Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-08-28
MORNING LEADER
gvrs Or BO1RD STEAMER MnTEOa, /
LAKE SUPEnIoR, August 20, 1853

traveller upon Lake Superior IS By NJ
means confned to the Development Of cop
per and iron. The whole country is full
Of Interest. Along the South shore, th'
first objects thsi attrset attention and in
quiry, are the singular sand-hills, Fhicl
for many miles, border the Lake. Thes'
are Of ane, whits sand, and Of different ele
7a.iOns, up to fifty or seventy-6Ve feet
The question is, how did the sand ge
there, considering that this is 9 minera
coast, and the country heavily wooded il
their rear. To find an answer, we mus
undoubtedly 60 back into the distant ages
when the present races Of man had never
inhabited or discovered this region. Thil
sand is undoubtedly disiniegrated sand
stone, formed from the crumbling cliffs
worn away By the oeaseless ebb and aOW
Of the water. How far these cliffs may
once have extended beyond their present
limits We cannot tell, but having been
gradually worn away, the particles were
washed upon shore by the successive north.
east storms which pervade the coast and
drying when the waves have IeCeded, have
drifted farther and farther back until
they reached their present elevation.
For how many sges this coast has thus
been wearing away and re-appearing in
Its present gsrb no man can tell;
The mills OF the gods grind slowly"
and we may be sure that they have been
busy here for untold ages with their pom
derOns grist. 81
But far exceeding these developments
in point Of beauty and attraction, are
the far-famed Pictured Rocks" which
extend for some ten miles along the coast,
the eastern extremity being about 110
miles from the ssut. Many persons visit
ing the Lake are greatly disappointed in
their view Of these rocks, for the reason
that good view, under favorable oircum-
stances, is rarely had. The passengers
upon the Meteor have occasion to congrat-
ulate themselves upon having 3 view of
this formation such as they might not OBJ
tain in passing them a score Of times
For this they are indebted jointly to the
weather, to the sun, and to the courtesy
and spirit Of accommodation which dis
tinguishes Captain Rider.
These rocks are bold cliffs, abutting di-
rectly upon the water, varying in height
from fifty to two hundred feet. The mate
rial is sandstone, which, along the most
Of the distance, is in layers, apparently Of
from one to four feet in thickness. In
some places, however, the rock is massive,
beyond anything found elsewhere, SO that
blocks forty and fifty feet thick, without
q seam, could be cut out When looking
at these portions, ones wonder grows less
at the wonderful shafts and blocks found
in Egyptian edifees. The term "Pictured
Rocks is obtained from the singular dis
play Of brilliant colors with which the
lower portion of the face Of the rocks are
almost covered, and which may easily be
made to represent persons, Objects land
scapes, &C., &c., according to the imsgina-
ton Of the spectator. The prevailing
tinis are bright yellow, green and red,
with all their varying shades and combi-
nations. The most Of these commence at a
sean in the rocks, and spread out into
points or fingers as they descend, ike ici-
l., .toIo.tsto. T., ao-,o .ogas hnvvav
er, they appear at or very near the top Of
the cliff and extend entirely across its face
to the waters edge. It is evident to the
reader that the aid of sunlight is requisite
to get the full effect Of this coloring Here
is where we were especially favored. The
wind was blowing heavily off shore, and
the Captain was therefore enabled to run
close TO shore, skirting along within less
than q mile, and during most Of the dis
tance, less than a quarter Of mile, of the
very cliffs which we were admiring. We
reached the rocks about o'clock P. NJ,
when the sun was shining with full bril-
Hsncy. Under these circumstances we
had a magnificent view. cannot do jus.
tiee to the splendid scene In addition to
what has been said Of the coloring of the
rocks, it must be remembered that the evel
shifting form of the cliff was enough tC
excite wonder and admiration. Here darI
caverns, close to the Water's edge, were
worn ieep and dark; there the whole per.
pendicular face Of the cliff had been scoop
edaWsy, leaving vast ampitheater; yOn'
der gigantic rectilinesr mass, six hun.
dred feet long, three hundred broad upor
its face, and nearly two hundred in Per
pendicular height, projects into, the lake
while into its lace, the waters have. hOl
lowed out great arched cavern, one hun
dred feet broad at the waters edge, AM
one hundred and fifty high to the top 0
the arch, while lateral passages, from thi
opening to either side, are large enough Il
admit Of the passage Of small bost 0
yawl. To this mass, the Indians gave th
name Of Grand Portal" At anothe
point projection has every appearance 9
aruin Of battlsmented castle, with heav
arched doors and windows. This is nam
ed the q Miners Castle" The aChapel
is another strange and beautiful freak {
nature. It rises apart from the rest 81
parently elevated upon platform Of steT
leading from the water, and pillows at
-four corners supporting the roof By il
side Chapel River POurs over rocky be