Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-24
PENINSULA Nov. 1a. 1865.

80. .
breadth of two and a half miles, and d
viding the waters between the Islands an
the Southern shore of Sandusky Bay. Tn
widest portion of the Peninsula is abou
i've miles. On the north coast are beauti
ful bays, some almost land-locked. Larg
tracts are nearly surrounded by water, tn
isthmus connecting with the Peninsula be
ing quite narrow. The South shore is reg
ular, most OF the distance low, and from
all points a fine view is had Of Johnson,
Island, and Saudusky Bay and City
The eastern portion of the Peninsula rise.
to table lands, with limestone foundation,
and valuable quarries abound. At the
west end, south side, are the Plaster
Beds, 10Y worked by Messrs. Marsh, who
employ twenty-five men, and market some
twenty-five thousand dollars worth of plas-
ter per year. The docks and landings on
the south side are-Plaster Bed, Dwelle's
Dock, Bushnelrs Dock and Fox's Land
ing. On the north side-Marblehead. OF
tawa City, Moore's Point, and Port Gin
ton, the county seat of Ottawa. The
steamer General Grant, Captain Slackford,
runs between S~andusky and the Plaster
Beds and the steamer Clinton, Captain
Douly, between Port Clinton and Sandus--
ky. Both are short, pleasant routes, and
quite sheltered from Lake winds and waves.
The Peninsula lies in Ottawa county, is
divided into Portage, Danbury, and Cata-
ba Island townships, which contain from
three thousand to four thousand inhabi-
tants. The soil is mainly calcareons
limestone clay, varying in depth from
three to twenty feet to the rock, a small
portion being mixed with bonlders and
eobble stones. In the central portion of
the table land, the lime rock lies near the
surface. AT Catawba Island are extensive
beds of cement, which will be worked next
season. The Peninsula is famous for fine
fruit, peaches, apples, and grapes. Peach
es have very seldom failed within the
memory Of the oldest inhabitant, andithe
log cabins were built here some six
ty years ago. The earliest white settler
VIM. Ramsdell, who located on the
Peninsula with his family before the last
war with England and her savage allies. ,
the pioneers were the P~ettibopes,
Amblers, Lockwoods, Scribner, Drake,
Wolcott, Clemens, Clark, and
some of them mighty hunters and !
uccessful trappers and fishermen. Otta-
va county is the biggest half water, and I
till beatsthe Stated fnrs, FISH, wild ducks :
nd geese. The fur trade of Ottawa :
to fifteen or twenty thousand :
dollars annually and the fish business to :
fly or sixty thousand dollars. Messrs. {
+. DYelle & Co, of the Peninsula, sold =
wenty-three thousand dollars worth of I
sh in the fall of 1864 and spring of 1865 !
mine thousand worth of white fish in =
he fall, and fourteen thousand of pickerel y
4 the spring. To transact their large fish :
usiness they purchased and now run the !.
Clinton daily from Sandusky to =
leir fisheries in the Peninsula and Island !;
-aters. Wood and timber are also impor- Il
mt articles OF export from the Peninsu- .
In c%onnexiOn with farming generally, r
lie culture of grapes has recently become II
speciality on the Peninsula. There are T
Nv some five hundred acres Of young G
located on every part of the N
eninsula, and nearly every farmer is an Il
lally adding to his grape fields. Much II
the whole territory bids fair to become n,
'ofitable vineyards, for the good grape N
nds are estimated to range from ten to or
thousand acres. Mr.. E. !. Lock- h,
God planted the first vineyard of two d,
res, which commenced bearing five or az
Z years ago. Mr.. Caleb Cooper put out
small vineyard about the same time. MIR. a
c. Elwell-one of the early and popu- al
r Conductors on the Cleveland and To- A,
DO Railroad-and Mr.. R. B. Bullock, ~
so of Elyria, removed 10 the Peninsula m
ur years ago. and planted vine h,
rds on the Dwelle Farm, Pot- n,
tOwnship-Mr. Elwell ten, and Mr.. M
twelve acres. The latter vineyard h,
owned and managed by Mr.. @. G. 70
est, of Elyria, who obtained this season St
m an acre of Isabellas six thousand 70
zen hundred and ffty-four pounds of an
apes when prepared for market-the h
de fruit bringing eight to ten Cents, and tn
: wine grapes five and a quarter per III
und. From these twenty-five acres on tal
farm of Mr.. b. F. Dwelle, the yield ~
s fall was ifty-two tons of grapes fitted No
table use and the wine press. The 4
p was purchased by the American 40,
inc Company, St. Louis, and T.. Hos q
r, Sandusky, at seven and a half cents N
pound, delivered at Dwelle's dock, the tio.
yers furnishing boxes-amounting to -
thousand eight hundred dollars a
tainly rich returns for the first fair har- "
It. Larger, more compact and sweeter :
sters, or heavier laden vines than the
n~insula, we have nowhere seen in grape =
d. u
H. II. Elwell-a former railroad
gineer who was seriously injured by an
ident in the vicinity of Sandusky some
IRIS since-has a pleasant locality near
:. Dwelle's desirable home, and four N
es of vineyard. From the first years N
ring he has gathered four tons of fruit
rketed at twelve and a half cents for
lie and eight cents per pound for wine
s. Mr.. Caleb Cooper from the first
p on five acres realized seven hundred
lars. Mr.. Peter Andrews from three
in full bearing picked ten tons; and k99I
Clary the same quantity from his vine XII
d of three acres. Mr.. Phelps twenty s
IS from eight acres. sri
To show how general grape growing, Of
connection with farming, has become on SUI
Peninsula and what an important in cEs
it is likely to be in the future, We GA
pend the additional names of a num- XII
engaged in the business and the acres
" now have out. The vineyards are in OH
stages of age and growth, from set last sec
ing to bearing, aud the acres Il
some cases may be over or I'M LOl
stated, but in the main are -,
lrly correct. The vineyards are: Henry Oh
onnel, three acres; Isaac Wonnel, -ehreeI VA
Tillotson, two; W. Spalding, four j.. A
four; DR.. Newton, ten; Messrs. lois
thorpe, seven; Mr.. Harris, five; Mr..
wton, twelve; Mr.. Lowdy, three; Mr..
two; G. B. Smith, six; Nash n
others, five; Captain Slackford, of the Up
Grant, two; w. Porter, three Reber
Hubbard, nine; j.. Gamble, FIVE; Mr.. =,
six; Lewis Brothers, nine; Cook r.
Dewitt, twelve; Smith & Parsons, twelve; wo
Lukert, three; j.. Ducher, three Price the
m, fifteen Mr.. James, five; Moore oonat
six; F. Clark, two; Kburg Broth cha