The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-02-17
THE NEW WISCONSIN,"
A Ride Of Eighty-fve Miles Through
the Woods to Ashland and Bad
RiYer-Who and What We Saw.

places on the route may not prove uninterestng to
Of the readers of the TINS, we subjoin few
notes
The rid. between Superior and Ashland is rather
tedious and uninteresting the country ben unset
tied and undeveloped-in fact, almost trackless for
est, the only signs of civilization being the various
stoppng-places which are located along the road :;
hence hescenerv is of not diversified con-
sisng simply of trees and rivers and rivers and Trees
and then a few more trees The timber, however is
magnificent, Norway Pine predominating some of the
forests of this species being calculated to make the
heart of a lumberman leap for joy at the sight of
their giant forms towering heavenward straight as
arrows, and forty or fifty feet to limb.
The stopping places on the road are excellent and
number four-two at the Brule River, one at Moose
Lake and the McElroy place. The two at the
Brule kept by Basil Dennis and John Lacha pelle
respectively, party putting up at the latter And
we only pay Mr.. Lachapelle deserved ompliment
when state that he keeps excellent place
warm, comfortable house. good beds good meals and
commodious and comfortable STABLE capable of &C
commodatng eight teams. This stopping place is
about % miles from Superior.
Moose Lake station, kept by two jolly Bayfield, boys
Bill Herbert and our colored friend George Washing
ton Talbot, formerly Superior boy. Though the
sleeping accommodations here good at
Lachapelles, they very fair while the boys dish
upeXceIIeut food, cooked in artistic manner, la
George. All in all this station is pretty comforta-
bic sort Of place to fetch up after riding all day
in the cold, with the thermometer 81 degrees below
Twelve miles beyond this station is the McElroy
farm, now run by Col. Henderson, formerly Indian
Agent at led Cliff and a very pleasant gentleman
Here found farm quite we'll improved, with a
substantial farmhouse and comfortable and commo-
dous barns.
This place makes very pleasant stopping place in
the winter time, while in the summer season, taken
in connection with its pleasant surroundings and the
genial host and his family, makes g very pleasant
summer retreat and is the resort of many from St
Louis and other southern places, who come to our
Lake Superior region to esjoy its cool climate the
trout fishing afforded by its streams and many other
pleasures
Twelve or thirteen miles southeast of the McElroy
place. aud about SIS miles from SUPERIOR on the east
side of Chegwamgon Bay is situated Ashland.
We must confess that were somewhat disap-
pointed in Acknowledgements In its location and
in the lack of activity it at present exhibits being
apparently as dull as Superior. Its immediate pros
poets, however, quite good it is expected the
Wisconsin Central Railroad will be completed by
next fall, 600 being at work on the road at
each end of the gap. The completion of this road
is expected, Will put new life into Ashland, though in
~;
rapid or large growth fail to see as the country
through which the road runs for hundreds of miles
south of Ashland is simply Wilderness entirely
undeyeloped and which will afford traffic the
nor commerce to Ashland. In point of location and
harbor facilities Ashland does not begin to compace
with Superior. We not sure, however, that this
is any disadvantage to the town. 1t has been pretty
we'll demonstrated in this country that advantageous
locations do not BUILD UP towns disadvantageous
locations retard their growtha fact which ought to
be very patent to the people Of Superior. Capital
and LIVE the materials that build cities, and
Ashland certainly has the latter is indicated by
the advertising columns of its local paper, by its
manufactures and stores and by the appearance Of
its business men, al acquaintance with several of
whom we were pleased to form.
We arrived at Ashland about sundown, and put up
at the Davis house. kept by old Superiorite where
we found good meals and comfortable lodgings ands
better STILL genial friend, Tom Bardon who after
we had attended to the Inner man." kindly took
us out to 'the elephant" and show US about the
town, not negIectiDg to take to that lttle place
around the corner" to sample of the Ashland
BreTery's beer. We have often wondered how Sam
Fitie11 came fl lcOuire such q liking
beyerage-ws don't now
Among others whom we were pleased to meet was
friend Hon. S. S. Vaughn, into whose store We
dropped for few moments; which the same store
by the way, is the finest in Ashland and which
will com pare favorably with anything On the Lake
We left Ashland tho next morning for our destiua-
ton, viz 0danah, en- the Bad River Indian Reserve,
twelve miles beyond Ashland where arrived after
pleasant drive excellent road. 0ian ali,
clothed in its winter habmenis has pleasant ru-
ral-ike appearance, while in the summer season
it must be a beautiful and delightful place 1t is
situated about five miles inland from Lake Superior
on the Bad River, a stream which il very pretty
quite wide and very deep having, if we remember
correctly, a depth oils feet of watsr-a stream, in
fact very much like Nsmadji River in its sinu-
osites being more crooked than crooked whisky.
Along this river extends what called Bad valley
which contains about 10 900 of fine farming
land as be found anywhere in the United States.
The whole reservation contains something $780,
900 In the valley the Indians have opened up
a large number OF FARMS on which built substan-
tal log houses and barns many of the indians having
acquired cattle and teams. 1t is the general suppo
sition that Indians are lazy and will not work. but
in conversation with the Government Farmer at
Odanah Mr. VIM. G. Walker, Gas pleasant aud inteli-
gent a have met in long whe) We
learned that the majority of these Indians hard
and industrious workers, and very ambitious.
At Odanah are located Presbyterian Mission, a
Catholic church and trading-post, the latter
owned by August Zachau Esq, of this place.
The mission comprises large and conveniently
arranged building used for dwelling aud boarding
school, and church aud school-house all sepa ate
frame structures and good buildings; in addition to
hesethere are barns and out-euIIdpSs and the Mis-
sion farm rep. esentng all together valuable prod
erty aud costing, the time the buildings were
erected MANY wears ago, thousands of dollars. The
Mission built. and is carried on, under the
piceS of the PRESBYTERIAN Board of Missions and
under the superinten tency Of Rev. l. Baird who,
with the assistance of his accomplished wife auh
two lady teachers Misses Verbeck and Dorrity, Is
doing noble work in ChrStianizng the indians aud
educating their children. Indeed ii is mainly owl
to the Christianizing influence of the Mission that
the Indians this have attained TO the ir