the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw.
Forty years ago the country was a wilderness. Gov. Cass
proclaimed it a seat of justice in 1831, under the name of
Jacksonapolis (!) The main settlement of the county was in
1834-1837-about which time the State Prison was located
here-but it grew slowly in 1841, being still yet unincorporated. The Central Railroad gave the first impetus to prosperity in 1841. By this time the name of Jacksonapolis was
changed to Jacksonburgh. In 1843 the village was incorporated as Jackson, and it obtained a city charter in 1857.
The population was then 3,000, which increased 1,000 in
five years, (1860.) The population is now variously estimated
at from 14,000 to 15,000, and the indications are favorable to
doubling the census in the next five years.
There are twelve Churches, (two colored,) and ten secret
and independent societies, by which are understood, Masonic,
Odd-Fellows, and Temperance, Young Men's Christian Association and a Literary Society.
There are three flourishing newspapers and one job office:
The Republican, Werks & Van Dyne.
Daily and Weekly Citizen, James O'Donnel, publisher and
Editor-in-Chief.
Daily and Weekly Patriot, Messrs. Carleton & Van Antwerp.
These are enterprising and entertaining journals, and are
conducted by stirring, active, energetic business men.
Geographically considered, Jackson is 76 miles west of
Detroit, 73 northwest of Toledo, 100 north of Fort Wayne,




39

100 south of Saginaw and 100 east of lake Michigan, to say
nothing of being only 24 miles from the Magnetic Mineral
Springs of Eaton Rapids, situated on the Grand River Valley
division of the Michigan Central Railroad.
These springs were discovered in 1870, since which time,
according to accounts, they have been visited by thousands
of invalids, multitudes of whom have found in these waters
a richer boon than gold can purchase-renewed health and
vigor. Without detailing the analysis of the different springs,
it is proper to say that they will cure every ill under the sun,
and that the hotel accommodations are good.
CHAPTER        IX.
THE JACKSON, LANSING & SAGINAW RAILROAD.
With the unexampled kindness shown us, as at Fort Wayne
and Jackson, we begin to realize the meaning of the old saying, "carried on their hands." We were literally passed from
the good hands of one corporation to another, and now surrendered unconditionally, to the delegation from Saginaw,
consisting of the following gentlemen:
Mayor L. SIMONEAU, T. E. DOUGHTY, JEREMIAH FISHER, C.
V. DELAND, and J. G. HOTCHKISS.
The following gentlemen of Jackson accompanied us, and
were also the guests of Saginaw:
Hon. J. S. NOYES, Mayor.
A. WATSON, Superintendent of the J. L. & S. R. R.
P. B. LooMIs, President of the Fort Wayne & Jackson
Railrodd.
E. A. WEBSTER, one of the Directors of the above railroad.
H. S. ISMON, Merchant.
W. K. GIBSON, Lawyer.
C. D. WILBER, Merchant.




40

J. D. VAN DYM, Jackson Press. and,
H. PRATT, Editor of the News, Mason.
At five o'clock, we took the train on the Jackson, Lansing,
and Saginaw Railroad.
Directors.-HENRY A. HAYDEN, Jackson; DANIEL B. IIBBARD, Jackson; W. D. THOMPSON, Jackson; H.. H. SMITH,
Jackson; PETER B. LooMIs, Jackson; O. M. BARNES, Mason;
MINOS McROBERTS, Mason; W. H. CHAPMAN, Lansing; N.
BANARD, Saginaw City; THOS. MERRILL, Saginaw City; HENRY
W. SAGE, Wenona; L. WESTOVER, Bay City; -Ion. J. B. JoY,
Detroit.
HENRY A. HAYDEN, President; HENRY W. SAGE, Vice
President; O. M. BARNES, Solicitor and Secretary; W. D.
THOMPSON, Treasurer; ANDREW WATSON, Superintendent.
Under charge of the above named officers, this road has
rapidly increased in business during the past year. This is
not shown as much by the receipts as by the amount of freight
transferred, the company having reduced the rate of transfer,
in order to compete with water transportation. The amount
of property shipped by water out of the Saginaw Valley, is
estimated at 80,000 car loads per annum. There is, besides, a
very large quantity of ingoing freight. It is the object of
this company (in conjunction with other railroad companies)
to transport freight, in future, at prices better suited to the
shipper, all things considered, than can be done by water.
The gross earnings of the road have increased at the rate of
$100,000 annually, ranging now at between $600,000 and
$700,000. The road is in excellent repair, and the above exhibit will show in a prosperous condition. Its extension to
the Straits of Mackinaw, is under contract, and will speedily
be accomplished. The wealth of the products, which this
avenue will open to trade, can not be estimated. One third
of the valuable pine lands of the Lower Peninsula of Miehigan, the great lumbering streams of Pine, Rifle, Au Gres, Au
Sable, Thunder Bay, and Cheboygan, and their branches, are
entirely within it, as also parts of Tittabawassie, Muskegon,
Manistee.




41

In this connection, by the Land Commissioners Report, it
will be seen that the company is in possession of an extensive
grant, amounting, in all, to over half a millian acres of land.
Superintendent Watson did the honors of the road on this
occasion, and if it were not so often misapplied, I could say,
"won golden opinions" from    every one.   In short, we
esteemed ourselves fortunate in being his guests.
As we drew near Lansing, we received a cordial invitation
from her citizens to stop there over night, but as the programme for the morrow's entertainment had been arranged,
we could not accept it. We tarried for a moment, and observed
an inviting, well built town, with an immense building standing like a sentinel in the center. That, we were informed,
was the Reform School, and is well worth a careful inspection.
It was night before we reached Saginaw, but there was
light enough to distinguish a line of country, not unlike that
of New Jersey, across from New   York-marshy. bottoms,
and an even surface of ground, dotted over with a low growth
of timber.  We saw, too, a new style of architecture, in
the shape of extensive low buildings, that were not quite like
a brewery, and yet did not look like a slaughter house or distillery. They certainly did not have the odor of these familiar nuisances. These buildings were surrounded with a
trestle work, on which were placed immense vats, from the
sides of which oozed a brackish looking white substance. We
might have known they were salt mills, or "salt blocks," if
we had for a moment realized the importance of this branch of
industry-salt blocks they were, and I shall have occasion
to speak of them again.
CHAPTER X.
THE PRESS OF SAGINAW.
Within a few miles of Saginaw, each member of our party
was handed an envelope containing a double slip elegantly
inscribed with:
4




42

Thie Press Gang of Saginaw Valley to the Members of the
Newspaper Fraternity from the South and South West: "Welcome."  Editorial Excursion to Saginaw Bay, June 6th and
9th, 1871.
Newspapers.
Daily and Weekly Courier, East Saginaw, Dem., C. B. Headley, Editor, G. W. Hotchkiss, Associate Editor and Business
Manager.
Daily and Weekly Enterprise, East Saginaw, Rep., G. W.
Fish, Editor, G. W. Cameron, Associate Editor, T. B. Fox,
City Editpr.
Saginaw Zeitung, East Saginaw (German,) Ind., C. Brierle,
Editor.
Saginawian, Saginaw City, Weekly, Dem., Geo. F. Lewis,
Editor and Proprietor.
Republican, Saginaw City, Weekly, F. A. Palmer, Editor
and Proprietor.
Chesaning Times, Ind., Weekly, W. P. Allen, Editor.
Herald, Wenona, Weekly, Rep., J. B. Ten Eyck, Editor and
Proprietor.
Journal, Bay City, Tri-weekly and Weekly, Rep., R. L.
Warren, Editor and Proprietor.
Chronicle, Bay City, Weekly, Ind., J. Birney, Editor and
Proprietor.
Nine newspapers-two of them dailies. This did not look
much like the wilderness, and when next morning we were
each furnished with a copy of these papers before breakfast,
we rather inclined to the opinion that we had arrived at the
head center of civilization.  They were printed on clear
type, on handsome paper, and contained, besides an unusual
amount of intelligence, a surprising number of valuable
advertisements, and vigorous, well written, spicy editorials.
What struck us, particularly, was the enthusiasm with which
we were greeted. It was very flattering, and, at the same time,
overwhelming. We felt that we were made more of than we
deserved-a feeling which, I may say here, increased every
moment of our stay, until we absolutely flew in the face of ex



43

tended courtesies by running away. We knew that if we owned
a bank, and lived a thousand years we could never return the
thoughtful, high-handed kindness of the citizens of Saginaw
Valley.
As for the press, the leading columns were headed "Welcome," and because I can give no idea of their distinguished
courtesy, I transcribe the one from the Enterprise:
" Welcome to our Editorial Brethren and other distinguished
Guests: It is with a genuine feeling of pleasure that we join
with the citizens of Saginaw in welcoming our distinguished
visitors who arrived in our city last evening from Jackson.
That we should be thus favored we hail as a fortunate circumstance, and we indulge the hope that to us, as a people, the
associations of to-day will not soon be forgotten by either.
The people of this country have long since recognized how
powerful an agency is involved in the Press-how vast an
influence it is exerting on the destiny of the world, and we
are satisfied whatever honor is bestowed upon our editorial
and other visitors to-day, will be in accord with that generous
hospitality for which Saginaw is noted.
"Our editorial brethren, and those accompanying them,
may rest assured they are in good hands, among a people who
would like to keep you a longer time than you feel at liberty
to stay. We trust your sojourn among us will be one of
pleasure, and that you will see many things in your visits
to-day which will be of interest to you,, and perhaps valuable
to you in the future."
Was not that enough to quite take our breath?
CHAPTER XI.
SAGINAW.
We did not talk any more about the wilderness; but with
the press card before us, we yet did not realize that there was
more than one local habitation under the name of Saginaw.
We arrived at a depot after night, where half of us were
dropped, the rest to go on-to East Saginaw, we were told.




