Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-09-26
rHgRALD Correspondence. ]
DEVILS LAKE.
Ride About the Lake-statlstieaI and DE
scFiptive Var Among the Gods-ROw-
ing ON the Lake-NIOOnlight and
Music - More Staging
A Happy Driver

In the afternoon our boys went
to the Lake Mine host Wallace
than whom no better landlord ever
babe a weary guest good night, or,
dcrod out his bays and carriage, and
there was a very pleasant ride. The
lake is between two aud three miles
from town, in southerly direction
and tho road thither leads for The
most part through woods of charac
tor like those found along the Miss.
issippi and its larger tributaries il
Grant county. On the way the trav.
elers saw several encampments Of rail
way iaborers and had revelations Of
q very interesting phase Of American
life. The men were enjoying q sort
OF Arcadian bliss under tho trees
"heeting the time carelessly, as they
do in tho golden world !" the wo.
men were busy at the wash-tub, de-
veloping muscle to be onergetically
employed when Victoria Woodruff
lords il IN the White House aud The.
odore Hilton makes him Cor herr sell
useful on a low salary as wet nurse
in a lying-in hospital No freer life
can be imagined than that Of the rail
road pioneer. lie is not much given
to "prancin' around in white kid
gloves" neither does he care 'dern'
if his first ancestor was monkey or
y meteor. Ii there is for him any
particularly Shaving way to glory
it is that whore work is hard and POI
tatoes inexbaustible and should the
sentimental passionate one that
grey,beards call digine-ever inhab-
it his bosom, you may be sure that
he'll como to business in less than
half the course OF one revolving moon.
Bat this is not going TO the lake.
That Devils Lake is place much
frequented on Sundays was made APP
parent TO the boys by the great num-
Der Of fine carriages they beheld go>
ing to and returning from that love
~ and romantic portion Of the Re-
deemer's ''0nly pure element" They
went to the lake with the hugest
! kind OF expectations, all of which
were realized TO the full. Truly, the
view that met their gaze as they
emerged from a sylvan vista almost
bordering the wave-washed shore,
was one Of which our State may well
be proud 1t was delightfully."- beau
tiful picture, with just enough Of the
sublime and the ploturesqe in in its
composition to give an effect and
preserve the whole from being a
dreary moutony if not a downright
bore. A faint and magical mist lay
on tho silent and sunlit water, which
reflected wildly the frowning shores
with their pine-clad heights and
thick strewn metamorphic powders.
The lake is perhaps a mile long and
half mile wide, and has a depth
varying from two or three inches to
moro tathoms than ever pIummet
sounded. It's water is very clear,
and as soft as that which falls from
heaven. Several varieties Of fish
are caught therein, and at stated sea-
sons flocks Of amphibious fowls con-
gregate on its surface and "tale the
food" with yellow web, to adapt a
fancy from Tennyson. The level of
the lake is all of fifty feet higher
than that of Baraboo itself, circum-
stance which will doubtless lead the
people Of that town to supply them>
selves at no distant day with water
from this natural and never-failing
reservoir. There is no visible afflu.
ent to Devils Lake, and no outlet
that is sensible to the sight. 1t de-
rives its supplies from subterranean
springs and is kept at a mean level
by the process OF evaporation. The
locality is said to be one of uncom-
mon salubrity. Invalids almost too
feeble to draw breath have pitched
their tents among the pines and
powders overlooking the lake, and
great has been their gain in adipose
avoirdupois as we'll as in intellect
and morals; for mind is after all sim
| ply matter of digestion, as plety is
of respiration and oxygen.
Ofthe origin Of the lake, as of the
huge granite rocks piled and jumbled
along the shores, many and wild
were the theories of our visionary
travellers. Whatever may have been
their conclusions, it isnow quite gen
orally conceded that Devils Lake is
pretty old and respectable institu~
ton, --one that had local habitation
if not a name Qeastwisc not the pres
ent), when the new-ereated earth
seemed yet like Heaven, "a place
where gods might dwell, and wan
der with delight, and love to haunt
her sacred shades" Perhaps the bed
of the lake was once tho site of a
hill which some olden god, who was
"heavy on his MUSCLE" tore up by
the roots and hurled with dire intent
at the head Of an Objectionable an
tagonist. Who knows? Did not
Millions warriors, like the terrible
fellows as they were, use mountains
for weapons and impair the functions
of their enemies diaphragms by watt
| ing at their abdomens whole cont,
nents Of old red sandstone? There
was famous fighting in those old pa
gan days, and many glorious spec
taclo did the gods employ to terrify
the inhabitants Of earth. How the
ridiculous mortals must have quak.
ed ut tho time of that astonishing
commotion 10 which the gods
-plueked the seated hills with all their load,
Rocks waters, woods, and BY their shaggy tops
Uplifting bore them In their hands.
The Capitola, a small steamer
that used to ply on one of the lakes
at Madison, has been transported
hither, and now raffies the surface Of
this gem of inland seas. The peda-
gogua and the printer concluded not
to patronize this craft, for the Yea-
son that it was apparently lying be.
Gained by the opposite shore near q
certain wine-ceIlar. So they hired Q
skiff, which they launched, and thOr
l paddlad about ~ THAR nun crreat