Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1879-08-16
CHEBOYGAN.
tlThe Rivers and INLAND Lakes.

that it was not fair that ministers and
lawyers should mOnOpOlize the vacation
visits and made up his mind to indulge
i'm brief season of recreation himself
Hearing that number of his former
intimate acquaintances, the "SOlid Com
forts" had pitced their tents upon Burr
Lake, he left the editor and paper in
charge of the Devil, turned himself loose
and started for the aforesaid camp fully
determined to leave the cares of pub
Usher behind and have a good time
The following extracts, we take from
his account of his trip as published in
the News: -l t75.r =. -lt- -.H Pa. -f..,iI
After a lengthy stop at Alpena, and
shorter, ones at various other places, we
! landed early in the morning at ChebOy-
gan, stopping at the Spencer House, a
large and well-kept hotel near the dock,
for breakfast. We had just time to take
hasty survey of the place, which we
found well stretched ont along the river,
and calculated to impress visitor favor
ably. They claim to have a population
of three thousand, with as many more
living in circuit of a few miles outside
of therv village. Some building was i'm
progress, and general air of thrift and
business seemed to prevail. Those with
whom we cOnversed talked up" their
town, for which they have great expecta-
TONS The fine country tributary to it,
with which they possess water cOmmuni-
cation for many miles. and the excellent,
harbOr- formed by the river, together
with the extensive timber interest cen
tered here, seem to justify their e4pecta-
tiOn of its becoming considerable city.
Dropping into the Office of the NORTH
ERN TRIBUNE we found the printing
business was good enough to warrant a
first-class country establishment with
newspaper and job press run by steam.
The proprietor was absent from town, but
fraternal reception was given us by Mr..
Hunt, the foreman. s,1 ~
At 8 o'clock we took the neat little
steamer Northern Belle, for the camp of
the Solid Comfort Club" on Burt Lake:
and by the way, the boys have succeeded
in making themselves notorious, so that
as soon as we reached ChebOygan the
place of their rendezvous was made
known to us. This boat, with another
of still smaller size, form daily line
from ChebOygan, through river of the
same name, MulletS Lake, Indian river,
Burt Lake. Crooked river and Crooked
Lake, to within six miles of PetOSkey,
where wooden tram-railway has lately
been built to Bay View and the latter
place. At the upper part of the village
a lock is passed through, giving rise of
some ten feet into dam, which furnishes
great water power that is used by several
mills and factories. Heading I'D the
river at a fair rate of speed, several Ium-
ber, and shingle mills are passed, with
large quantities of logs doomed up on
each side of the stream. Farther on,
floating logs were encountered, that re-
.quired the constant watchfulness of two
men with pike poles to keep clear away
from the wheels. .--zr
"A few miles up the mouth of Black
river is passed. an important stream
flowing from the southeast, the outlet of
Cheboygan. lake, and bringing logs from
hundreds of square miles of heavily-tim-
bered lands. The banks of the Cheboy-
gan are high and rolling, with land on
both sides mostly under cultivation;
dences of age and probably begun by the
early French adventurerS who came to
the northern part of the territory, of
Michigan. Entering Mullet lake we 4
steam through its entire length, a dis
tance of twelve miles, and find ita beau
tiful sheet of water, with banks growing
into hills, and with few signs of, any
break having been made in the wilder
ness; of green wOOdsIwhich covered them.
Itswidth is some three miles and aver
ohnnf Cauanfu- -fiUQ foot Tho |
boat stopped at the upper end of the lake
for dinner. 80 4
Indian river connects Mullet with Burt |
lake, and is narrow stream, of about
four miles i'm length. 1t has been i'm
proved for purposes of navigation, by, al
state grant of swamp lands. At store
onits banks, where a stop was made, we
were made to realize what berry cOun-
try we were passing through. 20 Here
were many bushels of the largest and
most luscious blue berries awaiting
Shipment, all of which had been brought
i'm shat day, and constitute, with other
berries, the largest item of country pro-
duce' bartered for by the enterprising
storekeeper. D re
The spot on which the "selid comforts"
were Iencamped is all that could be de-
sired! 1t is high and dry, completely
shaded byahardwood trees, and has affine
pebbly beach; within a few yards were
two springs of almost ice-cOld wafer
one pure, and its neighbOr not ten feet re-
moved, impregnated strongly with min
eral; row in either direction, about far
enough for healthy exercise, and good
fishing grounds are reached; While. in
front is superb bathing. Burt 4 lake is
the handsOmest of the chain, the hills
surrounding it being of a greater height
and with several deep bays to add varie-
ty to its charms; to. gaze upon it from
its different parts was alone a source of
delight.
A portion of each day was spent in
fishing or exploring through the sur
sounding country, in companies of two
or three. Fish were caught beyond the,
ability of the camp to consume them
black bass, perch, sun-fish, pickerel, but
no speckled trout. Wemay say that on
the day after our arrival we had the hon
or of taking the largest bass. No game
was shot, except few ducks, though one
of, the party got his name into the Che
bOygan paper, because, while being .dri-
ven with a hired team through the will
derness, they came upon large bear,
which caused the horses to run away,
and broke the hip of one of the animals.
1t is fair to suppose that Griffith was
therefore the heroof the party on their
return to Mercer.
,1-t ~ ~ -razL ~ ri1n'ai 0t s.t'ir
The Lawrence called in bound down
early this morning ,, O.
-tt- afflA.t tAi