44
We were to be quartered in Saginaw City, a mile and a halt
this side. Two Saginaws!-we made a note of that in our
mind. We were assigned to the Taylor House, Saginaw City,
and our other friends at the Everett and Bancroft, in East
Saginaw. "All of them first class, but the Taylor House is
kept by Mr. Hopkins, an old Indianapolis gentlemen." That
is what was said in the cars, and the last clause of the sentence decided our part of the party. With the old notion of
the wilderness clinging to us, we wended our way to the
Taylor House-it is but a step from the Depot. What was
our astonishment to find a five story building, whose outlines
were dimly but beautifully defined in the starlight. It is
built of the cream colored brick peculiar to Saginaw, and has
iron columns, cornice, and window caps painted lake color, a
favorite style of finish in this locality. We entered a broad
staircase, catching a glimpse of marble floors in the office and
halls; and a spacious dining room, and ascended to the second
floor, where we were ushered into an elegant drawing room.
To the end of the hall was-a superb verandah (room for four,)
from which we looked out on city like buildings, looming up
against the leaden sky, and listened to music from the band,
which fell on the ear very sweetly as we sniffed the breeze
from the lake. That breeze was so pure, so fresh, without a
bit of a draught to take cold in-oh, it was delightful! And
the land-lubbers we were, we could not believe it would last;
though the same blessed air came through our lattice all
night, and we slept the sleep of comfort and content.
But before we slept, we had an excellent supper; and before
we eat the supper, we had another welcome-this time from
a scholarly looking individual, who, I was informed sotto voce,
is a very talented and thriving young lawyer, Mr. Hanchett.
He welcomed us in an admirable address, in behalf of the
Mayor, Common Council, and citizens of Saginaw City, to
which Mr. Jacobs, of Indianapolis, (dropping his fork,) responded on the part of our part of the party, in a peculiarly
felicitous manner. The form of welcome over, we made it
practical by social enjoyment, and by partaking heartily of
the good things spread before us. A similar welcome was




45

extended to the guests of the Bancroft and Everett Houses.
By way of parenthesis, let me say that in these fine hotels of
Michigan, we were favored with the rare sight of a landlord,
and I can not describe the satisfaction it added to being well
cared for.
After breakfast, we found a deputation of citizens waiting
in carriages to convey us over the city, or cities. Our first
care was to learn their geography.   There were Saginaw
City and East Saginaw, with the adjacent villages of Florence, Carrolton, and South Saginaw, comprising in all a population of $25,000 souls. The Saginaw river runs between
the Saginaws, and is crossed by three substantial drawbridges, the street cars running from one town to the other.
The river is navigable for vessels not drawing over eleven
feet of water, and is seventeen miles in length, taking its rise
in the junction of the Cass, Shiawassee, and Titabawassie
rivers, just above East Saginaw.
The trade of the Saginaw river is estimated at $20,000,000
a year.
These figures sounded as vague to me as the distance of the
sun from the earth, but I could not disguise my astonishment
at the evidences of wealth and refinement on every side.
There was particular taste displayed in the dwelling-houses.
In
EAST SAGINAW,
There must be fifty elegant houses facing on the proposed city
park, and located in pleasant groves of oak timber. The park
grounds will admit of picturesque cultivation, stretching
along a ridge of high ground on the street, and sloping down
unevenly to the low lands of thicket and marsh. The marsh
can be drained into a lake of enchanting loveliness.
East Saginaw claims to be the commercial center of the
valley, being the seat of the State Salt Inspector's office, and
of the Saginaw Valley Lumberman's Association. It has
many fine blocks of houses, is lighted with gas, and has miles
of brick sewerage. It has two street railways, a brick skating rink, public halls, Nicholson pavements, and all the necessary belongings of a live, thriving city. From the cupola of




46
the Bancroft House, "the great lumber exchange of the Valley," can be counted the tall stacks of thirty-five saw mills,
nine shingle mills, and thirtysalt blocks, all in active operation. There are eight churches, and the school.property of
this and Saginaw City is greater in value, in proportion to
the number of children, than in any other town in Michigan.
Its present population is 13,000; in 1850 it was 17. It supports two daily and three weekly newspapers, including the
Zeitung, a German paper.
The Bancroft House, strange to say, was about the first
house built. The story goes: it is
A SAGINAW LEGEND:
That a certain rich man in New York owned a large tract of
wild land in these parts. He rejoiced also in the paternity of
a wild son. The son was very wild, indeed, and to give him
an opportunity of sowing his wild oats, his father sent him
out to look after his wild land. Now, there wasn't any thing
so very bad about the young man. He was only running to
waste for something to do, and when he spied the land, there
was enough of his father's son in him to see there was money
in it. He set to work improving the land. He built a hotel.
He built the Bancroft House right in the woods, and hired
somebody to keep it. He built houses, and if he did not
exactly hire people to live in them, he gave them money to
live on and set them up in business. In a little while, East
Saginaw was a bustling, thriving place, and the wild young
man a rich young man on his own account. You may be
sure, when the news of it came to the rich father in New
York, he rejoiced greatly, and in a short time he died, and
his son entered upon his inheritance. And-that is the end
of my story.
Moral: His name was Hoyt.
SAGINAW CITY.
This is the oldest settlement in the Valley and has a population of 10,000. A trading post was established here and
a fort built for its protection as early as 1812. It became an




47

important fur trading point in 1836, when vessels began plying between it and Detroit. It was then known as Pontiac,
but eventually took the name of Saginaw, which, in the Indian
dialect, means "a place to camp." It is now a handsomely
built and substantial city. It can boast of a grand hotel, the
Taylor I-Iouse, and of a splendid Union School building. In
the general distribution of splendid school buildings, I do not
need to give its length and breadth, but I wish I had space to
describe the best jail in the North West. A clean, well ventilated, wholesome jail is such a rarity in this Christian land,
that the citizens of Saginaw should have credit for one. I
might almost call it a cheerful jail. And it is not expensive
either. I commend its plan to county commissioners.
But the main object of our drive was to see
THE SAW MILLS AND SALT BLOCKS.
It was not necessary to inform us that we had arrived at
the region of lumber and salt. There were saw mills to the
right and to the left of us as far as the eye could reach. There
were booms of logs on either side of the river and up the
streams emptying into it were logs by the millions-"at least
one hundred and fifty miles of logs," I was told, waiting their
turn to be sawed.
I do not know if it would last, but for the time, there was
something very attractive about the lumber business. Perhaps because these Saginaw people were so liberal we have
formed an idea that business fosters generosity and manliness. It seems of interest, from the felling of trees in winter
to the freshets which, by the aid of the log masters, carry the
nicely marked logs to their respective owners. The wood
choppers find employment at the mills and salt works in summer. Mr. Chapin pointed one out to me. He was engaged
in supplying the saw with logs.. It was a curious study to
watch him engineer them in position, when, by pulling a rope,
the truck would suddenly emerge from the water and, with
the logs securely spiked, run up the track as if it was a monster alive and had shouldered the helpless lumber. The engineer, meanwhile, steadily ascending at the side, shortening




48

the rope hand over hand, until the load is dumped and the car'
runs down, like mad, for another brace of logs. The hungry
mill sawing them as fast as they could be carried up.
It was the pleasantest study of all to see the labor saving
machinery and the readiness with which the foreman decided
the uses of a log-whether it was to make common or choice
lumber, and the size thereof. There were men. at hand to
seize the lumber and dispose of the scantlings, stickings and
slabs-the largest of the latter were cut into staves, the refuse
made fuel of, or, with saw dust, converted into piers and town
lots.
"You will see the gang saws at work in Bay City. They
will be worth seeing," Mr. Chapin said to me. I had no idea
what he meant, but I was ready to believe them worth seeing.
I could write a chapter on the uses of saw dust and slabs.
Passing through the engine room, I found saw dust was used
as fuel. "We saw enough," Mr. Chapin said, "to run the saw
mill during the day and keep the salt works going day and
night." He then showed me a wooden frame to an iron tube
which conducted the steam from the saw mill to the salt
works. Before we visited them, I took a peep into the furnace to see
A SAW DUST FIRE.
There it was, a bank of saw dust reduced to what looked
like a huge honey comb at white heat, clouded over with red
drifts from the many colored, beautiful flames which continually burst from the fresh, smoking saw dust as the fireman
shoveled it in. Does any of my fellow excursionists recognize the picture?
LOT'S WIFE.
The salt works were an object of greater curiosity, if not
interest, than the saw mills. We visited three varieties engaged
in the manufacture of salt by steam, furnace and solar heat.
It was then we learned the uses of the long sheds, high vats
and brewery shaped buildings. We certainly were never in
cleaner places, while the air was delightful. The salt looked




49

as beautiful as it is savory, piled up in the bins or in the dripping baskets. As we threaded our way around carefully, a
youth of our company said to Mrs. Greenwood:
"How would you like to be turned into a pillar of salt like
Lot's wife?"
"I would not care," she replied, "if I could be as pure as
this," holding up to his view an exquisite salt crystal, which
had been presented to her.
No preachment was intended, but the words, fitly spoken,
sank into every heart.
The salt wells at Saginaw are considered the best in America, containing a larger quantity of salt of purer quality. No
less than 645,576 barrels were manufactured during the year
1870.
A WOMAN'S NOTE.-To make the grain of the salt fine, a
certain quantity of butter is used.
CHAPTER XII.
DOWN THE VALLEY.
The next thing in order was the visit to Wenona and Bay
City. Here our party divided-a portion going down by rail
and the rest on the steamer Minnie Bell, by water. All the
way, seventeen miles, the river was lined with saw mills, salt
works, and log booms; the water being a deep chocolate hue
from the last. The border-land was low and marshy, and
abundantly anchored with saw dust and slabs.
Arrived at Bay City, we visited Mr. Brewer's mill, which,
in the distance, we mistook for a fashionable watering place.
Its entire cost, including engine, was $150,000. All the work
about the mill is done by machinery. This mill has two gang
saws, with eighty-seven saws in each gang, besides one large
circular saw, two slabbing saws, and several small circular
saws. The yearly capacity of this mill is 25,000,000 feet. A
few feet distant from this building is "a salt block," as




50

salt works are called. Some of the wells here are eighteen
hundred feet in depth. Between seven and eight hundred
barrels of salt are manufactured a week.
We also visited the mill of H. W. Sage & Co., at Wenona,
which has the largest capacity of any mill in. the Valley.
Not long ago it sawed 370,797 feet in twelve hours.
GANG SAWS AT WORK.
Talk about pageants and spectacles! I can not imagine a
much finer sight than two mighty gang saws, each one crashing a fourteen feet log into boards in a minute and threequarters, sixty strong; neatly clad men in attendance! It was
somewhat noisy, but it is the music which has rung to the
wealth and honor of the Saginaw Yalley. This is the measure of 1870: $16,275,725.
After the visit to the mills, we took passage on the steamer
Eighth Ohio, Capt. Burrington, and were transported out to
the Bay and back. It was a pleasant trip, enlivened by music
and brief, racy speeches.
BAY CITY
Was another vast surprise. Think of it. An Opera House
worth $100,000; in the wilderness, (but I believe I was not to
speak of that any more,) a hotel on as grand a scale, banks
with half a million of capital, eight school houses, (one worth
$6,000,) and the biggest saw mill in the world! There is a
manufactory of wooden water and gas pipes in successful
operation, with a capital of $200,000.
Here, again, we were impressed with the enterprise and
urbanity of the press. Under their safe convoy, we proceeded to the Fraser House to partake of the
GRAND PRESS EXCURSION DINNER,
On Thursday, June 8th, 1871, at the Fraser House, Bay City,
Michigan.
Soups.-Mock Turtle; Tomato.
Fish.-Boiled Saginaw Trout, Egg Sauce; Boiled White,
Butter Sauce.




