East Saginaw courier., 1865-08-23
Che q oArir.
Notes nom the Upper Mississippi.
wsdns.aay. Angus. 90. ises.

@sOsSo A4SAn ZIG - PkfSA NAAoSAeoAf ~
Prairie du Chen, os its name indi-
Gates, is located on, or rathsr spread
erratically over a sort Of "dog prairie '
bordering on the Missippi aud backed
up by thsinevitaLle bluffs in the reaiS
The Kickapoo Joins the big river just
South Of tie place, and on the North
the prairie .tapers OF until it meets the
bluff ut the river bank some miles
above. Historically. it is place of
considerable interest, having beon for
many years an important Indian trad
ing post, military headquarters, and
capitol of the North West Territory.
II is said to have been settled the
same year as Cincinnati.
An ancient and somewhat demoral-
ixcd stone ediice, square built, with
peaked roof aud chimney ut each end,
formerly occupied Cor the territorial
council house, now answers Tor the
Court House and Jail of Crawford Co.
Wisconcin, the characteristic French
l.abitations ad iacent, and the MbItns
in the vicinity, with their small, half
vurtHurea enclosures, their pigmy po-
nies, rude carts, and their general
don't fret specialities of style and
manAer, give un,nistakablo evidence
as to the character and proelivities of
tho carly pioneers. Fort Crawford,
in the lower division of the town,
wherein Zach. Taylor once held CONF
mand, JEFF Davis was first married,
and many a happy company has gath
cred to join in the sociabilitics Of our
proverbially hospitable military gen.
tleman, is fast going to ruin; some of
the quarters, which were Of stone, have
been pulled down, others are Toohess,
one or two only are occupied by the
'boys in blue" Of our day, for hospital
purposes, as is also large and hand
some four-story building near by, for
inor,y built for q hotol, but abandoned
for want of custom as have been a
large proportion of the business build
ings in the vicinity. a change OF
base on the part of the railroad com,
pany, they having moved their sta
tiou and freight houses q mile and q
half farther IN, where they have built
Il new brick hotel, new Offices, wharfs
aud buildings, and fitted up floating
docks aud permanent tracks to accom-,
odate the transferbusiness, has knocked
into splithereens the prospects, once so
tlat,cring, Of tho lower town. Upper
town proper, lies about half mile
bnclS Of the railway station; there a
moderate business i; SO literally DIFF
fused that 1t al events it makes
quite a show. The population alto
Gether is about 5000. sl
At the railway station an amour.
Of business is done calculated to at
tract the attention even Of a Saginaw
man. Five through trains, three
passenger and two freight, are run
daily each way on the NJ. & L. dn @.
Railway, OF which this is the western
terminus. Here passengers connect
with the North Western Packet Line,
between Dubuque and st. Paul for
points either up OF down the river. =
The North Western Packet Co, run
twelve first class steamers, average
measurement, $50 tons each, capacity
for $50 passengers. These boats
which arc built after the model of
other shoal river craft, flat bottomed,
"pen between decks, all stanchions
below and all vanity above, with two
high pressure engines, some side and
some stern whoelers, having pair of
stills forward to jump with when the
water is low, oil beligerents, being
thoroughly proficient in heavy spar
rins--lre the most desirable institu-
tions for summer travel iinmaginable,
Commencing at the top,the pilot house
is tho first, as it is in fact, the most
important institution in thcship, square
and ample, with customary abundance
of windows, it is furnished with an
immense wheel, eight feet or more in
diameter, and labyrinth of bell ropes
which would bewilder the senses out
of any reasonable deep water naviga-
tor on the FIRST introduction under
the pilot house, on the hurricane deck,
l. Tsxos, the quarters Of tho people
who run the vessel externally and in
internally. Between tho upper and
hurricane deck arc tho aecommoda-
tons for passengers; spacious saloon
cabin running tho entire length,
flanked on ench side by rows Of state
rooms, outside Of these, a wide, well
shaded promenade, guarded by high
bulwarks, Enthusiastically ornamented,
as is The cornico above, with light
wood work In f,ont'a stairway leads
from each side TO tho main deck The
general management Of these boats as