Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1884-10-01
On the sault ste. Marie.

st. Mary's River separates American
and Canadian territory, and connects
Lake Huron with the vast fresh water
sea Of Lake Superior. The river or
strait is about sixty miles long, and
is difficult of navigation. Two or
three miles wide at the mouth and stu l.
ded with numerous islands, beautiful
in the bright days of summer. it mar
rows at many points, and opeus out
into picturesque lagoons. The Sault,
OF rapid proper, is only three-quarters
of a mile in length, with descent OF
twenty-five feet; it has no bold preci-
pices over which the stream throws its
its water in foam, but the river rushes
down the slope in fury, whirling around \
and among the small islands which are
scattered in its course, and leaping wild
ly over rmany powders. 1t is navigable
enough for the light birch barks of the
Indians, but only half century ago it
used to place an effectual bar to the
progress of large vessels. Thirty-fve
years since single schooner sufliced for
the traffic of Lake Superior, and five
years later three more were all that
the commerce of the inland sea de-
manded, but the construction of the can
al, about twenty-five years ago, at once
made change, and opened passage
for continuous navigation. The canal
is noble monument of engineering
skill, commercial enterprise, and wise
liberality on the part OF the State of
Michigan. 1t was built by the funds OF
the State, supplemented by grant from
Congress of one hundred and fifty thou
sand acres of land. 1t is mile and q
half long, seventy feet deep, and con-
structed of colossal masonry. The
locks, two in number, are among the
largest in the world, and are wide
enough TO admit the largest boats in
tho trade. In winter, however, trade
is suspended on this waterway; the
boats can rarely enter the lake, on &C,
count of the ice, earlier than the first
] of May, and navigation ceases in No
! vember, as the fall storms are very Sc
/ we're. Ten years ago a journey to the SAUL
in winter was an arctic expedition
I the mails to the fort were carried in
, sledges drawn by dogs, and took a fort
, night on the journey. In summer reg
. ular steamers, as well appointed as any
Atlantic fleet, run from Chicago anC
Cleveland, and the travel on them is in
| mense,
: The Sault Ste. Marie is historic
ground. Though these eddying rapid
passed the first missionaries and OK
i. plorers of the unknown West, the La
q salles,. the Joliets, the Henneplns, an
q not far from their rushing waters, i
p Michiimackinac. lie the bones c
a Marquette, the explorer of the Missis
q sippi, Here the fathers establishe
2 their central station, whence the
= could start out to visit all the tribes c
a the North and West, and whittier the
y could return when wearied with thei
h labors or in want of supplies. Fathe
; Jogues pitched his tent here in 1910, an
: in 1871, on the very site OF the moder
- town, an envoy of the Most Christia
IL King had grand council with sever
!, thousand Indians for making trea'
of offensive and defensive allian'
against the incursions of those frien,
Is Of our school-boy days, the Six Nation
sr The river is the only outlet from Il
O. vast lake. but some theo. les have be'
It. advanced to favor the conjecture tn
n there exists subterranean channel, TO
in after all allowances for evaporatio
IL it is difficult to conceive that one cha
m mel can carry off the superfuous wat
u from such an immene lake, who
ic area is $4,000 square miles, and who
ks tributaries drain more than twice tn
lie extent of territory.
e. The Indians have mostly been co
he verted long ago to the Roman Cathol
mt faith, the missionary work having be,
in begun by the martyr of the lroqu
*. the Father Jogues just mentioned, /
French settlers and pioneers, to the
ch lasting credit, have always treated t
all Indians in the way which, to their la
an ing shame, men OF English blood SET
b;s unable to comprehend, One of
r., chief occupations of the Indians on
No Sault and the various lakelets it for
not in its course is fishing. Mackinac a
w. speckled trout are plentiful but
nv pride and boast of Lake Superior a
~ its adjacent tributaries is the white-fi
ha In the lake itself, with its waters or
his tai clear AMI icy cold, it attains
~ finest flavor, and is without rival.
So M is abundant in the rapids, and at
ac r hours of the summer day Indians a
ha half-breeds may be seen shopping th
hs up with their apparently unwiel
an gaffs. Two fishermen form the CT
~ of each canon and 90 riyht out i