East Saginaw courier., 1865-09-27
q he q onrier
wsane.asr. september 27. 1905.
The Saginaw and Mlckinaw Wagon
Road.


Road.
1t needs only a glance at tho map
of Michigan TO demonstrate the prac-
ticability of line of communication
either by wagon or railroad the ne
cessities of the route and the enter
prise of tho people viii of course
determine shother tie iron horse
should follow tho pioneer venture
between Saginaw and the Upper
Peninsular, RIA the Straits of Macki-
nav. If any overland route from the
Lake Superior regions is ever estab-
lished, looking to Detroit as the prom
inent eastern point in the line, it must
be by the way Of Saginaw, connecting
at this point with the railway lines
now in operation between here and
the City Of the Straits. This route
has all the advantages of directness,
feasibility and practicability. The
distance from Saginaw to Mackinaw
is about 1S0 miles, from Mackinaw
overland to Marquette l50 miles but
as our design in this article is merely
TO call attention to the project of the
Saginaw and Mackinaw Wagon Road
NOW SO fayorably before tho public,
we shall leave the question of rail
way route to Lake Superior, of which
this must Of necessity be instigator as
well as the pioneer, for future and
more careful consideration. Thelin
preposed for the road, though as no
surveys have been made, nothing of
course is definitely settled in regard
TO the matter, is from Saginaw direct to
Midland City, thence by as straight
course as can reasonably be attained, to
the vicinity of IIoughton Lake, in Ros-
common County, thence along the
dividing ridge Of the Lower Peninsula
directly North to the vicinity of Old
Mackinaw, at which point the straits
are the narrowest and afford the best
facilities for crossing, either by ferry.
or upon the ice, which must of course
be relied on as a means Of transit
during the winter months.
This route runs through Midland
county, having population according
TO the census of 1864 Of 1921; Glad
win and Roscommon Counties, un-
organized; and either through or in
the immediate vicinity Of Kalcasca,
Crawford and Otsego counties, unor-
ganizcd, Antrim, population, $50,
Emmett, population, 1852, and Cheboy-
aSan, population, 4S3. These figures
IN regard to population appear trivial
enough, but when it is taken into con-
sideration that the main portion of
the territory is utterly inaccessible
and will bo so until some means of
communication is opened, it affords
the best argument in tho world for
using every reasonable effort to insure
the bu.l,iing Of the road herein pro-
posed. The route passes through large
tracts Of excellent farming lands, par
ticularly those on the eastern slope,
we'll timbered with Beach, Maple,
Hickory, ETC., it passes also in the
vicinity Of some Of the most beautiful
inland lakes in the West, whose waters
are as pure and transparent as those
of Lake Superior, and all are well
stocked with fish Of finest quality,
of these Houghton Lake is about Sx5
miles in extent, Higgins Lake, near
by, half this size, and Burt, Mullett;
and Cheboyagan lakes in Cheboyagan
county all charming bodies of water
and situated amid somo of the most
picturesque and delightful scenery in
America Along the line of the route
are also located large and valuable
tracts of white pine, quantities of
Norway pine of tho largest and most
useful variety, and an abundance of
timber of other varieties.
This is emphatically the "undis-
covered country" of Michigan, to
whose vicinity no traveller is borne, for
want Of even the faintest approxima-
tion to road or highway, and the ac-
counts concerning which only come to
us through surveyors, hunters and
explorers, who all agree in awarding
many portions thereof a character for
beauty of scenery, richness of soil,
and luxurious development of timber
second to that of no territory of like
extent elsewhere to be found.
The prospect for securing the build
ing of the road upon the terms of the
grant we are happy to learn are most
encouraging. Mr. RosE the Commits
sionor, is already in communication
with parties having ample means who
look with favor upon the project, and
it is not at all improbable that an
arrangement therefor may be closed
within the next sixty days. The
difficulties in the " ay are by no means