The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-11-20
Buckeye Hunters.
BUCKEYE HUNTERS CAMP, !
November 5, 1854. !

NOfcLuUcI ~ 1901
FRIEND HARRIS AS the dust and
smoke of the great political contest is
clearing awuy, and we are in sublime
ignorance of the result up here in the
woods, I will busy myself in writing a
few lines to you.
We are located six miles north and
four miles west of Farwell, Close Co..
Michigan. We started October 9th,
and got into camp at p. m. the 29th.
We have comfortable log cabin, ,16x24
feet. made of large hemleck logs, hew-
ed inside; everything in good order;
built two years ago for an office for B.
& P. Godkins' lumber works.
We have prospected over some of the
country here find some deer and some
bear signs. Some of the boys have
had shots at deer and at bear, but no
venison yet. 1t is poor hunting here,
in my opinion. 1t showed hard all
day yesterday-the ground and the at
mosphere warm-so it gathered only
about four inches, and it is still thaw-
ing-a poor time for still hunting ;
then about every other section of land
has been numbered over, and these old
lumberings have been fired, some four
years since, and a thick growth of
black cherry and red raspberries have
come in, and it is just terrible to go
through; then there are the white ce-
dar swamps, almost impenetrable. So
still hunting is very poor, as all game
will run into the junglcs. We have
been running them with hounds, and
this does not work well. We can put
them to water every time. There are
ten little lakes, from the size of Pippin
to three miles i'm length, within ra-
dius of two and one-half miles of our
camp. You can readily see we cannot
tell where they will water. when we
make run, and l guess We shall not
kill much venison; but it will be
strange if we do not get enough to eat
while in camp, for some of the boys
a e crack shots. I know Hiram Hut
son, Will Armstrong and myself each
h al a shot at an old buck across Silver
Lake, little over one half mile dis
tant. Fred French was in canoe,
about one hundred yards from the old
fellow, and got in two shots at him.
Well he was skipping his best when
we all shot at him, and our work serv
ed only to hasten his speed, if possible.
We are learning the country and the
runways, and we soon shall have ven
ison, I hope.
The surface of the land all over this
country is from gentle undulations to
heavy hills !; it will average in that
regard, about like the surface around
Brady and Pippin there are very few
gorges or gulches, and no stones the
soil is sandy, too much so: where the
soil is all white, it can be worth but
little; where it is mixed with yellow
and black, / think fine farms can be
made. 1t is said to produce good po
tatoes, and fifteen to twenty bushels of
wheat to the acre, sure crop. The tim
ber is white pine, Norway pine, or
spruce, hemlock, red oak, white oak.
&c. The land where not numbered
will cut 10000 feet to the acre, first
class pine lumber, on an average, in
my opinion. Millions and millions of
feet have been cut on some sections.
1t is said that the land wLere lum-
bered can be bought for ST per acre.
1t will cost but little to clear it. as the
timber is all dead and good for kind
lings, and will burn like tar barrel
There will be good farms here some
day.
Well, guess have written enough
about these wilds at present.
Respectfully, yours,
8 n N