The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1878-06-06
From the Farweil Register
AmODg the LOggerS.

Among the L0ggerS.
We started out, this week, for little
recreation, business, a general view of
the pine woods and lumber operations
in "Eighteen-Five," and are pretty
well satisfied with the result. Leaving
Farwell by the plank road, weproceed-
ed northward about mile and u hall,
mostly through handsome beach and
maple land, aud cross the tobacco river,
when
PINE COMMENCES,
and continues I'm an unbroken body to
the Muskegon river, from 15 to 20 miles
distant. We proceeded northward On
the Ionia Il HOughtOn Lake State Road,
through Town IL N. X. 5 west, with u
solid body of pine on either side, to the
line of Il. IL N. r. W., estimated to
be
THE HEAVIEST TOWNSHIP OF PINE IN
MICHIGAN.
| About eight miles from Farwell we
leave the State road aud proceed west
ward through tall pines, by "tOtc
road" blazed OH trees through the
thick forest, for about n mile, when the
logging operations of Il. +. COe are
reached, when rare sight to one un-
accustomed to the woods was presented.
Here lay half mile square of fallen
timber cut into logs and skidcd ready
for hauling, which was intended last
winter, but failed for lack of snow.
| Never before, and we have been la the
so many logs cut OH the same amount
| of ground, and there was lots of
NICE, TALL PINE,
left, large enough for timbers, but con-
| sidered too small to be merchantable,
and besides there was lot Of down
timber thrown away, which weuld be
considered valuable in other localities.
The logs from this place are now being
hauled OH trucks to lake George, about
one and half miles distant, from
whence the Lake George & Muskegon
River railroad will convey them to the
river.
After hearty meal and chat with
the "boys' we proceeded westward;
and what we had seen of pine trees anu
what was before us. We passed through
u large section of last years operations
which the fire had burnt over last
season, destroying every vestige of
vegetation, leaving the ground black
and bare, and thousands of tall,
straight pines which had been left rs
unmerchantable, black and saplcss to
be ruined by worms, which next to
! fire il
THE WORST FOE OF LtIMBEIMEN.
| the form of small black beetles, which
attack burnt and dead timber, and
finally turn into yrubs which penetrate
the timber in all directions, destroying
the same for ordinary use.
We passed several logging camps
and thousands of logs on skids, being
hauled to the lake or the railroad track
OH trucks, and here Is, also, witnessed
the usual waste Of cullcd timber. After
u circuit of several miles,
LAKE GEORGE
appears in view. This is a handsome
body of water about two miles and
| half in length and from 90 to 10 rods
In width. 1t is angular In shape, sandy
shores, with high hills slOping back
from the water. Around tile edge OF
! the water an excellent carriage way
already exists in IL state of nature. a
good share of the surface is now cover
eel with logs, continually being put in
| from several directions, and loaded ON
| cars at u certain point, by an ingenious
cOntrivance worked by u stationary
engine. This lake Is named after
George l.. Hitchcock, of Farwell, who
owns land near the same, tile name
| first appearing I'm print in this paper
in 1873. Before numbering commenced
here, this was II good fishing and pleas
urc resort. Here ducks assembled in
fiOcks, and the noisy loon resOunded
his slIrill, clarion notes through the
surrounding forest, yet in state Of na-
ture. but behold
THE CHANGE TWO YEARS HAS
WROUGHT.
The scenery here is quite romantic,
ample justice to which has been done
i'm several sketches, by l.. w. Gradth,
artist, of Saginaw City. His sketch
entitled "rhe Head Of Lake George"
Is lovely and true to nature. The view
here was delightful as we looked from
u lumber camp on an eminence OH the
north shore, and viewed the opposite
pine clad hill, the head of the lake to
the east, the high rollways, the tall,
dark pines and the smooth lake below.
Starting from the lumber camp of
B. +. Coe, on the northwest quarter
of section IA, Il. Is N. II. W., we
passed I'm "a north-westerly direction
through sections Is, 10, 8, 8 and Z, To
! the west line of r. IL n. II. q w, OH
TO MuskegOn river in section u, last
named town,
THROUGH A SOLID PINE REGION,
remark rkable for absence of swamps and
other timber than pine, the land being
high and rolling and generally slOping
OH both sides toward the railroad track.
| Rctracing our steps We pass soutliward,
| through section sixteen along the north
shore of lake George, across q and into
%, to Smith lake, where Is located the
lumber camp of VIM. Smith, the larg-
est contractor under w. S. Gerrisl.
This lake Is filed with logs, and the
extension of the railroad will pass along
its shores.
All the merchantable pine on section
10 Is cut, and mostly in. This section
was bought from the y. IL p. M. II. II.
Co., by McFarlane Brothers, of Evart,
who have cut from the same over l3,
0OO, 900 feet Of pine timber, whereas Ii
was estimated ut between ten and
eleven millions, and this is one Of the
lowest estimated sections In the town.
1t Is safe to say this township (1S-5 W.
contains over
450,000JJ0 FEET OF PINE,
or did before any was cut, which large
amount Is not, and perhaps has never
been equaled by any township In Mich
igan. AS a lot the timber Is the sound
est that we ever saw, though not l,ryc.
Towns 1874, 1914, 1876, 1875, and 1915,
are nearly all q dense forest Of pine,
embracing the largest continuous tract
of pine timber In the State, situated
mostly on the dividing ridge between
tl,a xu.t.,.o ssf tho NfusE n.<us, and fr,tf,-
inaccessible 10 water outlet. To take
advantage Of the situation was the
LAKE GEORGE 4 MUSHROOM RAILROAD,
projected by w. 8. Gcrrish, one Of tile