Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-16
so PER CENT. SAVED
byusipg HIGGINS GERMAN LAUNDRY Soar
A Trip to Lake Superior.

SO PER CENT. SAVED
byusing HIeaIss GERMAN LAUNDRY Soar
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A Trip to Lake Superior.
Mr.. EDrToR :-"AIl work and no play makes
Jack a dull bow" SO thought Messrs ID. Bal
lentine, Jno Cairns and P. Woodhouse and
the writer, when on hot July morning, in
Bloomington they planned an excursion to the
south shore of Lake Superior Brook trout
fishing was the object of the trip, and Bayfield,
the objective point. Leaving Bloomington on
the morning of July Esd we took the steamer
North Western" at Prairie du Chen for ST.
Paul The pleasure of Mississippi steamboat
travel is dream of the past, thought we, as
after forty hours of agonizing conflict with mos
quitoes, heat, sand>bars, and too wretehed
sleepless nights, we landed, exhausted, in st
Paul
Refreshed by a delicious breakfast at the
Metropolitan" we took the Wednesday morn
ing train for Duluth. The run from st. Paul
to this point, for 1876 miles is monotonous, and
dreary in the extreme: since the track pene-
trates an uninterrupted tamarack swamp. with
no village from White Bear Lake to Duluth.
At first we were at loss to know to what
earthly use the road could be put, but on in
quiry ascertained that its main employment
was the transportation of flour from the great
mills of Minneapolis to Duluth. and thence by
lake to Buffalo. But if the swamps were te-
dious they gave, by contrast, more zest to the
pleasure we experienced, when, near Duluth,
we found ourselves on the Dalles of the st.
Louis. From lofty trestle-work, monument
of skillful engineering, we saw far below us,
through the rift in the tall pines the stormy
river, pouring its turbulent waters from cliff
to cliff; now gliding deep and swift, over
rocky plains smooth as mirrer, now darkling
in narrow channels cut in solid rock, now
leaping over mighty boulders, to fall in foam
and spray upon the ragged lodges far below
In picturesque grandeur the river and its sur
roundings reminded US of familiar White
Mountain scenery. A beautiful red sandstone
forms the bed of this stream, and of this fas
nous stone it was proposed to build the great
City of Duluth, had not the sudden collapse of
Jay Cooke assured il peaceful rest in its prim.
tive bed.
On the evening of the 25th we found our
selves in the "Chicago of Minnesota"-"The
great City of the unsated seas"-the deserted
village of Duluth. As we gazed upon its miles
of costly dockage, barren of freight its mag
niicent elevator long unused its fine BUSH
ness blocks untenanted, and going to decay !;
its splendid private residences, browning the
wholly deserted, we exclaimed with one accord
"Shrine of the mighty Can 1t be,
This is all that remains of theet"
The prophetic words of Proctor Knott, are
to-day more than realized. Business blocks
that in 1870 were erected at cost of SIC, 900
are now offered for sale at $1,000, and no buy
ers. But Duluth has the finest harbor on the
lakes, and if with returning prosperity the
North Pacific is extended to the vast wheat
fields of the Red River, may yet be city of no
mean Importance.
From Duluth ride of SIS miles by lake on
the steamer "St. Paul" of the "Ward Line"
brought us to the little village of Bayfield,, the
County seat, and only village OF Bayfield,
County Beautifully situated on a lay protects
ed by the"Apostle Islands" its pure, bracing
air; the beauty of its surroundings; its excels
lent hotel, the "Island House," its rocky
coast, and cold streams, famous for their brook
trout,-all combine to make this village of the
pines a popular resort for quiet pleasure
seekers But the pleasures of civilization had
no charm for us. Hiring a half-breed driver
and lumber wagon we drove with our tent
and accoutrements ten miles into the depths
of the forest to the banks of the Sioux River.
The best trout stream on the South shore.
Selecting knoll under cluster of the tall
est pines we pitched our tent, arranged our
luggage, and an hour before sunset sailed
forth for an hours fishing and soon returned
to camp, partially devoured by mosquitoes and
sandfies. but with trout enough for an ample
supper These little pests, the sand flies or
''no-see-umsn as the Indians call them, throw
the mosquitoes entirely into the shade, in
their capacity to destroy sleep But we
learned wisdom through suffering, and there
after kept our tent so well closed, at night, as
to exclude entirely both flies and mosquitoes
One Saturday we took an early start in order
to ascend the Sioux to the falls" as [. H.
Wing ESQ, Of the land Office, at Bayfield,, had
advised US, that above the falls we would find
the best fishing. Although previously warned
of the great difficulty of this undertaking on
attempting it, we found, that the half had not
been told us. For many miles the Sioux River
Ia stream about as large as the "Grant'1 flows
through narrow channel from SO to 100 feet
in depth, with rugged sandstone cliffs on
either side, and its bed paved with powders,
and lodges, oyergrown with slippery moss. An
almost impenetrable forest of pine runs Gloss
to either bank, and at intervals of few rods
the stream is bridged by giant hemlock,
wrested from its insecure footing on the cliff
above by wind or lightning. The only way we
could ascend the stream was to wade it,
when shallow enough for safety; and when
beyond our depth, to make portage through
the dense wood upon the bank. In this way
we assembled for three miles, in water cold as
ice, and in a current so strong, that when up
to the knee it was almost impossible to stand
against it. But when, after infinite toll and
chilled to the bone, we reached the falls, a
picture lay before us which more than repaid
our effort For perhaps a half mile through
the opening made in the forest by the rivers
bed, we could trace the stream, pouring down
a rapid of almost As degrees of inclination
looking in the sunlight streaming in simmer
ing shadow through the evergreens, like a wav.
ing cord of silver. This portion of the stream,
cold, swift, clear in sunlight, dark in shadow,
was perfect trout's paradise and here indeed
we found them, large, hungry, and "gamey."
Standing in the middle of the stream, and
letting our lines float down the strong cur
rent, almost every cast was sure to bring a
large trout of the black species-the most ac.
tive and finest of all brook trout Especially
in blue rifle between moss grown rocks,
where the current was strongest, or in dark
quiet pool, under fallen log, were we sure of
fish. Mr.. Cairns, from one of these pools,
deeper than the rest, with the writer's help in
landing, took q trout, on no. IL limerick
hook, weighing nearly three pounds. sim
gle uaY III u CdlCU OF some
thirty pounds of speckled trout; sport enough
to amply pay US for a ride of 500 miles.
During our stay in the woods we were
struck with the entire absence of all animal
| life With the exception of hen pheasant,
almost as tame as barnyard fowl and single
| squirrel, that sat in the pine above our tent.
and every morning awakened US, with his
shrll call. we saw not living thing, in all
that vast forest.
After a stay in camp for some days, we re.
turned to Bayfield,, civilization, and the hos,
pitalities of the Island House While here we
visited an old observatory erected by the gov
eminent upon the highest point of land com>
manding the lake. The view from this point
was most impressive. To the west and south
as far as the eye could reach, was trackless
waste of woodland-"The forest primeval.
The murmuring pines and the hemlosk; beard
| ed with moss and in garments Green, indis-
tinct in the twilight, stand like Druids OF
Ed, with voices sad and prophetic stand like
| harpers boar with boards that rest on their
'bosoms, and on the north and east the
| the blue waters of Superior, and the twenty
apostle Islands. nesting in the placed water,
beautiful in the purple light of the clear
morning.