East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-05-17
Correspondence of the Port Huron Press.
TIE SAGINAW COUNTRY.
EASE sAaINAw. April 23, 1850

George q. Bates, nor the marvellous
statements of Lewis of the Courier
who has been SO long in the loco ranks
that he takes to romancing very natur-
ally--are overdrawn. A glance at the
map will at once show that Saginaw
River and the numerous streams tributa-
~ drain an immense extent of country;
and very large proportion of it is, TO
our knowledge, as good for purposes Of
agriculture, as any in Michigan.
A short but comprehensive article in
regard to this country from the pen of a
"residenter" who is thoroughly ''posted"
appeared some time since in the n. Y.
Tribune, from which, to save time, we
adopt the editorial custom, and "scizzor-
| ize."
"The rivers composing the Saginaw,
with their average length, without fol-
lowing very particularly their windings,
which would increase their length at
least one-third, are as follows:
l. The Saginaw, % miles long 9.
The Cass, 125 miles long; 3. The Flint,
Los miles long 4. The Shiawassee, 95
miles long 5. The Bad, 81 miles long /;
| 6. The Tittabawassce, 105 miles long !;
Z. The Chippewa, 80 miles longs. The
Pine. 100 miles long 9. The Salt, so
miles long; 10. The Assayma-qua- ee-bi,
80 miles long; IL. The Ceder, As miles
long - in all, $50 miles.
Extending into Ii counties, contain
| ing over go towns, and draining over
$500, 400 acres, rich in pine, oak, cher
Try, black walnut, and other valuable
Timber, with a soil unsurpassed in the
United States;-with mines of coal and
iron inexhaustible and convenient to the
streams; limestone, granite and sand
stone, are found in large quantities and
convenient for transportation and it is
a well established fact that this valley is
the great basin of the salt formation that
underlies the State. Numerous salt
springs of good quality are found upon
the surface, and competent biologists
give it as their opinion that salt water
of good quality, and in inexhaustible
quantities, can be found very readily"
This article was written over year
ago; since which time it has been dem
onstrated that "salt water of good quail
ty"--the best in the world-"and in
inexhaustiblc quantities" can indeed
very readily be found and as the Zone
thing altogether lovely" at present, and
as you say ''whereby the people Of Sagi-
nav hope to be saved" will give you
a few notes on
SALT.
The East Saginaw Salt Manufactur-
ing Company, composed Of some of the
best and soundest business men in the
Valley, was organized April l6, 1889,
and commenced boring on the margin OF
the "bayou" near the northern boundry
of this city about the first of July
Their expectations at that time are fore
shadowcd in the following extract from
the local columns Of the Courier, Of
June l6, 1859:
at is not supposed they will be
obliged to go over 400 feet deep to find
the requisite strength of brine, but as
no shaft has been sunk in this region at
any time, it is impossible to tell the
thickness of the underlying rock. There
is every confidence of success on the
: part of the Directors. In fact there has
never been but one opinion expressed by
those qualified to judge ON such subjects
and that is that there is no doubt but
that we are in the centre of a great salt
basin extending either way with radius
Of from ten to fifteen miles, and perhaps
even greater. After this Company have
determined the thickness and character
af tho underlying rock. tho geological
formation viii be better understood"
At the depth of go, instead of 40O
feet, they found % the requisite strength
of brine" and of strength as much
beyond their expectations as it was be-
yond the anticipations of the most san
guine theorizer on the subject of the
great salt basin of Michigan" Their
success has been duly chronicled, and
yet it appears SO marvellous that there
arc thousands "of little faith" who, in
the immensity of their wisdom, pro
nouncc the whole thing ("unsight aud
unseen," as boys trade jaclk-knives) a
"humbug." But their discouragements,
. met from time to time in breaking drills
(they had to abandon the first well
started, at the depth of % feet, on, that
account, wedging in swedges, machin-
cry getting out of order, ETC., have been
exclusively private property which they
f could contemplate with the hattering
assurance on the part Of outsiders that
they were ''fooling away both time and
, money" The brine now stands at 81