The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1894-05-12
A BOUNDARY DISPUTE.
Michigan and Wisconsin May Lock Horns Over
the Wicked Town Of Hurley.

consin as follows:
Uncertainty az 60 the boundary of
Michigan ON her northwestern border
presents an opportunity for just such u
warlikc dispute with Wisconsin AZ that
occasioncd earlier in the century with
Ohio, when the limits OF the southeastern
border were in question.
The wicked town Of Hurley and the
raging Montreal river form Il part Of
what may bc claimed ~ Michigan SOIL
should Il more perfect examination OF
the records show TINT there il sufficient
ground ON which To base bluff for their
ownership.
When Michigan was admitted ns n
state, il uf course became necessary to
define the limits Of the country across
the straits. II wits easy sailing for the
gcographers Of those days, as far as the
northern and eastern part of the upper
peninsula was concerned. Lake Superior
aud ST. Mary's river formed nice, com
Portable natural boundary in thnt
direction, and all that wns necessary To do
was to annex off.hand assorted and
miscellaneous islands.
Getting mp boundary FOR the south
ern part OF the upper peninsula was n
little more like work, although here, too,
nature had helped out amazingly. Down
one side, big watershed, the Alenomncc
river, flowed southeast into Green Bay
and thence 20 Lake Michigan. On the
other side the Montreal river flowed
northwest into Lake Superior. Accord.
ingly, il was prescribed 10y Legal enact
ment that the extreme northwestern
extremity of the new state should hc the
point where the Montreal river cmpties
into Lake Superior, that stream dividing
Michigan from the then territory OF Wis
consin. The boundary line was TO follow
the course OF the Montreal river west for
n long distance, then leaving that stream,
it was to skip across country in n direct
line and finally striking the Mcnomince,
following that stream 10 its mouth.
II Is along the Montreal river that the
chance for n Toledo war No. Cor,
rather. Hurley war M. lis presented.
At point some distance below the
town of Ironwood this river forks. The
west fork was denominatcd simply Il
branch by somebody who must have
been in snuoks with the future state of
Wisconsin. The east branch was ac-
ccptcd rs the only real, genuine Montreal
river above the junction ot tho two
streams. The other being set down az
merely riparian side issue for geo.
graphical purposes.
Accordingly, from that day TO this,
the glaring red line which separates the
unfortunate Wisconsin inhabitnnt from
the full joys Of participation in Michigan
citizenship has been thrown upon the
maps along the eastern fork.
TO read the statute prescribing the
boundary, there docs not seem To he any
chance at all To gobblo a lot Of Wiscon-
sin acreage. Montreal river is what
the net says, and plninly, too, but what
il the Montreal river? Is il the east
branch or the west branch which il to
have the honor Of being called the real
river above the forks2
II il could bc shown that the west
branch is not Il branch nj all, hut the
main stream, all the territory between
the two branches above the forks should
belong TO Michigan. and the red mark on
the maps ought To hc moved, from few
feet nt one point To several miles at
farther south.
On this question the testimony oi the
geographical sharps IL more important
than that OF the ilawyers There Is one
fact which has impressed a good many
people who weren't shnrps nj all, topo-
graphical or otherwise After crossing
from Ironwood 10 Hurley aud then con
tinuing the journey further until the So
called west branch was renchcd, why
should the little brook az Ironwood bc
called the Montreal river when il isn't
hall ns big ns the stream bclittlcd under
the name Of It's "wcst branch"
II looks suspiciously like gcographi.
cal ease OF mixing those babies uI,. The
stream which Is enjoying All the rights
and emolumcnts of the Montreal river
is a usurper, and the cruelty wronged
and unrccognized stream. which il,
di-paraged ns mere brunch, pos.
scss,s all those evidences of native
superiority and points d iamily rc-
semblance, including snvernl large sized
strawberry marks on one OF its
swiftly flowing arms. which distinguish
the fightiul fposscsor Of a more honor.
able title.
Besides the town Of Hurley, there arc
valuable iron mines In the extension oI
the Gogrbic range in the territory, in.
cluding the Carey, the Odanah, the Mon.
treal, the Germonia md the Winncwnwa
mines. The matter rs being quietly In.
vcstigatc,
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