51

Cold Dishes.-Beef Tongue; Sugar Cured Hams; Corned
Beef.
Boiled.-Beef Tongue; Chicken with Pork; Corned Beef;
Bertch Sugar Cared Ham; Leg of Mutton, Caper Sauce.
Boast.-Rib of Beef, Brown Sauce; Pork, Apple Sauce;
Spring Chicken, Giblet Dressing; Spring Lamb, Mint Sauce;
Spring Pig, Apple Sauce; Ham; Mutton; Veal.
Entrees.-Sweetbread Panne Aux Petits Poix; Tenderloin
of Beef, Larded Mushroom Sauce; Roast Ham, Champagne
Sauce; Calf Head, Brain Sauce; Boiled Buffalo Tongue,
Tomato Sauce; Fricassee Chicken, with Fine Herbs.
Vegetables.-New Beets; Sweet Corn; Stewed Tomatoes;
New Onions; Boiled Potatoes; Green Peas; Hominy; Rice;
Turnips; Mashed Potatoes.
Relishes.-Tomato Catsup; Worcestershire Sauce; Cumberland Sauce; London Club Sauce; Radishes; Mushroom Sauce;
Walnut Catsup; Plain Pickles; Lettuce; Olives; Scullions;
Assorted Pickles.
Pastry and Desert.-Cherry Pie; Lemon Pie; Rhubarb Pie;
English Plum Pudding, Brandy Sauce; Rice Pudding, Plain
Sauce; Currant Cake; Silver Cake; Jelly Cake; Cocoanut
Cake; Marble Cake; Pecans; Almonds; Brazil Nuts; Filberts; Coffee; Oranges.; Strawberries; Lemon Ice Cream;
Sponge Cake; Vanilla Ice Cream.
Any one will admit that this was a dinner fit to set before
the king, but our party unwittingly put Messrs. Van Dusen
and McClain to some inconvenience. Each and every one
called for fish. Some of us waited for it to be caught and
cooked.
"I did not count," said one of the proprietors, "'on many
wanting fish this hot weather."
"Just bear in mind, then," a gentleman replied, "we Southerners always want fish."
He hailed from about Muncie, but we were all Southerners
to the people of Saginaw.
The substantial viands disposed of, we were served with
sparkling Catawba, and it is high time for me to say that,
with all the flow of wit and wine, there was no intoxication.




52

There were a few members of our party who did not drink
any, and those who did, kept within the bounds of decorum.
Judge Birney of the Chronicle, presided with much grace and
dignity. He is a courteous, high-bred gentleman, good looking withal, but he has a certain air of the city which made us
wonder how he ever escaped from Cincinnati. Rising to his
feet, he said, in his courtly way:
"Bay City is proud to welcome this excursion party, composed, as it is, of persons of distinction and wide influence,
who may go from our midst to convey to their readers and
friends an assurance of the activity and wealth which they
find in our city and valley.
"I see many before me from Cincinnati, of which (my old
home) I cherish the most pleasant recollections. I was back
there on a visit recently, and they asked me where I was living. I informed them, at Saginaw. 'Saginaw, Saginaw.
Where is Saginaw?' they said. [Laughter.] Now, some of
them will know. The truth is, most of the people in the
South do not recognize such a place as Saginaw on the map
of the American Continent; but those of you who are here
now, can return and tell their people of Saginaw prosperity
and enterprise." [Cheers.]
Col. C. V. Deland here extended, on behalf of the F. & P.
M1. Railway Company, an invitation to those who should
choose to remain and take a trip over the newly opened sections of their road.
Judge Birney then proposed the first toast: " Cincinnati,
Muncie and Fort Wayne linked with Bay City with iron
bands."
Mayor Randall, of Fort Wayne, responded. He said he was
happy to be called upon to respond to such a toast. He would
take this opportunity of again reminding those that had heard
him on a previous occasion, that there was a great North, and
asked them to look to that North, which was being rapidly
developed. He was one of those who believed this excursion
would do much good. The people of Fort Wayne were
anxious that the people of Cincinnati, Louisville and other
places South, should learn that there was a direct line from




53

Fort Wayne to the Northern Lake. This excursion would be
advantageous to all alike, and it was for all to form mutual
acquaintances from the Ohio river to this place. The cities
of the South and South West wanted your lumber, and such
occasions would be mutually beneficial.  Commerce would
follow these kindly associations, and Fort Wayne and Bay
City would soon be bound with an iron band.
The next toast: "Ohio: her Cincinnati, the Queen of the
West."
Dr. Comegys, of Cincinnati, responded. He expressed in
glowing language his astonishment at the prosperity and
enterprise of the Saginaw Valley, and words failed him to
convey his appreciation of the courtesies he had received. In
behalf of Cincinnati, he begged leave to hope that the fellowship between her and the Saginaw Valley, thus happily begun,
would be kept alive and strengthened in the future.
Judge Birney then asked to hear from Mr. Miles Greenwood, of Cincinnati. Now, there had not been an industry
or entertainment which had escaped the study and deliberation of this estimable gentleman, and his response naturally
hinged on enterprise. There was so much cheering that it
was impossible to catch all he said, but the meaning was clear.
There can be no enterprise where there is no money. Money
is prosperity: without prosperity there can be no enterprise.
It is like trying to make bricks without straw. [Applause.]
Mr. Greenwood paid a forcible tribute to the paying enterprise of the Saginaw Valley, and concluded with a toast, which
was received with deafening cheers: " The Ladies: God bless
them!"
Mr. Biggs, in behalf of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, returned thanks for courtesies, and pledged a return a
hundred-fold. [Cheers.]
The next toast: "The Ladies: their influence inoulds the
Press, the Press the Nation."
Judge Lowry, of Fort Wayne, responded; "I am wholly
at a loss what to say in addition to what has been already
said. I am not the handsomest man in the company, and
was not the proper person to respond to this toast. Perhaps




54

I was called upon because in my legal practice I have acquired
some fame in the defense of criminals; and who are greater
criminals than thieves, and who greater thieves than the
ladies, who so persistently steal our hearts? I am glad to
arise in their defense.
" Burns has said that Providence,
'His 'prentice hand first tried on man,
And then he made the lassies.'
'Oh, woman, in our hours of ease,
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please;
But when in pain and sore disease,
A ministering angel these.'
"First at the tomb as, last at the cross, so first in all good to
our race. Much of the prosperity of' this Valley is due to
the energy inspired by the devotion and regard for wives and
daughters.
" In conclusion, I will offer the following toast: ' The Ladies
of Saginaw Valley: beautiful, and worthy to be the wives
of such intelligent and enterprising husbands.' "  Received
with great applause.
The next toast was "Kentucky-the blue grass regionfamous for all that is lovely;" to which Mr. Converse responded briefly.
He was not,accustomed to speaking, but he had been a
writer for almost half a century, and it would be his pleasure
to chronicle all what was in his power of the enterprise,
kindness and liberality of the Saginaw Valley.
Mr. Rogers, of the Continentals, now sang "The Sword of
Bunker Hill," which was received with a noisy encore.
Judge Sutherland, of East Saginaw, was called upon to
answer to the toast of "Our Sister Cities," which he did with
a number of local hits. They must have been very funny,
for to us, who did not understand them, it was as amusing as
any pantomime we ever saw. A citizen explained that there
was considerable rivalry between the Saginaws. and Bay City,
although the prospect was fair that they would some day
become one.




55

The next toast: " Tennessee: her cotton and her enterprise
make her among the first of the States."
Response by Mr. Keating.
Mr. Keating said, in the presence of the manufacturers of
Saginaw, he had but little to say in. behalf of the manufacturers of Tennessee. After all I have seen, I much wish that
all my friends South could see what I have seen for the past
few days. We of the South are prospering, and as we recover
from the depression into which we have been plunged, we
hope to welcome you to our purified and ennobled homes.
[Applause.] We have formed new ideas of your people, and
shall gladly welcome you whenever you can visit the South.
The speaker closed with a high eulogy upon the citizens of
Saginaw Valley for the warm reception they had accorded
to their guests from the South. Mr. Keating was warmly
applauded, but he was not as much at his ease as when he
spoke in Jackson. He told a gentleman privately, that when
it came to speaking of the enterprise and kindness of the
Saginaw people, he gave it up. He could not do justice to the
subject.
To the next toast-" The Press: all powerful for good or ill,
its freedom and the liberties of the people are one and inseparable "-Mr. Robert McNiece, editor of the Fort Wayne
Gazette, responded. A fitter representative could not have
been chosen. He brings to the profession scholarly attainments, and a keen perception of the active, living present
He is mode.st withal, and in his remarks seemed. to labor under much embarrassment.
Mr. McNiece said: "Please accept my hearty thanks for
all the courtesies displayed toward the members of the press
on this occasion, as I know each one would gladly do so in
person, could he express his individual feelings. After the
silver cake from Memphis, and the cocoanut cake from Saginaw and Bay City, I should be like the man who swallowed
the cake, and then took a bitter pill. I leave you to make the
application. I am not the one to be called upon at this point
of the feast. [Yes, yes, yes.]
" In this advanced age it is not necessary to speak of the




56
influence of the press. It is said that the London Times was
instrumental in causing the Crimean war, and there is no religious or civil reform which could not be realized to-day
with a united press. [Applause.]
"Editors need to travel, and they will find that they are
not the only cabbage heads in the world. EForace Greeley,
no doubt, has been thought by many of the South to have
horns, but they have found that he was as much like a man
as any other man, if he was the poorest speaker they ever
heard. [Laughter.]
"We have learned on this trip that there are some other
important places in the world beside Chicago. We have
learned that, in order to get to some important places in this
country, it is not absolutely necessary to get there by the
way of Hades, or Chicago." [Cheers.]
This is, of course, but an imperfect transcript of remarks,
which, delivered in a clear, musical voice, had a pleasing
effect.
One of the ladies expressing a desire to hear from Judge
Sutherland, on the home topic of "East Saginaw."   The
mere recital of his words can give no idea of his oratory. It
is not what he says so much, as his manner of saying it, and
he holds a master hand over the sympathies of his audience:
"We, of the cities of the up river, feel grateful for the kind
sentiment expressed in the term sister. We are glad to feel
that we have the sympathy of our brother at the head of lake
navigation. We ask the privilege of visiting you occasionally in our canoes. You may, by and by, be visited by the
calamity of railroads, centering in Bay City. We will do
nothing to avert the calamity from you. We still ask you to
sympathize with us in the spring, when we have too much
water, and, as now, when you think we have too little. We
are glad to mingle with you on such occasions as the present,
and trust these fraternal courtesies may bind us in a closer
band of union."
Now we had the happiness of seeing and hearing the irrepressible Hotchkiss, of the East Saginaw -Enterprise, on his
own ground. I alluded to his speech at Jackson.




