Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1881-11-09
More AbOut that Immense Tract OF Pine
Land.
From the Bay City Call

Lhllu.
From the Bay City Call.
A few days since we published an ac-
count Of the discovery of a vast pine
belt in the Georgian Bay region. We
reprint a portion of the same article,
adding some comments Of interest:
Launched upon Spanish river, the
voyagers proceeded leisurely, noting the
depth and current of the stream, the
magnitude of which surprised them
more and more "a they assembled.
Reaching a point 100 miles inland
from Georgian bay, and the limit Of
government surveys, the party landed
and prepared to penetrate the great un-
explored region before them. Here
began the work that from its results
may in the not far distant future open
up a new and almost ineXhaustible
source Of lumber supply.
This, in fact, was the primary object
Of the expedition-to investigate the re
sources Of the region as regarded the
growth and quality Of timber, and dis
cover if such forests, could they be
found, could be utilized when the pin2
supply Of Michigan should be cx-
hsUsted.
Establishing Z base line SIX mile, ID
length, the surveyors moved forward,
sending outside parties, and in this way
covered an area Of IS square miles.
Their expectations were more than re-
allied. They found the pine timber Of a
superior quality, excelling that Of the
Michigan forests and in such quanti-
ties as 10 convince them that they had
discovered a source which would fur
nish building material for Canada and
the West for the next 100 years at
least, 1t was estimated that the area
surveyed by them would furnish "a
000,000,000 feet Of lumber, and they
had not begun, according to the In
dian guides, to penetrate this immense
forest tract. The explorers also en-
countered small streams connecting
with the Spanish river, which in the
event of the future tapping of the
great lumber supply, would serve adj
mirably in floating the logs 10 the
greater stream which is free from rapids
and we'll adapted to the logging trade.
The value Of this great pine forest will
perhaps be better understood when it
is stated that the entire stock of uncut
timber in the State of Michigan is es-
timated by practical engineers at only
35,000000,000.
This belt is on the line Of the Cana
dian Pacific railroad, and the explor-
ing party encountered 4 party Of rail
road surveyors who were confident that
the dominion government actually in
tended to locate and build a rail-
road east of the Manitoba -region
through the country north Of Lake
Superior and then southeast to the
present inhabited regions of the domin-
ion. The party also found fine miner
al deposits.
Last year several prominent lumber
men of Alpena visited this Spanish
river region, and at that time and SUBJ
sequently secured five and half town.
ships of the pine lands mentioned
The river, as broad as the Saginaw, is
navigable for frst-class vessels for forty
FIVE miles from its mouth. The waters
in that quarter are not like the lake
water, but are colored, the same as
those Of Saginaw river; the timber is,
according to the estimate, much better
than the best of the Alpena pine tim
Der. Besides the pine there are i'm
mense quantities of spruce and much
other valuable timber. They could on
ly secure lands as far as the government
surveys had been made, or they would
have taken a still larger tract, but
even what they did secure it is estima-
ted that there is standing 300,000,000
feet of pine, and this can be cut and
RATED to Alpena for manufacture at
figure which will leave the margin on
the manufactured product quite as re-
munerative, excess Of uppers over homo
stock considered, rs is that on the pro-
duct Of Thunder Bay river logs
There is no room for doubt in all this
business. Our informant is Hon. VIM.
II. Potter, than whom there is not q
squarer or more considerate business
man among all the lumbermen in Mich
igan. His associates are Albert Pack,
VIM. ii. johnson and other shrewd
and sagacious operators, and there is
in this instance moral certainty that
instead Of there being any exaggera-
ton in this Spanish river matter, the
value Of the pine timber is ms greatly
underestimated as we're the extent and
value Of the timber resources Of
Michigan underestimated twenty-five
or even fifteen years ago.