Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-09
ON LAKE SUPERIOR.
A GRAND COUNTRY ABoUNDING IN
NATURAL ATTRACTIONS.
The Dalles of st. Louis Interesting In
dian Legends-Mackinac Island
and Its Old Forts.

The south shore of Lake Superior can
much of it be regarded as quite ike an
unknown country Picturesque america
SAYS it is 232 years since the first white
man set foot there. He met crowd of
Oiibway and Algonquin Indians, and five
wears later they killed him. The two
centuries and over since then are long
time in American history, yet in all that
time but little about this great island sea
has been written. The lake is 460 miles
long and 10 miles wide, and along the
south shore are scattered massive rocky
walls, giant cliffs and dense forests, the
equal to anything existing on the Atlantic
coast. As to the shape of the lake, the
early French missionaries described it as
like bow, with the arch on the Canadian
side and the straight string the American
bounds. Continue this string west across
the country and it runs through the yell
lowstone valley, Spokane Falls. Seattle
and Tacoma.
At the extreme western end Of the
lake is St. Louis Bay, separated from the
lake itself by a narrow strip of land, or,
more properly, two, called Minnesota and
Wisconsin Points, forming a natural harbor
of many miles in extent. 1t was first Wis
tied by civilized men in 1852, as nearly as
history records. In 1911 Fathers Daniel
and Breboeuf were invited to visit the
lake, but came no further than Sault Ste.
Marie. The first white men to leave an
actual reference to this territory were
Pierre DEsprit (Sieur Radisson) and
Madard Chanart (Sieur DIES Groselliers) in
the fall of 1861. In 1867 the Jesuit
father, Claude Allouez, mentions his visit
to the head of the lake. accompanied by
several traders, and from this time for
ward rich traffic in furs was carried on.
In 1879 Daniel Greysohlon du Lhut
came to the head of the lake with a band
of coureRr des bots, making his headquar
tiers in this neighborhood for several years.
There is a conflict of evidence as to
whether Du Lhut or the Hudson's Bay
Company first established the old trading
post on the south shore Of the bay, but in
1887 the Hudson Bay Company's men
were driven away by the newly formed
Northwest Company-the great trading
company which was succeeded by John
Jacob Astor's American Company after
the Act of 1916, after which the Ameri-
cans controlled everything in this vicinity.
The early settlements were not where
Duluth stands, but on the opposite shore.
Duluth, named after the noted French
man, Du Lhut, stands on the north shore
r IL 1 a =
the great chain Of lakes, 1850 miles from
Quebec and 1900 from Buffalo. Its situa-
tion is picturesque. From a narrow beach
abrupt hills rise to hight of 500 feet.
Upon the summit of the ridge thus formed
and on what must have been the former
level of the lake is a natural roadbed 100
to $50 feet wide, which local enterprise
has transformed into Terrace drive. On
the sides of the intervening hills rests the
city.
Westward from Duluth are the Dalles
of the St. Louis, of which another writer
says: "Here nature is harsh, rugged and
somber, tearing her way in water-course
four miles long with descent of 400 feet.
The banks are formed of cold gray slate
rocks, clad with an ample growth of bleak
pine, and twisted, split and torn into the
widest shapes. Through the dismal chan
mel thus bordered the current surges with
terrific force, leaping and eddying, and
uttering savage roar that the neighbor
ing hills sullenly reverberate. Here and
there an immense bowlder opposes, and is
nearly hidden by the seething, kissing
foamy waves, which dance and struggle
around and over it, sometimes submergiug
1t, and then, exhausted, falling into
quieter pace Occasionally the spray leaps
over the banks and forms a silver thread
of rivulet, which trickles over the stones
until lis little stream tumbles into the I'M
spar g torrent again and is lost. This
conl4uous rapid of four miles is grand,
deely impressive sight"
L., n the south shore of St. Louis Bay
are he two towns West Superior and Old
Superior, with Superior Bay on the east.
An Indian legend relating to the bay is
still related there. 1t appears that the
Chippewas imagined the home of the Bad
Manitou to be at the gateway to Superior
Bay. Because the currents OF the bay and
the lake conflict Just there and keep the
water constantly, though not violently,
disturbed, they fancied that the evil spirit
kept house in or under the water Just at
that spot. They knew he made trouble
everywhere, and the unexplained disturb
ance in the water was therefore a certain
sign that this was where he lived. In or
der to satisfy the demon they never passed
that spot in their boats without dropping
their valuables into it as neace offering.
By their valuables, | mean tobacco, pipes
and whatever edible delicacies they had
When they felt too poor to bride the Evil
One, they used to swindle him by carry
ing their boats over a portage at a narrow
strip IF land that confines one side of the
bay
To the south, within a two hours drive.
are the falls of the Black river, the Min
nehaha of Wisconsin, $50 feet or more in
hight, and Just east of Superior Station
the Nemadji river, deep stream that
flows into Superior bay. The name was
given by the Chippewas and signifies 'left
hand meaning the river at the left hand
as one enters the bay from the lake. Then
continuing eastward are three famous trout
streams, the American, Poplar and Middle
rivers. At Brule is crossed the river of
that name-a French word applied to
woodland that has been burned over. The
Brule is not large, but it is picturesque,
restful and famous as the best trouting
stream in Wisconsin. This little river
offers fine trout fishing for distance of
$50 miles, but St. Louis sportsman has
pre-empted twenty miles of it-as well as
he can-since he has preserve of that
extent with the river roaring through the
center of it. The country in this section
is undulating and densely wooded.
Still skirting along Superior's southern
border the Iron river, Pike lake and Pike
river are crossed, and Ashland is soon
reached. Within a short sail are the
Apostle Islands. Father Marquette, the
central figure of lake country history,
passed some time on one of them, now
called Madeline Island An Anticipated
Roman Catholic chapel still stands at La
Pointe. 1t was built of rough hewn logs,