57

The toast to which he responded was, "Michigan, my Michigan."
My sentiments are in common with the poet, who askedSLives there a man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said
This, my own, my native land."
"As citizens of Michigan, we look with pride upon our fair
State and its immense resources. Rich in all things conducive and necessary for the welfare of our State, or of our
sister States, we welcome our visiting friends to our midst
that they may learn what we have, to furnish them of those
things which will add to their prosperity and welfare, and
we are glad to learn from them of their desire for closer relations with us. We have resources, how great, we do not
know ourselves, and if our guests woud stay with us a month,
we would, in our already developed resources, and in those
we are daily developing, display new wonders each day, and
show you new branches of industry which we can offer in
trade to our Southern brethren. We are glad to welcome
you, our friends, to our State and Valley; and we trust the
results of this occasion will cement in a closer bond of union
with us, those to whom in the past we have been comparatively strangers, and lead to better acquaintance and more
extended relations. The time is near at hand when we will
invite you to go over our roads to Mackinac, thence to Duluth, the far-famed city, the center of the universe; thence to
Puget Sound, the most beautiful water in the world; thence
to China, where Mr. Seward is now negotiating for annexation, in order that, embracing all the elements of greatness,
we may prove ourselves what we aspire to-the greatest nation upon which the sun ever shone." [Cheers.]
Thus ended the banquet, and with parting benisons on the
Happy Valley, we took the cars for Saginaw.
SHIA-BE-NEE-GANSE.
This is the name of the Indian who was invited to accompany us on the excursion to Bay City and Winona. He is
the son-in-law of Naw-Chic-a-mee, the present chief of all the




58

tribes in that part of the country. The chief is now over
ninety years of age, but has retained all his faculties, and can
relate thrilling experiences and observations in the history of
his race. There is but a remnant of them left, and they have
been deprived, by all manner of foul means, first of their
birthright, and then of subsidies from it. The Isabella Grant
is now the largest and most valuable of their possessions, and
what speaks ill for their nationality, it has been retained, as
much in spite of them as of the white citizens, an Indian having done his best to traffic it away.
The Indian of our party, Sha-be-nee-ganse, is an exception
to the general rule of indifference to pecuniary matters. He
is the owner of a fine farm, and by his industry, thrift and
honesty, has commended himself to the good graces of the
Valley people. He frequently joins them in hunting excursions, and is of infinite service. The Indians have a passion
for the circus, and in not being at Saginaw Thursday afternoon, we missed an opportunity of seeing them in full force,
pappooses and all.
Sha-be-nee-ganse was accompanied by his son, whose name
sounded quite like Ginger-snaps, meaning in the Indian dialect "Big man." His father's name signifies "needle," and
he calls himself David, but is generally known as Sha-benee-ganse. He is a very likely specimen of the Lo family,
but would not be considered at all handsome. He is tall,
and moves with a graceful, elastic, onward tread that can
not be imitated, but his eyes are small, his head ill shaped,
his cheek bones are too high and prominent, and there is a
sinister expression about his lips. In conversation he is retiring and frank. This is his tribute to the press:
"White man has more sense than Indian. White man
write down what he knows in a book. White man has it.
Indian put it down in his head. Indian forget it."
Sha-be-nee-ganse was attired in a semi-barbaric manner,
which rendered the half civilized raiment becoming. On his
head he wore a fur turban, surmounted by a crown of eagle
plumes, as big as the moon. His coat was black broadcloth,
but it was of the finest texture, and belted in with an em



59

broidered girdle, hung with deer hoofs, eagle claws, and
fanciful shells. Crossing over the left shoulder, under his
right arm, was a band of leather, upon which was neatly
mounted the skin of a rattlesnake, complete from head to tail
point, to which last was suspended a number of lively rattles.
He was very generous with these trophies, distributing them
around to any one who expressed a wish for them. His
nether trappings were the marvel. Short clothes, or breeches
of black broadcloth, with a six inch border of exquisite bead
work-elaborate design on field of scarlet-falling over the
knees, and meeting superb Huzzar shaped leggings. The
moccasins were beautiful specimens of needle-work, and outlined feet a dainty girl might envy.
Such was the holiday dress of Sha-be-nee-ganse, and it
was scrupulously neat. The only thing to mar its grace, was
a paper collar, which was worn a size to small.
RE-UNION AND SERENADES.
As if enjoyment enough had not been crowded into the
day, we were invited to attend a citizens' reception and
promenade concert, at Irving Hall, East Saginaw, Thursday
evening, June 8th.
We found an assembly of five or six hundred people, in an
elegant hall, splendid music, and a profusion of flowers and
delicacies. The enjoyment I have not words to describe.
Some of our party were dancing at two o'clock in the morning. Mr. Greenwood knows who they were.
At home, some time in the morning, we were soothed to
rest by a serenade from Prof. Barnhardt's celebrated cornet
band.
CHAPTER        XIII.
THE SAGINAW VALLEY.
I have endeavored to convey what scraps of information I
picked up as much in the palatable form of "object lessons"




60

as possible, but I must be allowed a brief resume of the
geography and statistics of the Saginaw Valley.
I have shown how the Saginaw cities are located on either
side of the Saginaw river, flanked by the villages of Carrolton, Florence, and South Saginaw. With the saw mills, salt
blocks and log booms, the population is continuous a distance
of seventeen miles to Winona and Bay City. At these points
it is yet ten miles to the Bay proper, and from this harbor
vessels are constantly leaving, loaded with timber and salt for
all quarters of the globe.
The productions of the Valley are limited only by the
number and capacities of the producers-the resources are
unlimited.
The business of the Valley is set down at $20,000,000 a
year. The division of products is timber, $16,275,725, salt,
$1,300,000, and the remainder in fish and manufactures.
The salt wells were not discovered until 1860, and the product is greater than that of the Onandaga Salt Springs in
forty years' working. The product the first year was 4,000
barrels, and over 600,000 the last, making in all 5,626,326
barrels of salt in ten years. Adding up the lumber table
makes the nice sum of 2,930,493,075 feet.
The transportation of lumber brings into service nearly
one hundred barges, with a capacity of about 25,000,000 feet.
Ship building is becoming an important branch of industry.
AUXILIARY RESOURCES.
Lumber and salt are not the only resources of the city and
Valley. At Alabaster, on the shore, and embraced within
the Valley trade, are the plaster beds, yielding about 40,000
tons of plaster annually, of the best quality. To the south
lie the newly discovered coal beds. These are located in
Shiawassee, just south of Saginaw county. On the west is
the celebrated
ST. LOUIS MAGNETIC WELL,
thirty miles from Saginaw, and connected by an excellent
plank road. I should have said magnetic wells, for there is
any number of them at St. Louis, as, in fact, all over the




61
State of Michigan. By boring from      two to fifteen hundred
feet, an almost impenetrable strata of rock is reached, after
which the auger will sometimes drop fifteen or eighteen
inches, and water, strongly charged with electricity, gushes
to the top, rising often as high as twenty-five feet above the
surface of the earth. Of course when the water is exposed to
the air, it soon loses its magnetic properties, which makes it
necessary for a patient to dwell in the close vicinity of a well,
in order to derive any benefit.
The St. Louismagnetic spring, as it is called, (it is a well)
was discovered in 1869, when boring for salt. Prof. Duffield
was immediately called upon to make an analysis, which he
did, as below, calculated on the imperial gallon. Temperature of water, 50 deg. constant. Specific gravity, 1,011:
Grains.
Sulphate  Lim e........................................................ 66.50
Silicate  Lime...................................................................  6.72
Chloride, a trace.
Bi-Carbonate Soda..................................... 1......106.40
"      Lime..............................................................   69.40
4"     M agnesia................................................ 17.50
c      Iron.....................................................  1.20
Silica  free.................................................................. 2.88
Organic matter and loss........................................2.00
Total constituents.......................................................272.60
Bi-Carbonates............................................194-62
Free  Carbonic Acid  in  Gallon...................................................21
Sulphureted Hydrogen, traces.
Total Mineral Matter in a Gallon........................................... 279.60
The Professor is slow to dilate upon its curative properties,
but salutary or not, they have become exceedingly popularthe springs bidding fair to rival Saratoga as a watering place.
There can be no mistake, however, about their curative properties. Too many invalids have been benefited thereby. I
have seen several since my return. Among others, a young
and talented editor, of Northern Indiana, who was entirely
cuted of paralysis by a short sojourn at these famous wells.




62

For the following graphic and valuable notice of the St.
Louis Magnetic Springs, I am indebted to Mr. Turner, of the
Louisville Industrial and Commercial Gazette. He and his
family spent several days there after our return from the
Saginaw Valley:
"The most direct route to these newly famed springs, is
via Saginaw City, from which a fine plank road extends
the whole distance of thirty miles, through wild, romantic
scenery, giving the tourist a few glimpses of life in the backwoods on a small scale. Large, roomy stages of the 'Concord' pattern make daily trips to and fro. Wayside inns
occur every few miles, and neat little cottages occasionally
peer out from their shady inclosures.  The time occupied
in making the trip is from four and a half to five hours, and
the ride being principally through the forest, shady and cool.
Surmounting a gentle slope, the pretty village of St. Louis
lies spread out in the quiet valley before us-a sweet, rural
picture, with its frame of wood-covered slopes. The fresh,
white cottages, the larger hotel buildings, the church spires,
and the bright-colored flag on the right denotes the whereabouts of the famous Wah-wah-sum    Springs. A moment
more and the stage reaches the Eastman House, recently
built by William  H. Taylor, Esq., its genial host.  The
table is first-class, and the rooms much larger and better furnished than is usual at places of summer resort. A verandah
extends around two sides of the building, with a broad balcony leading from the second story in front. There are
several other hotels, and those who desire excellent private
boarding, can procure good quarters at very reasonable rates,
varying from four to seven dollars per week. It is about
five minutes' walk to the bath house of the Magnetic Springs,
a building said to be the largest and best in America. The
center building, containing the reception and waiting rooms,
is two stories high, surmounted by a tasteful cupola. On
either side are long one-story wings, containing the baths,
one side arranged for the females, the other for the male
sex.




63

"In the rear runs Pine river; in front extends a lawn of
several acres, with plank walks reaching in various directions. Young shade trees have been set out, and add much
to the inviting appearance of the grounds. Crossing a little
foot bridge, we come to the spring-house, a tower-shaped
structure, such as is seen in the oil regions. In the center is
the iron tubing, from which issues, in inexhaustable supply,
the water of crystal pureness, which has been the means of
such wonderful cures. Below is an iron supply pipe, four
inches in diameter, which extends to the bath-house.
"We should mention that the entire length of this house is
one hundred and eighty feet, containing twenty baths in each
wing.
"Pine river, a tributary of the Saginaw, nearly encircles
the town, and furnishes water power sufficient to operate a
large saw-mill adjoining the spring. The scenery along its
banks is very attractive, and its waters contain an abundance
of fine fish. The site of St. Louis is one hundred and fifty
feet above Saginaw City, and the atmosphere is cool and
salubrious. A trip to this point well repays the visitor,
while the necessary expenses are scarcely one-half of those
of the more fashionable springs. To persons contemplating
a visit, we would advise the following route: From Louisville via Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis R. R.; thence
over the Bee Line and Muncie route, connecting with the
Fort Wayne and Muncie Railroad to Fort Wayne, stopping
over night; via Fort Wayne and Jackson, and Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw railroads to Saginaw City; stop over night,
or longer, at the Taylor House; thence by stage to the destination."
THE SAGINAW LIMESTONE,
as shown by careful analysis, is of the very best quality.
The quarries are located on Stone Island, which lies on the
east side of Saginaw Bay, about twenty-four miles from the
Saginaw river. The marl deposits are also rich and extensive. During 1869, an extensive marl bed was develope don
the Saginaw river, north side, midway between East Saginaw




64

and Bay City. The marl is pronounced to be a fertilizer
almost equal to guano.
AGRICULTURE.
The city is surrounded by a very rich and productive
region, one that in quality is fully equal to, and in extent far
surpasses, the far-famed Genesee Valley of Western New York.
As yet the agricultural resources are, to a large extent, undeveloped, but owing to the brisk demand and high prices for
farm products, caused by the manufacturing industry, more
attention is being given in that direction, and it proves largely
remunerative.
RAILROAD FACILITIES.
The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, connected at Holly
with the Detroit and Milwaukie, is the pioneer, and will be
be completed to Lake Michigan in 1872.
The Bay City and East Saginaw Railroad is operated by
the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Company.
The Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad.
ROADS UNDER CONTRACT.
To St. Louis magnetic springs, connecting with the Grand
Rapids and Chicago; to St. Clair, on the St. Clair River, to
form a part of the Chicago Southern Railway, and from East
Saginaw to Ann Arbor.
The county of Saginaw is sixth in population in the State,
(39,095,) and twelfth in valuation.
CHAPTER XIV.
FAREWELL TO THE VALLEY.
At Saginaw we were honored with a dispatch from Mr. D.
McLaren, General Superintendent of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad, tendering the hospitalities of that




