The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-05-30
AS Others see Us.

AN I1duy Vi OuE CiIiIcuS WOuiu uu-
doubtedly be interested in knowing
whnt strangers think Of ms, we repro
duce below an article published in the
Iron Ore, a couple of weeks ago, de-
scriptive OF L'Anse and its environ
ments. While it is inaccurate in many
particulars it at least conveys an idea
Of how we look to outsiders:
Midway between the ferruginous de-
posits of Marquette and the cupriferous
rocks of Houghton lie the arenacious
stones and slaty schists of Baraga. To
avoid somewhat metallic pride"
which exists among the people of the
Marquette iron range, and the Hough-
ton copper fields, it is good thing oc-
casionally to note the industries of other
districts when at least equal success
and fortune follow industrial efforts.
L'Anse, the shire-town of Baraga, has
been noted, first, for centuries as an
Indian farming place; as an outpost of
the Hudson Bay Fur company; as
meeting place, annually, for the Al
gonquin and Oiibway tribes of Indians,
to receive their yearly stipend of blank
cts, food and tinsel trinkets from the
United States government. In its
second stage of development it has been
famous for its Indian missions, schools
and churches, both Protestant and
Catholic, each denomination choosing
one side of the beautiful bay in their
strife for souls; an attempt was also
made to make it sort of western
Chataquan resort, but the intense strug-
gle for metal and mineral in the Upper
Peninsula has shown that it was too
early to institute any kind OF purely in
tellectual establishment, and that these
higher developments in q country's
character awaits leisure class which
only arises later on, when the soil is
conquered, wealth won, and the ore,
metal, lumber and stone Industries are
| firmly estab ished. The third and pres
ent stage of growth at IiAnse is what
now interests us most. Railroads at last
reached the head of Keweenaw bay, and
! the situation at once changed; from a
quiet pastoral, farming and fishing life
OF the aborigines sprung forth nine
teenth century life, as intense as it is
labor;ous, and now thought and action
are turned to sandstone. slate. lumber,
terra Gotta, clay, Silicon, polygonal
turning works, furniture factories, steel
plants, whaleback building and many
ways of utilizing the various natural
products OF soil, rock and water which
are thickly scattered all around. Ke-
weenaw bay and its continent waters
are being met with at least two new
railroads this summer. one from Cham
pion to Arvon, which is already graded.
some of the bridges built, and nearly
ready for rails. Much speculation Is
being indulged in as to the real object
in view by those who are expending
the vast sum necessary for this line, but
those most competent to judge and
know say it is the c., NJ. & st. P. seek.
ing port for future ore trade for this
district. Whether this be SO or not,
he road traverses q section of country
notable for pine and hardwood. 1t
also crosses and for distance parallels
the gold range; it runs through and
alongside Of vast beds OF brick, terra
Gotta, and pottery clay: it will open
granite, serpentine and marble sites Of
value, so even suppose that no iron ore
goes that way, there are resources
enough along the line to support the
road At Arvon, the lake terminus,
large ore dock is being built and beside
it large merchandise pier, and gen.
tleman Mt L'Anse who had not been
fishing this spring and who apparently
did not belong to the Annanias club, 80
notorious throughout the world for
truth and veracity, told the writer that
sure and certain arrangement had been
made whereby large steel plant was
to be erected there this summer and
that the manufacturer of "whale backs"
and steel cars was the ultimate object in
view. A town site is laid out and lots
selling rapidly. The other road which
is to strike the hay is one from Waters
meet to Baraga, upon which engineers
are now at work. A phenomenal
growth Of pine, cedar, spruce and other
valuable timber exists along the entire
route, the soil il sandy loan Of great
agricultural worth, and the rocks are
sandstone, states and iron-bearing
strata In some districts railroads can
be probably built for the lumber trade
alone. in fact, already upon the shore
Of Lake Superior it is estimated that
thereare as many men employed as many
-bonts used and as muoh capital invested
in numbering as mining, and the lumber
interest has only latey begun to be
deyeloped. This last road appears to