The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-07-29
UP THE ST. LOUIS.
A Grand Excursion up this Magnif.
cent Biver on the Nobby Little
Steamer Stlllman Witt.


for the excursion, and as if Nature,
for once, felt in duty bound to pro-
vide pleasant day for an excur-
sion party, Thursday morning
dawned bright and beautiful,
Old Sol shining out mildly through
a drift of clouds and causing every
thing III the teeming world Of
n ture to wear calm and
subdued look, while the atmosphere,
tempered by gentle, lake breeze,
was pure and invigorating, bracing q
the system and causing The heart to
leap with buoyant feeling of Joy
and gladness Casting aside the
cares Of business, we, with forty
nine other Superiortes, all intent on
enjoying pleasant day, and all pro
vided with plenty of snbStantials
with which to satisfy the inner man,
gathered on board the gay little
steamer S,iImrn Witt, VIII ch, at
the appointed hour, 8 O'clock, cast
off her lines, and was soon steaminp
gaily over the sparkling waters of
the bay, her paddle wheels stirring
up its limpid depths to the tune Of
forty revolutions per minute, n |
leaving the course of the b, at
marked by long trail of foamir g
billows, whose fro,hy crests, il
the bright, morning sunlIgh., =,
sparkled with all the variegaled
hues of the rainbow.
Steaming our way to the depop-
ulated village located on the side
hill the other side of the bay, we
stopped long enough to take on
board few tourists who wished to
accompany tie excursion, and from
thence wended our way to the ST.
Louis River.
The St. Louis River: beautiful,
grand, magnificent,
IF .ir River not unknown to classic song;-
Which still in varyng beauty rolls along,
Whrrl first thy infant fount family seen,
A lire OF silver mid firm 5e of green;
Or where, near TOW, ring rocks thy bolder tide
To win the giant guarded pass 9th glide;
Or WITT re in azure mantle pure and tree
Thou giv'st thy cool hand to the waiting sea-"
To those OF the excursionists who
had made the trip before, the seen
cry, Of course, did not possess the
ch ,rm tn It it did to US, who had
never before gtz.d upon it; but
still, we do not suppose that any
one could ever tire of it.
leaving the bay of Superior, the
Witt passed through ST. Louis entry
into ST. Louis Bay, this sheet Of
water being about two miles long
and the same distance In breadth,
and on the west bank of which is
situated The lovely village of Oneota;
steamlng rapidly past this town, the
boat soon arrived at a point where
the river narrows, the banks on the
leit-hand side rising high and pre-
clpltouS, with here and there little
coveS or bays extending into them
for quite distance, aud presenting
very lovely and picturesque views.
From this point on the tri is one
of continued surprises to the ex-
cursion.st, the river winding in and
out in very sinuous way, now
making very short curves, and then
again presenting u beautiful, straight
stretch of river, the |, t-hand banks
quite high and precipitous and the
right-hand banks extending away in
lovely meadows, their water-edge
lined with pond lilies.
About IL miles up we came to the
Devils Bend, which is very circui-
tous, and surrounded by beautiful,
bold scenery. A mile farther on is
Spirit Island and Lake, and here
was presented most interesting
and romantic view of land and
water. The island rises about fitty
feet above the surface of the river,
and IS clothed with thick growth
OF trees. According to the Indian
tradition, here died a celebrated
chief Of an unknown disease, and
ever since it has been avoided bv
the children of the forest as haunted
ground.
We arrived at Fond du Lac
which, as its name indicates, is the