65
road to Lima, and similar invitations were extended by C. E.
Gorham, Superintendent of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and
Chicago Railroad, and by Doctor Potter, President of the
Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. Upon account of special
arrangements for our return home, we were obliged to decline
these much esteemed courtesies.
THE PARTING.
When the time, "it came to part" from our Saginaw Valley
friends, in the regret experienced, we were made to feel the
hold they had taken on our affection and respect. In the
language of the Enterprise that morning:
" The bridegroom may forget the bride
'Twas made his wedded wife yestreen,
The monarch may forget the crown
That on his head an hour has been,
The mother may forget the child
That smiles sae sweetly on her knee,
But we'll remember you, our friends,
And the pleasures we have shared with thee."
At half past 8 Friday morning, there was a general meeting of the excursionists at Saginaw city, which was well
attended by the citizens of the Valley. The utmost social
enthusiasm  prevailed. A   committee of the excursionists
submitted the following resolutions which were received and
adopted with genuine applause:
The excursion party from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana,
Ohio and other States, on the eve of their departure from the
Saginaw Valley for their respective homes, beg leave to offer
the following resolutions:
Resolved, That the excursion under the superintendence of
Mr. Grafton has been a grand success.
Resolved, That to the people of East Saginaw City and Bay
City, we return our heartfelt thanks for a generous hospitality,
evidenced by unnumbered kindnesses extended with open
hearts.
Resolved, That we can not leave the Saginaw Valley without expressing our sense of appreciation of their industry,




66

their skill and tact, and that we have no hesitancy in pronouncing their labors unexampled in the history of the
Union, everywhere considered the synonym of progress and
enterprise.
Resolved, That in taking our leave and saying farewell, we
do so with a regret as deep' as the admiration for the people
of Saginaw Valley is high.
R. LOWRY,
J. M. KEATING.
W. B. VICKERS.
At a meeting of the Cincinnati delegation, held the evening
before, at the Bancroft House, East Saginaw, June 8, 1871, the
following resolutions were framed and heartily approved:
"Resolved, That the delegation of citizens of Cincinnati beg
leave to express their thanks to the following persons for
kindness and courtesies extended to them during the excursion trip to Saginaw bay: Mr. J. IH. Sheldon, Superintendent
Cincinnati and Indianapolis Junction Railroad; Mr. W. W.
Worthington, Superintendent Fort Wayne, Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad; Mr. William A. Ernst, Superintendent
Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad; Mr. A. Watson,
Superintendent Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad; and
to all the other officers and employes of these roads, and to
the committee of arrangements, and to the citizens of Fort
Wayne, Jackson, Saginaw city, East Saginaw and Bay City,
for their hospitable attentions and whole-souled libeiality
shown us during our visit and stay among them. We have
found the spirit of enterprise and growth of these cities far
beyond anything we had expected, and we are satisfied that
these new lines of communication with our city will add an
element of material progress that will be of great advantage
to the trade and commerce of our people, and we have no
doubt that the acquaintance so pleasantly begun will be continued to our mutual advantage in the future. We also
tender our thanks to Dr. H. C. Potter, Superintendent and
Treasurer of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, for an




67

invitation to pass over his road, which we find impossible to
accept at this time."
LIST OF CINCINNATI DELEGATES.

LEWIS WORTHINGTON,
T. R. BIGGS,
*MILES GREENWOOD,
DR. C. G. COMEGYS,
L. H. SARGENT,
GAZZAM GANO.
JAMES L. HAVEN,
JOSEPH KINSEY,
H. L. LAWS,
OLIVER KINSEY,
L. S. WORTHINGTON.
A. L. ANDREWS,

MRS. L. WORTHINGTON,
MRS. MILES GREENWOOD,
MRs. T. R. BIGrS,
MRS. J. H. LAWS,
MRS. J. L. HAVEN,
MRS. A. L. ANDREWS,
MRS. G. GANO,
MISS SALLIE MEAD,
MISS MAGGIE BONNER,
MISS HATTIE GANO.

The general meeting was held at the depot and broke up
with three cheers and a tiger, which we could hear above the
whistle of the locomotive as we steamed up the valley.
CHAPTER XV.
HOMEWARD BOUND.
Once more en route, we were not forsaken by our new
friends. They accompanied us to the return station where
we were met by our Jackson friends. Their kind faces were
very welcome. The trip to Jackson was occupied in lively
conversation, all of us feeling, by this time, perfectly at home
with each other.
THE MICHIGAN STATE PRISON.
The train halted the other side of Jackson to allow us an
opportunity of visiting the State Prison. Here we were received by Mr. John Morris, the agent or warden, (as we call




68

the official), who conducted us to the prison. It was high
noon, and we had an opportunity of seeing the prisoners
march in to dinner. There were six or seven hundred of
them, and as, with their striped uniform on, they filed along
the irregular stone walls in locks of fifty, they bore more of
a resemblance to the fabled sea serpent than to human beings.
They were very human, as their appreciation of a few feeble
words of sympathy abundantly proved. All unused to public
speaking, it was in my heart to say much that was kind and
profitable, but the words fell cold and weak from my lips.
H-lad I been accustomed to a sea of faces, I should have
been overwhelmed by the spectacle of nearly a thousand men
in bonds. With their eager, sorrowful eyes fixed upon me, I
can not describe the feeling of relief when the silence was
broken by a shout, as I said, I hoped to meet them again on
the other side of the prison walls. I meant to assure them
that there was plenty of room in the busy world outside for
them-that the world stands in need of just such good citizens as, they, with their habits of industry, order and obedience, can become.
In a conversation with Mr. John Morris, the agent of the
prison, he said:
"In this shop" (we were passing through a spoke and lath
shop), "there has not been a discredit mark for sixty days."
" You then commute sentence with good behavior?"
"Yes, that is our custom, and it works well. You would
be surprised at the time some of the prisoners gain. They
are not, after all, such a bad set of men. I took charge of
them, I confess, with some degree of nervousness, but, with
kind treatment, they are a quiet, well ordered people.
"I find there is policy and profit, as well as humanity, in
kind treatment. My experience, thus far, sustains me fully,
in abating much of the severity formerly deemed indispensible in such institutions. The greatest problem with me is,
who shall help me in the management of those men. I want
men of kind, humane dispositions, but always even and firm
in discipline-men whose strength lies in heart, not in
muscle."




69
Mr. Morris dwelt at some length on his duty to fit these prisoners for a responsible place in the world, when the term of
their imprisonment shall have expired; and gave me many
interesting instances of reform, which I have not space to include in this writing. He gave me, also, the workings of the
abolition of capital punishment--statistics to prove its salutary effect, sustained by examples of pardon extended to life
convicts. The system of solitary confinement at hard labor
is virtually abolished. It was impracticable, as far as labor
went, and had a cruel effect upon the prisoner. After a short
time, he almost invariably became insane. At the time of
our visit there was but one of the prisoners confined in his
cell. He was detected making his escape, and is, in nature,
more nearly allied to the brute than to human creation.
There were only seven female convicts-one for the diversion of killing her father-in-law, a colored woman for murdering three little step-children. The prison itself seemed to
be in splendid condition-clean, well ventilated, and freshly
whitewashed. The prison fare is wholesome and abundant.
MR. WEBSTER AGAIN.
An important industry connected with the prison, is the
wagon manufactory of Austin, Tomlinson & Webster. They
employ two hundred convicts, and a large number of free
men. They occupy a building 50x400 feet, two stories high,
with a 30 feet ell for an engine room. Ten acres of land and
a dozen store houses are used for the wagons, as they are
turned out of the shops, and for storing material, etc. The
engine is eighty horse-power, and the best of machinery is
used in every department of the work.
My readers will remember the fine army wagons, which, a
little while ago, were common on the streets. The most substantial of them were manufactured by this company. It is
said, also, that these wagons are the only ones that will stand
the wear and tear of a trip to California. Others, less highly
seasoned and carefully built, fall to pieces with the heat of the
plains. Last year this company manufactured between six
and seven thousand wagons.




70

SEEING 'US HOME.
Once more aboad, the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw
Railroad Company renewed our obligations, by serving ns,
with their own hands, a bountiful repast. That is, those of
them who, as the children say, came a piece of the way home
with us, Need I add that we parted from them with unfeigned regret.
Mayor Randall had arranged that we should again be the
guests of Fort Wayne, and we spent the night in that delightful city. But there was a gloom over it which the offices
of hospitality could not dispel. Two nights before there had
been a terrific explosion of rose oil, by which several citizens
were killed and wounded, and considerable property destroyed. In face of these facts, a vender of rose oil comes out
in a card and says: "It is the safest, cleanest and best
illuminating oil in use."
CONCLUSION.
Bidding our Fort Wayne friends adieu, Saturday morning
we took our last departure homeward. Now, partings began
to multiply on us, our fellow travelers dropping off, one by
one, or in parties, at the different stations. The Benhams,
Turners and Jacobs, we had left at Saginaw, for a fishing
bout, and we, in turn, were left behind by our Southern
friends. I am sure all will join me in saying, it was a most
enjoyable trip, undisturbed by any infelicities, or the shadow
of discontent.




TESTIMONIALS.
CINCINNATI TESTIMONIAL.
The Saginaw Valley Excursion- What the Excursionists SawImportance of the New Railroad Connections to CincinnatiThanks.
CINCINNATI, June 10, 1871.
To the Cincinnati Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce:
Your committee appointed to go with an excursion to celebrate the opening of the line of road, making a new, all rail
unbroken connection for Cincinnati, of over three hundred
and sixty miles, with the Saginaw Valley and Lake Huron,
making an era in the history of our city that needs only to
be improved to be of vast importance to us, beg leave to
report that we left Cincinnati, via the Cincinnati, Hamilton
and Dayton Railroad, on the 6th inst., at 7:06 o'clock. Arriving at Hamilton, we took the Indianapolis and Cincinnati
Junction Railroad for Connersville, on our way stopping at
the following places:
Miles from PopulaCITY.                                    Cincinnati.  tion.
Connersville, Ind....................................................  50  3,500
Cambridge City, Ind.........................................  80  2,500
Newcastle, Ind.................................. 85   2,500
M uncie, Ind..............................................................105  3,500
Fort Wayne, Ind.......................................... 175  20,000
Jackson, Michigan.............................................. 275  14,000
Saginaw City, Mich................................................376  8,000
East Saginaw, Mich.................................378   13,000
W inona, M ich.......................................................391  2,000
Portsmouth, Mich..................................... 391  2,000
Bay  City, Mich...............................................3.. 93  8,000
Bangor, Mich......................................................  303  2,000




