Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1881-09-10
Cheboygan and the Inland Route.

Petoskey, August 31st. 1t is evident the
correspondent struck the Mullet Lake
House onIone of the days when they had
an unusually large number to dine and
under thecircumstances we think 1t hard
ly just to condemn the management so
sweepingly. number of times during
the summer they have had to care for an
unusually large number of guests, and
being so isolated it is not to be wondered
at that on such occasions they should
not have everything up to the standard.
The superintendent Of the test salt well
says the correspondent mistOok him in
what he said. He did not claim that the
Cheboygan well, if successful would drive
the Ohio and Kanawaha rivers manu-
factories out of the business, but that
they could not compete with Michigan
salt manufacturers. and that should all
the new salt ventures prove successful it
would have tendency to ruin the mar
ket for the Ohio and Kanawha salt as
it could be manufactured in Michigan at
much less expense:
At present the route from PetOskey to
Mackinac most favored is what is known
as the finland Route" A tramway, six
miles long, passes through the Methodist
camping ground and summer resort,
Bay View, with its fifty tasteful cottages,
and the Presbyterian resort, Vogue
tOn-see, having twenty or more beauti
full cottages; it also passes two
small lakes, one of which,
called Round Lake, it almost en-
circles, and terminates at Crooked lake.
There small steamer is waiting, and
in few minutes she is under wav, and
six miles Of pleasant ride brings her
passengers to Crooked river, properly
named, in which the boat twists and
turns for seven miles, when she enters
Burt Lake, ten miles long, and then
Indian river, five miles long, and then
Mullet Lake, twelve miles long and six
miles wide, and finally ChebOygan river,
| six miles long, to ChebOygan, at the head
| transferred to the steamer Mary, owned
by the same company, and clerked by
Mr.. C. B. Russell, Cincinnati boy. The
distance to Mackinac from ChebOygan is
eighteen miles, and the ride is pleasant.
Those who desire to rough it little may
return to PetOskey by lake, but having
made the latter trip once, their stomachs
will be likely to protest ever afterward
in favor of the inland route described.
At Mullet Lake has been erected one
of the largest and handsOmest summer
hotels in the Northwest. The season of
1880 gave it a good reputation, but it
has passed under the management of in
competent men, and has this season lost
its good reputation. This is partly due
to the fact that the steward of the house
has no means of knowing how many
people to provide dinner for, as the
steamers that carry the diners to the
hotel furnish also the only means of
communication with the rest of the
world.
The Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw rail
road is graded, with the exception of
five or six miles near Mullet Lake, and
trains will be running its entire length
to ChebOygan in about three weeks. This
fall will see the road in full operation,
under the management of the Michigan
Central railroad company. This road
crosses Indian River couple of miles
above Mullet Lake. and will establish
p s elger andIfreight depot near t lie edge
of the lake, three or four miles from the
Mullet lake House. OF course hotel
will soon be erected in the vicinity
of the depot.
Cheboygan, the terminus of the j. L. &
S. railroad proper, at least, for this year,
is an old village, which took sudden
start in growth couple of years ago,
and now some of its citizens look, for
ward to great future for it. The larg-
est vessels may put in there, but few of
ever, to Mackinac, Milwaukee, and Chi
cagO. Several of the largest sawmills in
America are located there. A planning
mill that was recently burned entailed
loss of 100000, and new one has taken
its place. Two weekly newspapers are
published in the town-One of them
edited by former Ohio boy, Mr.. Charles
S. Ramsay, who was born, brought up
and married in Springfield, Ohio. A
drill is in operation, boring for salt, and
has reached depth of 400 feet If salt
is found at depth Of LOCO feet the ex-
pense of boring Is to be paid by a private
company, but il not reached at that
depth the expense is to be borne by
subscription from the citizens. The
superintendent Of the work stated that
if salt is found the salt works on the
Ohio and Kanawha would have to stop
business, as they could not compete
with Cheboygan 1t would cost nothing
to manufacture the salt except the labor
of the men employed, and the railroad
furnish shipping facilities. gave him
credit for sufficient amount of local
pride. The hotels in ChebOygan are
good and prices reasonable. A portion
of a summer may be spent there pleas
antly, but don't think the air is as cold
as that which sweeps over PetOskey from
the lake