The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-08-27


Of "Old Chief PetOskey," an aboriginal pa
triarch q the ChippeWas q believe) who
lives in the outskirts Of the village at the
advanced age Of ninety, with the families
Of about dozen sons around him. He
owned the ground on which the village
stands, and had the good sense to sell it
when it came into market. II he lives to
be hundred he can buy it back at a
handsome profit. A good many Indians,
mostly Chippewas and ottawas, inhabit
the neighboring shores and islands. Just
across the bay is Little Traverse, an In
dian town, the county seat Of this En-
metD county. There are only enough
white people in the place to hold the
county offces-a thing, by the way, that
the "pale face has weakness for. The
country about here for twenty years back
has been an Indian reservation, but re-
Gently 1t has been opened to settlement
under the homestead laws, and a portion
of the lands allotted to the Indians sePa.
rately has been brought into market.
Some have sold and are living on the pro-
ceed,, but most OF Mr.. Los family herea'
bouts PICK up precauous living by fish
ing, picking and marketing berries, max
ing trinkets, and working about docks or
on boats, or chopping cord wood. The
last Is the dernier resort for, though
these aboriginals have generally adopted
the manners and customs Of the pale
faces, even to the drinking Of bad whisky,
the custom Of hard work di'gusts them
and they take to it only when nothing else
will keep the wolf from their doors.
There is no game in these forests now
save an occasional bear, so that the ira
dictionary occupation Of the noble savage
is gone. They dress like white people,
live in houses, but you can distinguish
one Of the race as far as you can see him.
They are a good deal mixed with white
blood, speak French generally, can speak
English but don't like to, and are all
French Catholic in religion. They have 4
church or mission house at Cross City,
some twenty-five or thirty miles north Of
here, and that place Is sort Of head
quarters for them in all this section,
There is no fishing in the bay here now
that an angler would care to engage in.
The Indians catch a few whitefsh in nets,
and the Mackinac trout may be taken by
still fishing in deep water; but as the get
ting out Of fish with a strong hand-line
and large hook is mere question OF
main strength, there Is no sport in it, La
ter in the season black baSs and masca-
longe may be caught by trolling and bass
and pickerel may now be taken by trolling
or angling with minnows in the small
lakes Of the interior,
The only productive industry am able
to'discern in and about PetOskey is in cord
wood and lime. The timber in this re-
gion is maple, beach, hemlock, cedar and
Eastwood. Maple is cut for cord.wOod,
and brings 81 per cord on the dock. The
lime is in the bluff bank Of the bay below
the village, and two large kilns are EN-
plOyed in burning it. 1t is shipped in
various directions by water, The stone is
abundant and the quality Of the lime said
to be equal to the best Kentucky. There
are some mills OH Bear Creek, mile or
so distant, and others are to be built, one
being in course Of erection near the
mouth Of the stream. This stream affords
excellent water power. There is talk Of
a mandatory here to make cedar buck
cts, projected by Chicago and Grand Ra-
pids parties. There Is also some ship.
ments Of hemlock bark, used for tanning
sOle.leather. The country is generally
high and evidently heallhiul; butitis very
cold here in winter, the murcury having
fallen the past winter to SO degrees be.
low zero. The summers areshort. Wheat,
which is claimed to be an excellent crop
here, il harvested in September. Pota-
toes and oats are also said to ilourisl
Raspberries are now just ripe and blncl
berries ripening The red raspberry here
grows wild, while in your region 1t is
never found except under cultivation.
ITuckelberries are also abundant. The
country back from the shore being a
wilderness, and the shore being barren,
provisions are all brought from dis.
lance, chiefly from Grand Rapids since
the railroad opened. It must take long
time to get them here, judging from the
age Of the butter on the hotel table for
dinner.
There is no transfer Of freight between
lake and railroad, and not much Of pass.
engers. The g. K. 81. Company pay a
steamer 500 day to ply between Petos.
key and Fort Mackinac during the sea-
son, connecting with trains every morn.
ing. At least three.quatters Of this per
diem ia dead loss. This road Is designed
to extend to the northern point Of South.
ern) Michigan, old Mackinac, now called
Mackinac City, where it is to connect by
ferry with a projected line from the op.
positc shore to Marquette, on Lake supe-
rior. This will be done, no doubt, as soon
as times brighten; and then Petoskey,
which sprnng mp into It's present oPulence
like Jonah's goutd, will wiiher like II
and be Chronicled no more by unfortu.
nate travellers detained here by contra.
temps and waiting for transportation to
Mackinac. RAMBLER.
BelIview Camp.Neeting - Hail.
road Talk, dc.