72

While our city has been struggling and making vain efforts
to get a direct railroad connection south, our interests toward
the north have been in a measure overlooked; but, in the
meantime, the links in this northern line of roads have been
quietly united, that bring within easy reach of our enterprise
the commerce of two large States, already teeming with a
live and enterprising population, producing the raw materials
that our manufacturing industry consumes, at lowest cost, and
consuming the products of our manufactures, and ready to
share our commerce on terms that we can offer in competition with any market within their reach.
At Fort Wayne, Indiana, we found them making machinery
and wagon work on a very large scale, and consuming some
of the manufactures of iron brought from Connecticut that
are made and sold in our market of better quality and at
cheaper prices than are to be found elsewhere. This, in con--
nection with the fact that we can now-thanks to the Fort
Wayne, Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad-offer them low
rates of freight, should induce a large portion of their valuable trade to come back to us, that has been diverted to other
places. At the city of Jackson, Michigan, energy, thrift and
enterprise were apparent on every hand, and your committee,
one and all, expressed the greatest surprise to see the growth
and magnitude of this young city. On reaching Saginaw,
we found within a radius of a few miles on an arm of lake
Huron, a population of fifty thousand people-all thriving
and prosperous, with street railroads, well paved streets and
commodious first-class hotels-making up a community that
can only be appreciated by seeing them. Our delegation was
received everywhere with the utmiost cordiality, and every
pains taken to show us the results of their industry. We
saw mills that had a capacity of forty million feet per annum.
Salt works which from a production of four thousand barrels
in 1860 reached a production of 645,516 barrels in 1870. This
vast industry necessarily consumes a large amount of material in the way of machinery, oils, soap, candles, belting, tools,
etc., and our manufacturers and merchants should take pains
to canvass this trade,, which may in time be made vastly




73

profitable to both sections of the country. We are the natural
distributing point for the sugar and molasses of Louisiana,
and the cotton fabrics manufactured in the south, who already
have their agents established here. For this important connection with this rich section of country we are indebted to
our enterprising fellow citizen, Lewis Worthington, and his
associates, who have made this for Cincinnati at great personal sacrifice, yet it must stand an enduring monument to
their character as liberal citizens and men of enterprise.
The Cincinnati delegation held a meeting last Thursday
evening, the 8th inst., to return their thanks for the many
favors shown them during their stay, a copy of which we
herewith inclose in our report. We think the people of that
section of the country should be invited to visit our city at
an early day.     Respectfully,
GAZZAM GANO,
J. L. HAVEN,
MILES GREENWOOD,
Committee from Board of Trade.
T. R. BIGGS,
L. H. SARGENT,
H. L. LAWS,
Committee from Chamber of Commerce.
TESTIMONIALS OF THE PRESS.
The recent completion of the Muncie route to the great.
lumber and salt regions of the Saginaw Valley is of immense
importance to our State and the South, it forming the connecting link of an almost air line between the two sections,
and placing our dealers in easy and direct communication
with the producer, thereby enabling us to compete with any
market. By means of the new connection lumber can be
loaded on cars at Saginaw and landed in Louisville in three
days, without re-handling. By the old routes, via Chicago or
Detroit, it required from nine to thirteen days. The condition of the track throughout is superior to most roads, and
the rolling stock is new and handsomely constructed. The
lumber is placed directly from the mills upon the Jackson,




74

Lansing and Saginaw Railroad, thence over the Jackson and
Fort Wayne road, connecting with the Fort Wayne and
Muncie Railroad to Indianapolis, forming an unbroken line
of rail for freight. This opportunity should be taken advantage of at once by Louisville dealers.-J..H. 'Turner, industrial and Commercial Gazette, Louisville, Kentucky.
Next morning, at half-past eight o'clock, we started on our
return trip, but before leaving, the Saginaw Valley, we must
not fail to acknowledge the spontaneous hospitality of her
people, respect their enterprise, envy their prosperity, and
turn upon the Enterprise with the same quotation which it
used in bidding us good by:
" The bridegroom may forget the bride
'Twas made his wedded wife yestreen,
The monarch may forget the crown
That on his head an hour hath been,
The mother may forget the child
That smiles sae sweetly on her knee,
But we'll remember you, our friends,
And the pleasures we have shared with you."
-E. R. Zeller, Oxford (Ohio) Citizen.
The public buildings, the hotels, and the large dwellings
in these "sister cities" are built in the most modern styles
and designs. Everything has the appearance of enterprise
and prosperity. In no other city in the land have they.such
saw mills, such. salt works, such whole-souled people, such
live business men, and such-shall we say it?-pretty women
as are found here.-R. H. Weamer, Steuben Republican.
EXCURSION TO THE BIG WOODS.-We went up in Michigan
last week with a lot of editors and civilians, on a voyage of
discovery. We started expecting to surprise somebody. We
come back feeling that somebody up north had surprised us.
We took our wives along, expecting, at least, to make the
Indians and other natives stare. We came back with a kind
of vague idea that we had seen the country that wives first
came from, (though, of course, we felt we had the best of
them.)   We went expecting to eat up everything they had,




and then intended to call for more, but the more we ate and
drank the more there seemed to be left.
It is difficult to describe our trip. The more we think
about it the less we want to say, for nothing but wild adjectives can do it justice, and they all seem tame when harnessed in here. Imagine a company of a hundred and fifty
ladies and gentlemen, with a pre-determination to like each
other, with a train of palace coaches placed at their disposal
for a run through a most interesting country, new to almost
the entire party, and the people along the line vieing with
each other in kindness and whole-souled hospitality to their
guests, people which may justly be called the first of all this
great Yankee nation in intelligence, enterprise and thrift,
and you have some idea of what the Saginaw excursionists
had to suffer. As before stated, the whole trip is summed up
by saying, we started out to capture, and got captured ourselves.-A. C. Melette, Muncie Times.
The stranger, in Jackson, and in these valley cities, can not
fail to be impressed with the magnificence of the public and
private buildings, and the progressive spirit exhibited in all
those features of a town which indicate taste, intelligence,
and an appreciation of art. While, by active industry, they
readily acquire wealth, they seem to appreciate that wealth
only as it may be used in beautifying their homes, in developing a higher condition of intelligence, and in drawing
others to them by a lavish and cordial hospitality and the
utmost good fellowship.- George S. Brown, Correspondent Indiana Herald, Huntington, Indiana.
We regret, very much, that the crowded state of our columns will not permit an extended mention of the many
attentions and whole-souled liberality extended by the citizens of Fort Wayne, Jackson, Saginaw City, East Saginaw,
and Bay City. We also regret that we are unable to give a
proper description of the excellent country through which
these roads pass, and the immense resources which account
for the wealth and advancement of a country which, but a
few years ago, was an unbroken wilderness.




76

The heartfelt thanks of the entire party are due Messrs.
Worthington, Grafton, and others, who did everything that
could add, in the least, to the comfort and happiness of the
excursionsists.-J. Craig, Blufton Banner.
GREAT RESOURCES OF THE SAGINAW VALLEY.
It shall now be our object to give to those of your readers
who were- unable to accompany the party a more full and
complete history of the trip, the enjoyments and other
items of interest connected with the same, but above all shall
we endeavor to convey to the mind of the reader some definite
idea of the great resources of the Saginaw Valley and its
tributaries, the untold amount of wealth contained therein,
the enterprise and public spirit everywhere recognized among
its inhabitants, and should we thereby be the means of encouraging a commercial, as well as a social intercourse between
the citizens of the great valley of the Saginaw and those of
the Mississippi valley and Southern States, we feel that an
object will be achieved that will redound not only to the
pecuniary advantage of both sections, but to the lasting perpetuity of a friendly intercourse that is but in its pristine
state at this period.-F. S. Shurich, Agent Associated Press, Correspondent Cincinnati Gazette.
THE WONDERFUL VALLEY OF THE SAGINAW.
We have a task before us which is both pleasant and painful; to. write of our visit to the wonderful valley of the
Saginaw. It is pleasant to write, because the time we spent in
going, coming and while we were there, was the most pleasant of our life; it is painful because we are conscious of our
inability to do the subject justice.
By the completion and opening of the Fort Wayne, Muncie
and Cincinnati Railroad-of recent occurrence-a new line of
commerce has been inaugurated. The heart of the great
pine region of the north has been pierced, and the lumber
trade, heretofore running around by Toledo, Cleveland and
Buffalo, is set directly South, so that we get lumber and salt




77

direct, instead of by the circuitous route heretofore employed.-John 0. Hardesty, Anderson Herald.
COUNTRY OF VAST RESOURCES AND ENERGETIC PEOPLE.
The limited time which the party were permitted to remain
in the Valley, precluded the possibility of seeing all worth
seeing-a month could be profitably spent there-but they
remained long enough there to discover that it is a country
of vast resources, both in an agricultural and manufacturing
point of view; that the people are energetic and wide-awake
as to their business interests; and, while attending to those,
they do not forget the educational part, as is shown by the
magnificent school buildings in some of the cities-the one in
Saginaw City would be a credit to any city in the country.E. H. Bundy, Democratic Times,  uncie, Ind.
EXTRAORDINARY GROWTH OF THE NORTH-WEST.
The people of the Northwest, not satisfied with the wonderful growth of agricultural products, have copied the example of England; have found in the profound depths of a
soil which yields most abundantly, a mineral wealth which,
by the aid of brawny arms and stout hearts, they skillfully
fashion into machines of extraordinary capacity, increasing
facilities for manufactures that find a demand as needy as
their power to satisfy. The Northwest, with a constantly
increasing population demanding aids and assistants in the
work of developing the country, was forced to have recourse
to mechanical devices and machines, while the South, stimulated by a world's demand for cotton, enlarged her area of
growth for that staple and saved from his vices the negro
machine, not more reliable or intelligent than those, which,
guided by the northwestern farmer and manufacturer, have
built towns and cities, and made a garden out of a wilderness.
And not only this, the means of education and personal culture have kept pace with the work of material development,
evidenced in. magnificent school houses maintained at the
public expense, and other institutions of a practical and




78

beneficent character. From the hour I left.-J. 1. Keating,
M1emphis Appeal.
A MOST ENERGETIC AND HOSPITABLE PEOPLE.
IHlre we are safe in Memphis, after an absence of eight
days, during which we traveled some thousands of miles, and
met with many incidents not only pleasant to remember but
probably of interest to many Southern tourists who may be
ready to take their annual departure for cooler and healthier
climes. Heretofore the Southern people have thought that a
trip to that attractive and progressive part of the world known
as North Michigan, lying on 'the shores of Lake Huron, necessarily involved a circuitous pilgrimage by way of Chicago,
or the more Eastern and tortuous route by way of Sandusky,
Toledo and Detroit. But this idea has been put to flight by
the opening of a central railroad through route connecting
Louisville and Cincinnati directly with the city of Saginaw,
which outrivals "Duluth," and is one of the most enterprising as well as hospitable places in the country. This region
has had no direct connection with the Ohio river, and was
supposed by the refined people of the outside world to be
inhabited by. a race of wood-choppers, hunters and saltboilers, who afforded a fiue opening for missionary efforts.
How we have to change our opinions often, and feel like
asking others to do the same, may be inferred from the pleasant surprise enjoyed on this trip,, at finding ourselves, as
Southern men, welcomed with unstinted liberality by communities of highly educated, refined and prosperous people;
and how we made not only acquaintances but friends worthy
to be claimed and remembered as such with pride and pleasure, are matters which none can doubt who read this feeble
description of our reception and entertainment.-E. Whitmore, Public Ledger, Memphis.
A JOYOUS OCCASION.
Of the excursion, we may say this: That it was gotten up
by those who had the management of the undertaking, without sparing anything that could render it either pleasant or




79:
profitable to the guests. The citizens of Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw, opened their hearts in displaying their generous hospitality, in a manner that the editors will never forget. The company, as may well be imagined, enjoyed themselves as only men who are hard worked and closely confined
during the greater part of their lives, can enjoy themselves.
It was emphatically a joyous occasion. It was more than
this. It was the uniting and commingling of representations
of the press from sections of the country, but a short time ago
bitterly hostile to each other. It was an opportunity for
them to discover, not how many causes of difference existed
between them, but how many points of agreement there
were. It was a time for men and women to find how much
nearer they were to each other than they had supposed, how
much better and kinder they found out their friends to be
than they had imagined.
Much is due to Messrs. Worthington and Grafton, for the
fine manner in which everything was conducted.-Samuel
Davenport, Bluffton Chronicle.
GROWTH AND WEALTH OF SAGINAW.
"In the limited space allowed for a single letter I can not
say anything, in what room is left for this one, of the wonderful growth and accumulated wealth of Saginaw. The telegraph has advised you of the princely manner in which our
party was received and entertained at the different stopping
places. If General Grant and all the members of his cabinet
had been with us, we would not and could not have been
treated with more consideration and entertained in a more
hospitable and sumptuous manner. We were feasted and
toasted at every convenient opportunity. Private houses
were thrown open, hotels were at our disposal, "without
money and without price," and carriages were subject to
order whenever wanted for visiting any point of interest.
The entire period has been one of unbounded and unmarred
pleasure never to. be forgotten by those who participated in
the scenes of joy that have surrounded us."-R. V. Wecaner,
Steuben Republican.




80

GREAT SAGINAW ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC.
This excursion was in the interest of the new roads leading
from Cincinnati and the South through Muncie, Fort Wayne,
Jackson and Lansing to Saginaw, thence soon to Mackinaw,
to connect with roads from Duluth and the Northern Pacific.
Members of the press, railroad men and others, with their
ladies, were invited from all along the line and off the line,
and though it was an unmitigatedly inexpensive journey to
the invited guests, no expense or pains were spared by the
railroads or the citizens of any of the towns through which
we passed, and it seemed entirely divested of any advertising
air, sometimes given to excursions. Everybody showed us
their possessions and advantages, because they were proud of
them, and glad to have the chance to divide a little with appreciative neighbors. The wealth and enterprise of the
country through which we passed deserves to be known.B. Moffatt, Springfield Republican, Ohio.
THE GROWTH OF TEN YEARS.
We presume it is hardly necessary to add that the excursionists were very agreeably surprised to find a large city
here instead of a small backwoods town as they expected.
We find here a city of ten or twelve thousand inhabitants,
filled with magnificent buildings and palatial residences.
The railroad connections and steamboat navigation of the
Saginaw river, the bay and the lakes, has, in the short space
of ten years, converted the dense wilderness into a large
and beautiful city. The lumbermen are no longer lumbermen camping in the wilderness of the pineries, but capitalists
and wholesale dealers in this prosperous city.-J. S. Jennings,
Marion, Ind., Mississinewa Monitor.
ENERGY AND ENTERPRISE OF MICHIGAN.
The invitation was extended to us by the Fort Wayne,
Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad Company, a company that
has completed a very important link in the chain of roads,




81

binding the vast pine forests, saw mills and salt works of
Michigan to Southern Indiana and Ohio.
It was the. first time we had had the pleasure of seeing that
section of country, and on every hand we were equally surprised and delighted with the spirit of energy and enterprise that has built up the handsome towns and cities, which
dotted our route, the spirit which is manifested in Michigan,
in the tillage of their fertile fields, and in the clearing of
thousands of acres of magnificent forest growth, which has
crowded the banks on both sides of the Saginaw river for
twenty miles with large piles of lumber and with innumerable saw logs, and which has drilled many artesian wells for
salt water, and has manufactured from the brine immense
quantities of beautiful crystalized salt.-A. Converse, Christian
Observer, Louisville.
WHAT THE SAGINAW VALLEY IS LIKE.
The Saginaw Valley more nearly resembles a vast bee-hive
than any place I have ever seen. Full fifteen miles of broad
river is lined on either bank with immense mills and "salt
blocks," and thousands of men are driving ahead by steam,
day and night, turning out lumber in every shape, which is
shipped to the four quarters of the habitable globe. Some of
these mills are so immense that no mere description of them
can be credited, and the aggregate of the business done here
is so tremendous that it must be seen to be believed.
My thanks are due to so many corporations and individuals, for various favors cheerfully rendered, that I can only
thank them collectively and hope that we may meet again in
1872.-WT. B. Tickers, Saturday Evening Mirror, Indianapolis.
NATURAL OUTLET OF THE PENINSULAR STATE.
SAGINAw.-The river bearing that name,.and on the banks
of which the city of Saginaw, East Saginaw and Bay City,
with intermediate towns of lesser note are situated, is the
natural outlet for the vast lumber region of the Peninsular
State. Here we found within a radius of a few miles on an
arm of Lake Huron, a population of 50,000 people-all thriv



82

ing and prosperous, with street railroads, well-paved streets,
and commodious first-class hotels-making up a community
that can only be appreciated by seeing them.-Howard Briggs,
Indiana Press, Greencastle, Ind.
HUNTING THE BAY AND THE WILDERNESS.
In the morning a drive around Saginaw, East Saginaw and
South Saginaw was the first order, and in company with Mr.
Braley, ex-Mayor of Saginaw, and behind a three minute
pony, 1 made the circuit. Of course the first thing I asked
for was the bay. Imagine my astonishment and pity my
geography, when I learned that Saginaw City was on Saginaw river, some sixteen miles from Saginaw Bay. The next
time I make a journey, a study of the map shall be my first
thought. The drive showed that instead of there being only
a lumber station somewhere in the wilds of a Michigan forest, there were three towns so closely connected as to be in
reality one, and having fine stores, elegant dwellings, brick
business blocks, hotels that put to shame those in Indianapolis, as mine host, Wesley of the Bates, can testify, Nicolson
pavements, and twenty-five thousand people.-A. J. Halford,
Journal, Indianapolis.
HEAD CENTER OF CIVILIZATION.
The next morning we took carriages again, and from their
cushions inspected Saginaw City, East Saginaw and South
Saginaw. Saw mills, salt blocks, shingle shops, log rafts, lath
factories, palatial stores, residences with swell fronts, south
exposure, and Nicolson pavements flitted by us and circled
round us to our infinite amazement. We were looking for
Indians, wigwams, squaws, pappooses, bows and arrows, bears
and red leggins, but if they ever were here they had vanished, and cities of splendor had arisen in the wilderness.A. M. Benham, Musical Review, Indianapolis.
THRIFT AND WEALTH OF THE SAGINAW VALLEY.
To say that the excursionists from Indiana and the South
were astonished at the appearance of thrift and wealth in the




83
Saginaw Valley, is to speak in very measured terms. Just
imagine twenty-seven miles of river front, the shore on
either side lined with rafts of pine logs, continuous piles of
lumber in the back ground, and back of these, saw mills and
salt works thickly sandwiched.
Such is the rapidity with which the rough log is cut into
lumber, that a boat may land at the wharf with an order,
and the lumber will be sawed and placed on board as rapidly
as it can be loaded from the dock.
We should be pleased to say more of this wonderful country
and generous, hospitable people.-P. S. Westfall, Manager
Terre Haute Express.
CAPITAL FISHING AT SAGINAW BAY.
Tarrying behind the great majority of the excursionists,
we enjoyed for a few days longer, than they, the generous
hospitality of the people of Saginaw City. For several days
we had seemingly been looking upon a panorama of brilliant
sights, which was unrolled at railroad speed from the capital
of Indiana to the head waters of Saginaw Bay; and we were
not loth to give heed to the urgent invitation of our new
friends to stay a little longer, and "go a fishing."  Our host
Hopkins, of the Taylor House, Saginaw City, with his efficient lieutenant, Armstrong, "seconded the motion," and so
we allowed trunks to rest on their castors while we prepared
our lighter traps for handy use on the river.
This new northern route is destined to be a favorite one
with the traveling public.
The cities of the valley, Saginaw, East Saginaw and Bay
City, are all flourishing and prosperous towns, and have excellent hotels. We thoroughly tested and enjoyed the hospitalities of all of them.-Charles P. Jacobs, Evening News.
THE KIND, GENEROUS AND INDOMITABLE MICHIGANDERS.
To see now, in the midst of a surrounding wilderness,
where, in 1850, were only two or three log houses, two lively
cities of nine and eleven thousand inhabitants, with their
hotels, rivaling in beauty and merit those of Chicago, with




84

their elegant private residences, with their beautiful business
houses, their street railways, and their eighty thousand dollar school houses, was enough to fill the minds of the visitors
with combined surprise and admiration at the wonderful
energy and enterprise of the indomitable Michiganders.
This surprise and admiration continued to increase during
our entire sojourn of two nights and a day in this never to
be forgotten Valley of the Saginaw. But time calls us to tell
of all the kindness, generosity and public spirit of these
chivalrous Michiganders. Let them be assured that it touched
and won the hearts of all. Nor shall we soon forget our obligations to the courtesy and far-sightedness of the officers of
the roads over which we traveled, to all members of the
party, whose pleasant companionship we enjoyed, is herewith extended cordial and fraternal greeting. They will
doubtless be glad to join in the following chorus:
Long live the Michiganders,
John Grafton, long live he,
And when he next doth rise abroad,
May we be there to see.
-Robert MceNeice, Editor Gazette, Fort Wayne.
THE LARGEST SAW MILLS IN THE WORLD.
The saw mills, on the Saginaw river, are said to be the
largest and most efficient in the world-at any rate, we know
that it takes less time for one of the gang-saws to rip a log
into lumber than it does to tell about it. Now, that these
roads to the South are open, and under such excellent management, regions which have been dependent on Chicago,
should look to this section for their supply of lumber. As
far as the eye can reach, vast quantities of lumber are to be
seen waiting transportation to those parts of the country
where it is needed.-Col. S. Merrill, Muncie Telegraph.
$20,000,000 A YEAR.
THE SAGINAW VALLEY.-Cincinnati, thanks mainly to private enterprise, is now in direct railway connection with the
Saginaw Valley of Michigan. There was lately an excursion




85
into that country, in which several of our citizens participated, and in another place we print, from a correspondent,
a full description of that wonderfully productive region.
This is worthy of the attention of our merchants and manufacturers, who should begin to look into the resources and
study the wants of that section, with a view to making use of
the one and supplying the other.
A valley that produces, in one year, lumber, shingles,
staves, salt, plaster, etc., to the value of $20,00.0,000, and is
rapidly increasing, is a valley that Cincinnati people should
know all about.-Cincinnati Gazette.




86

THE GREAT SAGINAW          ROUTE.
WHITE WATER VALLEY RAILROAD
CONNECTS WITH
FORT WAYNE, MUNCIE & CINCINNATI R. R.,
FORMING THE
FIRST SOUTHERN SECTION
IN THE
THE GREAT SAGINAW ROUTE.
H. M. BRITTON, Superintendent, Cincinnati.
Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati R. R.
NEW AND POPULAR SHORT ROUTE
FROM   INDIANAPOLIS TO FORT WAYNE,
JACKSON, SAGINAW, GRAND RAPIDS, KALAMAZOO,
TOLEDO, MONROE, DETROIT,
AND ALL POINTS IN MICHIGAN and CANADA,
TTIA      I  TJM 1 OI E.
Be Sure and Ask for Tickets at the Union Depot via Muncie.
FARE AS LOW AND TIME AS QUICK AS ANY OTHER ROUTE.
CONNECTIONIS            STR E.
JOHN J. GRAFTON,     W. W. WORTHINGTON,
Pass. Ag't.        Supt. and Gen'l Ag't.




87

FORT WAYNE,.JACKSON AND SAGINAW
R.I IR A0
IN DIRECT CONNECTION WITH THE.
JACKSON, LANSING & SAGINAW,
AHD
P011T WAYNE, LMUNCIE AND ýZNCINWATI 1AILEADS,
FORMING THE
GREAT SA-GINAW ROUTE,
FROM
TO
INDIA N-APOLTSJ,;ST. LOUV!S, LO0U IS VILL E,
AND ALL- SOUTHERN POINTS.
W. A. ERNST, Superintendent.
ROBEET.BZLLIE, Poull Tiokot Ag't Ft. W. & L. B. B., Fort Wayne.




88
JACKSON, LANSING        &  SAGINAW     R. R.
TLHE  M1OST     DIIRECT ]EROUJTE
TO AND FROM
TI1E- SAGIlThAW VIALET
AND THE INTERIOR OF
MICHIGAN, OHIO & INDIANA.
IN CONNECTION WITH THE
Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw      Railroad
MAKES THE
QUICKEST AND BEST ROUTE
FOR
Fort Wayne, Muncie, Cincinnati, Logansport, Lafaym
ette, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Louisville,
and all Points in the South.
TWO THROUGH EXPRESS TRAINS Each Way DAILY
PASSING THROUGH
MASON, LANSING, OWASSO, SAGINAW CITY, EAST SAGINAW,
TO WE1\TOhA\T.AJS-ITD  8A-Y CITrY,
CONNECTING AT BAY CITY
WITH STEAMERS TO MACKINAW       AND GODRICH.
M. NORTHUP,              A. WATSON,
Gen'1 Freight Ag't, Jackson, Mich.  Superintendent.




89

BEE LINE!
CLEVELAND, COLUMBUS, CINCINNATI & INDIANAPOLIS
I   AI.    "W   J AI.
Go   East via   Indianapolis   and Crestline.
Wagner's, Sanderson's and Gates'
EjTTYT OISr TErAII-  -O.-- 4.
FROM INDIANAPOLIS
To    Cleveland,   Buffalo   and    Rochester
WITHOUT CHANGE, and on Train No. 6.
From    Indianapolis to Buffalo, Albany,
AND NEW YORK CITY
WITHOUT CHANGE.
B&Palace Car on Train No. 4 connects at Rochester with WAGNER'S
SPECIAL DRAWING ROOM TRAIN, which makes only four regular
stops from Rochester, reaching New York at 6:30 P. M. Get your Tickets
to all points East, via Indianapolis and Crestline, over the reliable
For Sale at Union Depot, Indianapolis.
C0-. COO-BB,
General Passenger Agent, Cleveland.




90
TO T-IE FA A, WvEISTINDIANAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS
RAILWAY.
%Rý -02 0-j  FIES9rT    I
VIA TERRE HAUTE, MATTOON AND PANA!
Elegant Coaches.B-Z JD-A.-V, -A-JIJD
Palace Sleepers:B-Y  TI G-TZT,
Run over the INDIANAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS RAILWAY, from Indianapolis to Terre Haute, Mattoon, Pana, Alton and
S~w   N       L@]0Up         {         ~WITHOUT
We Run Three Express Trains Daily
Through to St. Louis, where direct Connection, is made with Trains on
the Missouri Pacific, South Pacific, North Missouri and Kansas Pacific
Railways, for all Points in MISSOURI, KANSAS and COLORADO.
I"GET YOUR TICKETS to St. Louis, and all points West, Via
Terre Haute, Mattoon and Pana, over the
Indianapolis & St. Louis Railway
For Sale at Union Depot, Indianapolis.
S. F. PIERSON, General Ticket Agent,
Bee Line, and I. & St. L. R. R., Cleveland and St. Louis.




91
ATLANTIC & PACIFIC RAILROAD
Is now open, and running Trains regularly to Seneca, on the
Missouri and Indian Territory Line,
330 Miles Southwest of St. Louis!
This Line, in connection with the "El Paso Mail Line" of new Concord Coaches, forms a
QUICK, CHEAP AND RELIABLE ROUTE
TO ALL POINTS IN
South-West Missouri, South-Eastern            Kansas, Northern
Arkansas, Texas and the Indian Territory.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad runs through THE GARDEN OF THE UNITED
STATES. The Lands of the Company, consisting of
OVER ONE MILLION OF ACRES,
in Missouri, are now thrown open for settlement, and special inducements are offered
to Emigrants desiring homes in the healthiest portion of the whole country. No long
winters and chilling frosts. The soil is rich and of, every variety. Immense deposits
of Zinc, Lead and Iron are found all along the Line.
"rV-:   I''TTq"
TWO THROUGH EXPRESS TRAINS DAILY
This is DECIDEDLY THE BEST Route for Freight for all points in Northern Arkansas, Texas and the Indian Territory.
For points on the Upper Arkansas and Red Rivers, shippers can now secure Low Rates
and Prompt Dispatch.
SHIP VIA   "ATLANTIC & PACIFIC BAILROAD," AND SAVE       INSURANE.
FOR PARTICULAR INFORMATION,
Apply in person or by letter to E. A. FoRD, General Passenger Agent, St. Louis, or
W. H. PATRIARCHE, Gen'l Fr't Ag't,
A. & P. R. R., St. Louis, Mo.




92

THE       MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD
IS THE,MOST DIRECT ROUTE TO ALL PARTS OF
WESTERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI, KANSAS, NEBRASKA,
AND POINTS IN THE GREAT WEST
From its depot, corner Seventh and Poplar streets, St. Louis, the most
noted and convenient in the city, it runs through the finest portions of Missouri, in the fertile valleys of the Meramec and
Missouri Rivers-a rich and charming country-again
striking the Missouri River at Kansas City, there connecting with all lines, North, West and South.
CONNECTIONS ARE CLOSE AND DIRECT FOR

LAWRENCE,
JUNCTION CITY,
SALT LAKE CITY.
SAN FRANCISCO,
COUNCIL BLUFFS,

TOPEKA, DENVER,
SACRAMENTO,
ST. JOSEPH,
OMAHA,
FORT SCOTT,

And all Points in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico & California.
Frequent and Fast Trains, Smooth Track, Comfortable Sleeping Car
Arrangements and Beautiful Scenery, have made this Line
a Favorite with the Traveling Public.
fg  Through tickets for sale throughout the North, East, and South, and
at Company's Offices at 115 North Fourth Street, and Depot, corner
Seventh and Poplar streets, St. Louis.
E. A. FORD,                         A. A. TALMAGE,
Gen'l Pass'r Ag't, St. Louis.   Gen'l Sup't, St. Louis.




93
ONLY     ALL   RAIL    LINE    SOUTH.
LOUISVILLE & INDIANAPOLIS
Rt-A-LRO AD.
Three Daily Trains Connecting Direct with
LOUISV~LLE             AIVLL
AND
MEMPHIS & LOUISVILLE RAILROADS.
FOR
PRINCIPAL      SOUTHERN      CITIES.
Passengers by this Line Pass over the.THUS AVOIDING ALL TRANSFERS, FERRIES AND DELAYS,
Purchase Tickets South via Louisville.
CHAS. P. ATMORE,
HORACE SCOTT,             Gen'1 Pass. Agent.
Gen'l Supt.




94

LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE
MEMPHIS AND LOUISVILLE
RAILROAD LINIE.
A17y,          R AIN5
JEcrlT'ITImLTG-:FEOVIO:
Louisville to Nashville, Memphis and Mobile!
DIRECT CONNECTIONS
WITH
RAILWAYS DIVERGING FROM LOUISVILLE
AND WITH
Louisville and Cincinnati United States Steamers.
With BARDSTOWN BRANCH.
With STAGES FOR MAMMOTH CAVE.
With MEMPHIS AND LOUISVILLE RAILWAY.
With EDGEFIELD AND KENTUCKY RAILWAY.
With RAILWAYS DIVERGING FROM NASHVILLE.
With NASHVILLE AND NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY.
With MOBILE AND OHIO RAILWAY.
With MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE RAILWAY.
ALBERT FINK,                  W. H. KING,
Gen'l Superintendent.  Gen'l Pass. and Ticket Agent,
LOUISVILLE.




95
LOUSlILLE AND      INCINNhATI SHORT LINE RALBLOAD.
BFO.UTE        D.ATJY TrRAIl\TS
BETWEEN
MAKING
DIRECT CONNECTION AT CINCINNATI
WITH     TRAINS TO       ALL   EASTERN       POINTS.
AT LOUISVILLE WITH THE
LOUISVILLE, NASHVILLE        &  MEMPHIS RAILROAD,
FOR ALL POINTS SOUTH.
Roun& Tickets to Cincinnati and Covington at Reduced P1ates,
&No charge for telegrams to secure sleeping cars.
SAM'L GILL, Sup't.           T. B. JONES, Gen'l Pas. Ag't.
MARIETTA & CINCINNATI RAILROAD
MAKING DIRECT CONNECTIONS WITH
Parkersburg Branch, Baltimore and Ohio Railway, Columbus and
Hocking Valley Railway, Junction of Portsmouth Branch,
Hillsboro' Branch Diverges, and with
RAILWAYS FROM CINCINNATI,
AND WITH
Thr S.. MVAIL STEVERS
r. M1 FRAYER,              JOHN W. PILLSBURY,
Gen'1 Freight Ag't,      Gen'l Pass. Ag't, Cincinnati, 0,




96

INDIANAPOLIS,
CINCINNATI & LAFAYETTE
E:AI L ERjOAJD.
THREE THROUGH TRAINS DAILY FROM INDIANAPOLIS
FOR CHICAGO.
THIOTUGI-H IT - EIIGHT ICOUtRS,
Making Close Connections at Chicago for the West and Northwest.
The Great Through Passenger Line to KANSAS CITY, is via
LAFAYETTE & QUINCY,
CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI AT QUINCY ON THE IRON BRIDGE,
W~ITJHOUT CHANTG-E          OF CARS.
1 ELEGANT SLEEPING CARS ON ALL NIGHT TRAINS,
From the West, this Line has the advantage of Through
Cars Daily from Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City,
St. Louis, and all Intermediate Points.
To CINCINNATI.
BUT ONE CHANGE OF CARS FROM THE ABOVE NAMED
CITIES TO
BALTIMORE & WASHINGTON.
THr=ROTTGHr     TICKIETS    VIA
INDIANAPOLIS, CINCINNATI &       LAFAYETTE
]R Al1l-IeOA D.
W. H. L. NOBLE,           W. M. POWELL,
Gen'l Ticket Agent.        Passenger Agent,
Indianapolis.            Indianapolis.
O. F. MOORE, Superintendent, Cincinnati.










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